A recent Zero Waste Zone post describes a new partnership between the U.S. Green Business Council (USGBC) and the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council (USZWBC). The U.S. Green Business Council administers the LEED certification program which recognizes buildings for their sustainable building design, construction, operations, and maintenance. The U.S. Zero Waste Business Council offers a…
RecyclingWorks has been working with United Tool & Machine & Gaynor Industries to improve their recycling program and identify outlets for materials used in their manufacturing process. These manufacturing materials include scraps of neoprene and aramid fiber. RecyclingWorks connected United Tool & Machine with Extras for Creative Reuse, a store in Peabody that provides low and…
BusinessWest highlighted the 40 anniversary of the Center for EcoTechnology (CET). CET is the nonprofit organization that administers the RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts, a program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. RecyclingWorks has helped hundreds of businesses and institutions, such as restaurants, food manufacturers, state facilities, and colleges and universities, to reduce waste. CET…
A recent PBS NewsHour story discusses the problem of discarded textiles and highlights the companies that are starting to make changes. Textile recycling has a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions, yet Americans are still throwing away 13 million tons of textiles each year. Some retailers incentivize customers to recycle their clothing at their stores by…
The Intercontinental Hotel in Boston has a range of green initiatives that include everything from an extensive recycling program to a rooftop apiary. Recently, the hotel changed over 550 reading lamps in their guestrooms and contacted the RecyclingWorks hotline for advice on what to do with the old fixtures. RecyclingWorks connected the Intercontinental Hotel with…
The Massachusetts Surplus Property Program helps connect extra equipment, materials, and supplies to entities that can put them to use. State departments periodically declare surplus property which is offered first to other state entities free of charge. After 30 days, any property that has not been claimed is offered to cities and towns for a…
A Boston Magazine article recently highlighted the work of Food For Free, a Cambridge-based non-profit, collects unused food from farmers’ markets, grocery stores, bakeries, and universities and donates it to food pantries, schools, and individuals in need of healthy food. Sasha Purpura, executive director of Food For Free, says “Our mission is to address hunger…
The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) Conserve program is a resource to explore and learn about sustainability in the restaurant business. To promote the program, the NRA developed 4 tips from industry experts on easy practices to implement that enhance a restaurant’s sustainability and produce environmental benefits: Recycle your cardboard Conserve water by establishing a…
This blog post from Spoiler Alert, a company based in Cambridge (MA) that has an “app” for connecting generators of surplus food to food recovery organizations, provides a visualization of food waste generation throughout the state and within the Boston metropolitan region. Staff at Spoiler Alert utilized publicly available food waste generation data from the state of…
This press release from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) highlights thirteen New England organizations that have backed the Food Recovery Challenge, an initiative that encourages businesses, organizations and institutions to prevent food waste by donating or recycling food. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is among the organizations who have become “endorsers” of…
