In case you haven’t figured it out, we’re really into recycling. Nothing excites us more than adding another product to our list of recyclable materials. We get pumped up about utilizing new technology to keep even more waste out of the landfill. You might even say that we are recycling geeks!

If you would indulge us for a bit here, we’d love to geek out a bit and share some of the new advances in the world of recycling technology. These new breakthroughs might not affect our business immediately, but just being a part of such a dynamic and cutting edge industry is part of what keeps us in the recycling game.

Did you know that there is now a machine called PaperLab from Epson that can turn used office documents into new paper in about 3 minutes? Not only that, but it is designed to be installed on site in offices, so that the wasted energy used to haul paper to an off site facility is also mitigated. The new system also boasts higher security for confidential documents, as they can be instantly pulverized without having to leave the building. It also uses 98 percent less water than traditional paper recycling processes.

The next technology is one that really excites us. We are proud to be a part of a process for recycling many types of plastic. However, there are still many plastics on the market that are not currently recycled. There’s now the technology called Pyrolytic Gasification to turn that plastic into fuel, releasing and using the hydrocarbons that are stored therein. Essentially, the plastics are melted, vaporized, and then condensed into kerosene, diesel, or even gasoline.

We’ve got a question for you…does anyone out there like Star Wars? Oh good, because in a move very much in keeping with the movies, the U.S. department of defence is working on technology to recycle the massive amounts of waste orbiting the earth in the form of old satellites. Oh, but that’s not all. Project Phoenix, as it’s called, is looking to use advanced robotics to dismantle and reuse parts from old satellites, and in the maintenance of satellites currently in use. Perhaps the notion of robots in space isn’t really so far-fetched after all.

If you want to come see our enthusiasm for recycling in person, bring your bottles, cans, electronics and other recyclables in one of our five locations.

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