uhlxx009: March 2010 Archives

As designers in today's world recyclability is a hot button issue. There is a big list of things that seem to be important regarding recycling and "going green"; make everything more recyclable, make it so things have more than one use, make products that replace one-time use products. These now reusable items include things such as, shopping bags, water bottles and coffee sleeves. As we move into a "more green" consumer culture it is easy to assume that things are starting to look up. While this is true in some cases and there are incentives to using some of these reusable products, are we really recycling more? Are fewer items ending up in landfills that could have been recycled and/or reused?

I want to take this post to look at the social aspect of recycling. Have you ever thrown something into a recycling bin (plastic, cardboard, paper) and wondered if it actually gets recycled? Does your apartment building have a spot for recycled products? Have you wondered if they actually send these items to the appropriate places or if it just ends up in the same dumpster as all your garbage? I know that I have.

According to recycleworks.org it takes quite a bit of effort to implement a recycling program in schools. They recommend involvement of students, teachers, administration and even parents. They also say that you need to "obtain top-level support from the school administration, your school district's operation and maintenance staff and your schools custodial staff." You have to select the items you'll recycle, where they will be recycled to, and establish a system for collecting the recycled items. Just looking at these few requirements it is easy to see how schools can have ineffective recycling programs or not have one at all. Programs for businesses require a similar amount of effort.

As designers it is important to know some of the logistics about recycling. We probably all know from experience how much paper we waste on proofs, misprints and reprints. Additionally we all use glass and plastic products as well as cardboard. We have old batteries, ink cartridges and other electronics that have safe ways to be recycled. When we're at home (whether and apartment or house) we should be aware of the recycling program in our building or city so that we can properly recycle or take items to a location where they will be recycled. Additionally it is important to know your place of business's recycling program. If you know what it takes to change or implement a recycling program we can easily influence our friends, family and place of business.

If you're looking to start a recycling program at a school or place of business these are some good links to get you started.
http://www.recycleworks.org/schools/schoolpgm.html
http://www.recycleguys.org/guidelines.asp
http://www.wm.com/wm/services/business_recycling.asp
http://www.recyclespot.org/business_tips.asp

Recyclability is a huge buzzword in all industries today. However, do we really know what is meant by "recycled product" or the question of "what is the recyclability of this product?" There are a lot of different aspects of recycling that the average consumer (or designer) doesn't really understand. This post will look at a few of the most common terms that are used when considering recycling and how they might relate to us as designers.

There are few important things to know about recycling as both a consumer and a designer. A big question often attached to recycling is "is this product biodegradable?" This is an important question because by definition a product is biodegradable if it can be broken down by organisms into basic elements such as water and carbon dioxide. If a product is not biodegradable it takes an extremely long time to decompose in a landfill. Non-biodegradable products are much less socially responsible but can present a higher cost of production for a company. Another commonly heard term is "recycled content" and this is often the term that is plastered on packaging and products to inform consumers that the company is environmentally responsible. Recycled Content is any portion of a product that contains materials recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream during the manufacturing process or after consumer use. Many paper products are labeled as 100% recycled content, however that does not mean that 100% of the content was already used by a consumer with a different intended use and then recycled into a new product. Any product that has already served its original, intended use is called post consumer material. The more post consumer material a company can use in a product the more it says about how environmentally responsible they are trying to be.

While knowing recycling terms aren't necessarily directly related to design it is important to be educated about what the terms mean. As a designer we may or may not come into contact with these terms and be expected to know what they mean. With recycling being such a huge buzzword in industries today being educated about what is meant by the terms is the first and most important step in understanding and properly implementing recycling.

A good link with other terms about recycling (not specifically related to design): http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/terms-you-should-know-about-recycling