This week marks International Compost Awareness Week
Blog
By Chris Seney
Republic Services is known as industry leader in recycling and waste disposal. But people may not realize that Republic is also a leader in composting – in California, Oregon and other markets in the West.
This week is International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), and for the first time Republic Services is an official sponsor. ICAW is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry.
We’ve all been staying at home the past few weeks with very good reason – preventing the spread of COVID-19. During this time, you probably are generating more waste, particularly food and beverage packaging, takeout containers and cardboard boxes. As household waste increases, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of the right things to put in your recycling bin.
Across the nation, our team members are doing their part each and every day to continue to provide service to our customers and keep communities clean. In Great Falls, Montana, General Manager Mike C. is purchasing meals from local businesses (many also are Republic customers) as a thank you to employees for their significant contributions.
It’s a win-win as our employees stay nourished and healthy, and local businesses that we serve are supported during a difficult time.
Mike is also organizing food collection drives for local food pantries.
With many parents at home with their children right now, a virtual field trip could be a nice break. Let your kids explore how our recycling centers and modern landfills operate from the comfort of home. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2QFyFnN
Unless you’re a magician, your old mattress likely won’t fit in your curbside recycling bin. Even if it could, it definitely doesn’t belong there. The good news is – you can recycle it!
About 80% of the materials in a mattress are recyclable; however, we toss out about 15 to 20 million mattresses yearly in the U.S., each taking up about 40 cubic feet of space in a landfill¹.
Here are some good options to dispose of a mattress responsibly.
There are multiple paths to innovation, especially when it comes to technology. At Republic, our vision is to be America’s preferred waste and recycling partner – and to do this, innovation is not a nice-to-have – it’s a must.
February 20 is National Love Your Pet Day. It’s another reason to shower our pets with attention and, with Earth Day approaching, consider eco-friendly ways to recycle and repurpose the pet products we’ve accumulated for Fido and Whiskers.
Including the bowls, beds, toys, food and treats, our pets, like us, tend to use a lot of products. Once these items have reached the point of no return – what’s the right way to get rid of them? Here are some common pet items that do and do not belong in your recycle bin:
As our national day of love approaches, you’re probably thinking about what and how you’ll express your affection on Valentine’s Day. In fact, Americans are expected to spend a record $20.7 billion this Valentine’s Day¹ – that’s a lot of love. While it’s exciting to give and receive gifts of the heart – V Day, like most holidays, creates a lot of excess waste.
Fancy décor, flowers, cards, candy wrappers and gift boxes create a recycling and waste bin dilemma – what’s recyclable and what’s not? Here are some recycling Love Me’s (recyclables) and Love Me Nots (non-recyclables).
