Alhambra, CA -- (SBWire) -- 03/09/2011 -- The Clean Air Council reports that the United States generates the most trash in the world with an estimated 1,609 pounds per person every year. However, one company is doing everything it can to recycle all of its waste. Lanyardstore.com, a lanyard manufacturing plant in Los Angeles, recycles all trash produced in their warehouse through either business or personal use.
Augie Pella, co-owner of the company, says a company must first research the kind of waste it is producing before creating a recycling program. “After a thorough review, we set up a recycling program that uses separate bins. For instance, we have set up bins for collecting paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic and so on,” says Pella.
The LanyardStore.com 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse would normally produce large amounts of trash as a byproduct of manufacturing and printing various lanyards and lanyard products such as personalized lanyards, retractable badge reels and badge holder reels.
Furthermore, the company produces cheap types of strap products such as dog collars, printed shoelaces, and safety straps.
The recycling program encountered its fair share of challenges. The co-owner references the elimination of a fly problem it developed as a result of a completely biodegradable waste bin. “Throwing food and other organic garbage into one container seemed simple enough, but we weren’t thinking about the crowd it might attract!” laughs Pella.
Apart from maintaining a clean environment, LanyardStore.com also gives back to the community through its “Million Lanyard Give” program, which consists of the donation of extra and overrun lanyards to schools, non-profit organizations, and churches. They also use recycled ink to print lanyards for donations.
Small acts of recycling make an enormous difference at LanyardStore.com. According to the Clean Air Council reports, recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum from raw materials. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Also, recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100-watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours.
Pella wonders why other companies haven’t gone trash free. Highlighting the financial gains of recycling, he says, “Every year we save about $1400 in trash collection costs. Also, our employees not only earn an extra $100 by taking the bins to the recycling facility, they are a lot happier to work in an eco-friendly environment.”
To get more information on recycling in your area, visit http://earth911.com/ or http://www.ourearth.org/recycling/directory.aspx. Non-profit organizations, schools and churches who wish to sign up for the Lanyardstore.com’s Million Lanyard Give program may register at http://www.lanyardstore.com.
LanyardStore.com: Lanyard Company Nurtures Trash-Free Factory
LanyardStore.com, an online lanyard store which manufactures and prints lanyards, has actualized a recycling program through which it has maintained a trash free warehouse, benefitting the company, their employees and the environment