trash

The World's Greenest Garbage Can

jplatt — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0400

Did you know that the average garbage truck gets just 2.8 miles to the gallon of diesel fuel? It's true. In fact, garbage trucks get the worst fuel economy of any type of commercial vehicle.

Why such bad gas mileage? Well, garbage trucks are big, fleets tend to be pretty old, and their drivers have to make stops every few hundred feet while keeping engines running the whole time.

With this in mind, and with fuel prices soaring, it makes sense for municipalities, universities and businesses with large campuses to find ways to cut their garbage collection costs. The BigBelly Solar Compactor can help.

No bigger than any other outdoor garbage receptacle, the BigBelly uses the sun's rays to power an internal compactor which crushes its content, allowing it to hold five times as much as your average garbage can. This means it doesn't need to be emptied as often, which saves fuel costs, cuts labor costs, and reduces a whole lot of greenhouses gases in the process.

The BigBelly Solar Compactor costs $4,000 -- but BigBelly says the device can pay for itself in just a year and a half. And that's not trash-talk.

Schools are Keepin' it Green When it Comes to Movin' Out!

Julia — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:49:48 -0400

The environmental society at my college does a few fun things to keep move out day green,
Obviously, dumpster diving in the most exciting extravaganza; the one we look forward to the most, but we also have a nifty little system called TIOLI – Take it or Leave it.

We put huge laundry bins in every dorm during the last two weeks or so of school, and everyone puts the junk in there, that they don’t want to lug home. Well their trash is my treasure, I always say. We collect all of the bins once the dorms are cleared out, and then at the beginning of the following school year we sell all of it in the academic quad and make a few bucks for the club.

We’re not out to scam people or anything – in fact, you can kind of name your price. It's a pretty sweet fundraiser idea.

Apparently, this system is catching on, though. I was just reading an article about NYU, who is attempting the same idea. They are calling it the “Green Apple Move Out,” and they are taking the concept one step further and actually donating the items.

The NYU Sustainability Task Force decided to collect unwanted and gently-used items, including non-perishable foods, at various locations on campus. Then, everything is being distributed to local non-profits – just keeping the recycling train moving along.

Keep these ideas in mind when it comes time for your school to move out! From one greener institution to another…

Garbage Art -- Or The Art of Garbage?

RiverWired.com — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Garbage Art, or, the technique that incorporates trash, waste, or any type of discarded refuse into artistic compositions, is rapidly growing in popularity. This trend is a prime example of art imitating life—as the call to recycle, conserve resources, and live responsibly becomes a more and more important and prominent concept in our society, the artistic world has aptly followed suit. Utilizing garbage is not only a sustainable means of constructing works of art, it’s also often a way to say something larger about society as a whole, and the way we interact with our material goods.

The following is a small compilation of some of the most intriguing and innovative pieces to incorporate trash. Check it out:

NYC Garbage

Sculpture artist Justin Gignac collects garbage from New York City streets and builds unique, one-of-a-kind air tight cubes that he fills with a random assortment of trash. Each cube has the date and location where the trash was collected.

Pantherhouse.com

This site has some incredible trash sculpture work, including this incredible piece by Tim Noble and Sue Webster, comprised of a full six months of their garbage!

Pink Tentacle

These garbage bags have been decorated in an effort to transform the unsightly problem of Japanese neighborhood trash into an aesthetically pleasing, colorful composition. The colors on the bags even correspond to Japan’s color codes for sorting different types of trash.

EWasteInsights.info

Artist HA Schult began building life-sized “trash people” in 1996 from garbage he collected in his hometown of Cologne, Germany.

Want to find out more about recycling?

Recycling Tips: Did You Know You Cannot Recycle Messy Pizza Boxes?

The Benefits of Recycling: Let’s Talk Trash

Recycling the Looking Glass: When Garbage and Art Collide

Top 10 Recycling Resources

Recycled Record Snack Tray

The Benefits of Recycling Cardboard

Reduce, Reuse… FREECYCLE

Recycle Those Electronics!

Back to Basics—RRR

Picking Up Garbage TVs and Recycling as Art

Students Recycle and Reduce Garbage: Take It Or Leave It

Knight Rider Recycled—Reborn With Green Twist!

Recycling Your Garbage: Where Does it All Go?

Proper Disposal of Paints & Other Home Finishes

jchait — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

A large part of green building that people often forget to work into their plans is proper disposal of building materials. If you build green, then toss items into landfills to rot for 100 years, or pour finishes down the drain, you're missing a big part of the green building process.

We could discuss any number of excess building materials, but because paint and other finishes are a biggie item, used by many, let's look at that first.

Even if you're buying non-toxic paints and finishes you still need to dispose of them properly. Just because it's a greener finish, doesn't make it cool to dump it down your drain where it can enter our water supplies, streams, groundwater, and so fourth.If you do happen to have some of the more toxic finishes around, then proper disposal is even more important.

Here are some steps you can take:

First, you should be buying non-toxic paints and finishes whenever possible. Not that their disposal is any less important, but why not be more green?

Don't buy more paint than you need. If you aren't sure how much paint you're going to need, ask a professional - even the fellows at your local hardware store should be able to help you estimate paint needs, both exterior and interior.

If you do end up with left over paint - consider it's other uses before tossing. Keep it well marked and use it for home touch ups, your next dog house, tree house, refurbishing bookshelves, and more. Let your kids use it for art, paint birdhouses; donate it to a school or community center.

Re-mix it. Did you know that if you have many different left-over paint colors, than all of them mixed together will almost always create a dull gray color that's perfect as a primer. Now you do.

If you've honestly used all you can, give the excess to it a hazardous waste collection organization in your community. Your local trash or recycling program will be able to tell you where to go.

[photo via stock.xchng]

Cut Waste: Download Your Movies

jplatt — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Toshiba announced today that it will probably write off nearly $1 billion in losses following its decision to dry-dock its HD DVD format. Beyond that, thousands of customers are now going to have to write off their purchases of HD DVD players and movies. And where are all of those players and movies going to end up? That's right -- landfills around the globe.

Blu-Ray may have won the battle, but the HD format war isn't over. New technologies are already being developed which will once again vie for market dominance. And meanwhile, your old players and movies are still sitting there, hoping you won't replace them and toss them like day-old bread.

So, if you haven't already invested in a Blu-ray player, you might want to consider a new video format that will never end up in the trash: a download. Numerous services (including Vongo, Netflix, and Amazon's Unbox) now offer you the chance to download movies directly onto your PC, either as temporary "rentals" or as files you get to keep forever.

Sure, you might not immediately think of your PC as your home entertainment center, but studies show that people are now spending more time in front of their computers than their TVs, so why not complete that transition?

Don't Be Wasteful With Your Waste

RiverWired.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s Good: These trash can liners come in 33 and 55 gallon sizes, and they’re durable enough to handle any amount of household refuse.

It’s Green: These trash bags are 100% compostable and biodegradable, so you’ll no longer have to worry about plastic garbage bags adding to that landfill problem.

It’s Here: DirtWorks.net

It’s: $19 for a set of 20 bags