Month: March 2018

The Importance of Recycling Cardboard

The need for recycling cardboard cannot be underestimated. Cardboard is used for many purposes especially in the shipment of goods to consumers and businesses. The warehouse and shipping industry rely on cardboard boxes. Today, most businesses engage in the practice of recycling cardboard. This helps them save money on both waste and disposal costs.

Cardboard originated from wood pulp gotten from trees i.e. pine trees. The pulp produces cardboard through a process called the Kraft process. The pulp is taken to the mill and is processed to form corrugated cardboard. Afterward, they cut, print and fold them to form boxes for packaging and shipping use.

Examples of items packaged with cardboard are:

The Importance of Recycling Cardboard
  • Cereal
  • Shoes
  • Milk
  • Electronics

 The Significance of Recycling Cardboard

Recycling cardboard helps protect our environment in many ways unknown to us. Read on to see why recycling cardboard is important. Three main reasons lead the charge:

  1. Helps Reduce Pollution
  2. Conserves Energy
  3. Helps Avert Deforestation

Helps Reduce Pollution

Manufacturers use Cardboard to package many items, especially for shipping items. After the cardboard has served its purpose, people lay them off as waste. This could cause landfill or solid waste. Recycling bins for cardboard help to reduce cardboard waste as recyclers would recycle them into new cardboard.

The Importance of Recycling Cardboard

Furthermore, making the pulp from the pine trees could lead to the production of a toxic gas, sulfur dioxide. When the tires release this gas into the atmosphere, it causes acid rain. Therefore, recycling cardboard reduces both air and soil pollution.

Conserves Energy

As trees are the primary source of Cardboard, recycling already used Cardboard help conserve resources (trees). It also helps conserves the energy; the energy that manufacturers use in felling the tree and forming pulp from the tree. This way, instead of using raw natural resources, recyclers can conserve both energy and resources.

 

Helps Avert Deforestation

The Importance of Recycling Cardboard

Manufacturers produce Cardboard from the wood pulp of pine trees. This means that for manufacturers to produce cardboard, they have to cut down pine trees. The continuous destruction of trees could lead to deforestation especially if they do not replace the trees after they come down. Recycling cardboard helps reduce the need for felling trees and in turn averts deforestation. This alone helps the earth greener and facilitate the exchange of gases between plants i.e. carbon dioxide and oxygen.

How to Recycle Cardboard

The process of recycling cardboard is direct and easy. It is not rocket science at all. You don’t have to do it yourself. All you need do is get the cardboard to the paper mill or recycling company where they will process it.

  • First, remove food, tape or any plastic wrap contained in or on the cardboard box.
  • Breakdown the cardboard into pieces so to transport easily to the recycling center.
  • Deliver the cardboard to the recycling bins or companies for further processing.

Conclusion

It is very important that we cultivate the habit of recycling cardboard. Rather than throwing away your used cardboard in the bin, take them to recycling bins or better, sell them to recyclers. This way you’ll keep the earth clean and safe. Recyclers like Interco recycle cardboard. If you’re interested in the recycling business, get in touch with Interco.

Recycling Tires is Difficult

Recycling Tires is Very Difficult

The process of recycling tires is not as easy as metals and can be cumbersome most times. Therefore, most recyclers rather burn them for asphalt than recycle. Tires are made from synthetic rubber then are used to form the wheels of vehicles i.e.

  • Motorcycles
  • Cars
  • Air planes
  • Trolleys
  • Boxes, etc.

Recycling tires is the process of transforming worn-out tires that are no longer suitable for use due to wear and tear or damage.

Hazards of Recycling Tires

Recycling Tires is Difficult

As a result of the widespread use of tires, landfill pollution poses a major issue. Most recyclers would rather not waste resources on recycling tires and rather leave them as solid waste. Interco prefers to shred the rubber, separate the metallic content and process each material for reintroduction to the industrial manufacturing life-cycle. Synthetic rubber is non-biodegradable. It does not diminish prior to microbiological activities in the soil so improper management could cause landfill. Also, illegal and indiscriminate dumping of tires can pollute woods, ravines and land space for agricultural or residential purposes.

Furthermore, some people burn tires to get rid of solid waste, but this act itself is dangerous. Burning tires release chemicals that pollute the air. The ash and oil generated from the fire contaminate the soil. Tire fire is also difficult to extinguish and could go beyond control. Most people do not realize that recycled tires can be used to pave roads and as landfill liners.

Difficulties in Recycling Tires

Recycling Tires is Difficult

Tires are very difficult to recycle and one would need all the help they could get to successfully recycle them.

The following are the things that make the process of recycling tires very difficult.

  1. Tires are bulky and heavy
  2. High leaching probability
  3. Poor source of rubber and quality

Tires are Bulky and Heavy

Tires consume a lot of space and they are difficult to transport to recycling points. This alone makes it difficult to recycle them. This causes landfill and pollution. Because of this difficulty, most scrap yard owners are tempted to burn them to free space and end up polluting the air in the process. Also, they trap methane gases and cause bubbling effect that can damage landfill liners installed to curb landfill pollutants.

 

High Leaching Probability

Tires are bulky and as a result of this, they have a high risk of leaching toxins into the soil. These toxins could seep into the aquifer level and contaminate groundwater. This leaching pollutes the water by increasing the level of metals in the water and reduces the quality of drinking water. 

Recycling Tires is Difficult

Poor Source of Rubber and Quality

Recyclers have made efforts in the past to recycle tires for rubber, but they were futile. In cases where rubber was recovered, it was observed to be inferior to new tires. Recycled tires also suffer from reduced thread life and traction. In other words, recycling tires are not very productive than manufacturing them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, recycling tires challenges recyclers worldwide. Considering these difficulties and complications affiliated with recycling tires, people usually burn the tires than recycle them. Although, research is going on to find better and greener alternatives. They burn tires and covert the ashes into Asphalt. As the search for a better alternative goes on, companies like Interco still recycle tires. Contact the company if you want to recycle your tire stockpile and free up some land space.

Recycled Paper — The Truth About Recycling Paper

The Truth About Recycled Paper — Recycling Paper

Today, most businesses use recycled paper along with other office materials for paperwork. Recycling paper help these companies slash the cost of buying new papers for

Recycled Paper -- The Truth About Recycling Paper

Modern companies employ recycling policy because they have come to see that recycling paper is ideal both economically and environmentally. Recycled paper is produced from mixing old paper with chemicals and water to break it down. Then the mixture is heated to form the pulp. Afterward, the pulp is strained through screens for purity purposes.

Why Recycled Paper?

Burying waste paper can release methane while burning it uses a lot of energy and increased carbon dioxide emissions. Recycled paper is the best type of paper. Recycled paper is the greenest type of paper. It uses less energy, water, and reduces the amount of solid waste. Recycled paper is good for the environment and it is eco-friendly. Listed are the reasons why the recycled paper is good for the environment:

  1. Recycled Paper is Good for the Environment
  2. Recycling Paper is more Economical
  3. Recycling Reduces Waste and Improves Efficiency
  4. Recycled Paper Promotes a Positive Image
  5. Recycling Paper Produces Jobs
Recycled Paper -- The Truth About Recycling Paper

Recycled Paper is Good for the Environment

Recycled paper uses less energy, water and emits low carbon emissions. Recycling paper helps avoid landfill. Recycling paper uses 31% of energy less than the energy required in the manufacturing of virgin paper. Additionally, a ton of recycled paper uses 35,000 liters of water less than the required liters of water in creating a ton of virgin paper. As a result, recycling paper prevents deforestation. Approximately 25 million trees would be saved annually if all newspapers were recycled.

Recycling Paper is more Economical

Most businesses don’t realize they spend a lot on printing paper. Opting for recycled paper can help lead to significant savings for the company. The individual employee can also save costs by recycling paper within the company. Recycling paper does not only help save money, but it is also of good quality. This way, rather than manufacturing new papers from scratch, manufacturers can save money as well as energy. Furthermore, recyclers can recycle paper up to seven times. After which they can declare it too degraded for recycling.

Recycling Reduces Waste and Improves Efficiency

Recycled Paper -- The Truth About Recycling Paper

Recycling various types of paper helps reduce solid waste and indiscriminate dumping of waste paper. Recycled waste paper is of high quality and is as white as the virgin fiber paper.  They are available in different shades from natural to bright white. Therefore, recycling paper helps reduce paper waste and the cost of waste services.

Recycled Paper Promotes a Positive Image

A trustworthy image is vital to a business. Promoting the company’s use of recycled paper can improve that image. Companies with a high degree of responsibility and reliability attract more customers. Thus, flagging a green image will lead to an increase in sales and strengthen company’s reputation. It also improves the image of the company in the marketplace.

Recycling Paper Produces Jobs

In general, recycling creates work in modern green energy fields. Therefore, multiple job opportunities translate into more customers with disposable income. As recycling creates jobs, it helps boosts the nation’s economy. It also helps affect the growth of the company positively in the manufacturing or service sections. Almost all companies depend on print material for promotion either through business card printing, memos, brochure printing or paper for office purposes. Recycling waste paper products promise numerous benefits for enterprises of all sizes.

Conclusion

Therefore, this paper is more economical to businesses and safer environmentally. Recycling paper is good; it is good and safe for the environment. Finally, Interco is a recycling company with a department that specializes in paper. If you are interested in recycling this material, contact them here.

Recycling Aluminum Cans

We Must Recycle Aluminum Cans

Recycling Aluminum Cans

Regardless of how abundant aluminum is, recyclers still engage in the practice of recycling aluminum cans. Aluminum is the 13th element on the periodic table and it is a metallic element. It is a soft metal that is also ductile, malleable and lightweight. Aluminum constitutes approximately 8% of the earth’s crust. Bauxite is the ore that they produce aluminum from. The bottom-line: recycle aluminum cans.

This metal is a non-ferrous metal; it does not exhibit metallic properties. Also, it does not easily ignite. It is also corrosive resistant and can be easily cast, both of which are major reasons why we recycle aluminum cans. Due to the versatility of aluminum, manufacturers mostly use it after steel. Aluminum is used to make cans, while they usually mix it with magnesium to increase the can’s strength. However, the cans constitute a large percentage of aluminum.

How Important is Recycling Aluminum Cans?

Because of the high percentage of aluminum present in these cans, recycling aluminum cans serves as a source of aluminum. Today, one cannot overemphasize the widespread use of aluminum in the packaging of products in the manufacturing industry. Aluminum is used to package:

Recycling Aluminum Cans
  • Chemicals
  • Oils (brake oils, cooking oils, etc.)
  • Milk
  • Beverages (soda, etc.)
  • Vegetables (Tomatoes, sweet corn, etc.)

Manufacturers use aluminum cans to package virtually all kinds of perishables. Because of its wide use, recyclers have come to see reasons why we must recycle aluminum cans. The main reasons include:

  1. Saves Energy
  2. Source of Aluminum
  3. More Cost-effective
  4. Reduces Pollution

The process of recycling aluminum cans saves energy and resources. Recycling aluminum cans make use of only 5% of the energy and emissions required to mine aluminum from bauxite. This alone helps reduce the greenhouse effect and protect the ozone layer from emissions. Recycling aluminum cans can serve as a source of aluminum regardless of the presence of magnesium. This is because recyclers recycle aluminum cans repeatedly with little or no significant loss of its intrinsic properties. Also, when recycling aluminum cans, they retain their quality.

Recycle Aluminum Cans to Protect Natural Resources

Recycling Aluminum Cans

Recycling aluminum cans help protect natural resources like bauxite and provides an alternative aluminum source. About 75% of the first aluminum made is still in circulation. Recycling aluminum cans are very economic because of the huge amount of energy saved in recycling it. Approximately 95% of energy is saved from recycling aluminum cans. More so, recyclers melt the scraps from the production of aluminum and repeatedly use them. Recycling aluminum cans help save bauxite, chemical products, and electricity.

Recycling Aluminum Cans

As recyclers recycle aluminum cans, they reduce the rate of both air and soil pollution. Many recyclers focus their efforts recycling aluminum cans by recycling used beverage cans. Aluminum cans are non-biodegradable and if could cause problems if not properly managed. In addition, recycling aluminum cans reduce or prevent the release of carbon dioxide which occurs when mining for bauxite. This gas is toxic and if saturated in the air could cause acid rain. Acid rain could cause damage to both plants, life and properties.

Conclusion

In conclusion, by recycling aluminum cans, we can save energy as well as non-renewable fossil fuels. Furthermore, we can reduce landfill and air pollution by limiting the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. We must recycle aluminum cans to save our environment. Contact Interco to recycle your aluminum cans.

What is E-Waste Recycling?

What is eWaste Recycling?

What is E-Waste Recycling?

Recyclers use the term eWaste or eScrap to describe business and consumer electronic products on the verge of retirement or already spoiled. Both terms represent end-of-life computer and electronic devices. For example:

  • Computers
  • Phones
  • Televisions
  • Fax machines
  • Stereos, etc.

Recycling computers and electronics helps re-purpose these devices, though there are still large amounts of eWaste yet to be dumped to landfills. The importance of eWaste recycling grows daily. The rate of eWaste recycling today is still very poor due to improper knowledge about this process.

Why Should You Recycle Computers and Electronics?

Rich Source of Raw Material: Approximately 10–15% of gold is recoverable from e-waste worldwide. Also, it is said that eWaste contains deposits of precious metals that estimate between 40 and 50 times costlier and richer than their ores beneath the earth’s surface.

Solid Waste Management: There is excessive land fill and solid waste. eWaste recycling helps prevent further degradation if agricultural land and curbs pollution.

Toxic Materials: Old electronic gadgets and devices contain toxic materials like mercury, lead, chromium and cadmium. Therefore, eWaste recycling helps assure proper processing, so that these devices do not release these toxic gases into the environment.

How to Recycle E-waste

What is E-Waste Recycling?

eWaste recycle requires a degree of care. Execute these steps carefully:

  1. Collection of the eWaste from dumping or deposit points.
  2. Break them with a hammer or by hammering.
  3. Separate individual components i.e. plastic, glass, copper, and other metallic materials.
  4. Take individual materials to their different recycling points for further processing.
  5. Pack non-recyclable materials and properly dispose them.

The disposal process takes a degree of care because the company keeps the environment in mind and abides by all safety and regulation laws. Recyclers must follow all EPA regulations during the processing of the computer and electronics items.

Benefits of E-waste Recycling

The list benefits of eWaste recycling to man and the environment at large grows daily.

Reduces Water, Air and Soil Pollution:

What is E-Waste Recycling?

Because of the toxic constituents of eWaste, indiscriminate dumping or disposal can be dangerous to human health and the environment. Residents of areas polluted by the improper disposal of computer and electronics risk developing serious diseases and experiencing certain medical conditions due to inhalation of these harmful substances.

In addition, unprocessed eWaste left on the ground seeps out chemicals that affect the soil, rendering it not conducive for agricultural use. Furthermore, when rain falls, these chemical wash off from the eWaste dumps and flows into rivers and streams. This could contaminate drinking water. Proper eWaste recycling reduces all these forms of pollution.

It Protects Natural Resources:

Most of the resources in nature are non-renewable. eWaste recycling allows the separation of these valuable materials and their recovery. In this way, companies can produce new products using the same materials. This helps reduce pollution, save energy, and protect natural resources.

Reduces the Space Required for Landfills:

What is E-Waste Recycling?

Waste is a global problem and governments around the world are in search to reduce the space need for landfills. Sometimes, these landfills are covering areas that are suitable for agriculture or even for housing. Also, most of the wastes left in landfills cannot dissolve and that’s when the real problems begin. By executing eWaste recycling, you will be able to reduce the space needed for landfills and directly reduce pollution.

eWaste Recycling Creates Employment:

If governments properly educate and enlighten citizens on the importance of eWaste recycling, then people will open new electronic waste recycling companies. Also, the existing ones like Interco will employ more workers that will help in the process. By utilizing this effort, governments support the local economy and protect nature at the same time.

Conclusion

The computer and electronics around us from old computers, laptops, and monitors all fall into eWaste. To learn more about eWaste recycling, contact Interco here.

Recycling Printed Circuit Boards

Recycling Printed Circuit Boards

Printed Circuit boards (PCB), also known as green boards, are designed specifically to support and facilitate the connection of electronic components. They accomplish this through their conductive tracks, pads and etched sheet of copper layer laminated on it.

First off, PCB can be found in the majority of the electronic gadgets and devices popular today. They serve as a conductive foundation where you fix other electronic components, such as capacitors, resistors, inductors and much more.

With its vast use in today’s electronics, printed circuit boards should be recycled when gadgets get spoiled or broken.

Why Recycle PCB?

Recycling Printed Circuit Boards

Recycling printed circuit boards that are populated with many components could yield more valuable materials like:

  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Platinum
  • Palladium

How? The process extracts components affixed to the boards. Recycling PCB recovers approximately 99 percent of the precious and scarce metals from the recycling process.

The copper part of the board is completely recyclable as a metallic material. Recycling PCB helps reduce depletion of natural resources such as copper, as processors often reuse these boards multiple times. Although, after recycling, they must test the boards as the recycling process might damage certain parts of the board.

In addition, because of the excessive use of this type of circuit board in the electronic manufacturing industries, recycling printed circuit boards reduces solid waste, landfill and land pollution.

How to Recycle PCB

Due to the nature of the intricacy of the boards themselves, recycling them poses difficulty because of the several chemicals, metals and glass fibers used in manufacturing them. Subsequently, in order to successfully recycle them, recyclers separate these components carefully to prevent total destruction of scarce materials.

Likewise, there are three main ways of recycling PCB: electrochemical process, hydro-metallurgy, and smelting process.

Recycling Printed Circuit Boards

These methods assist in recovering valuable electronic components, connectors and metal scraps. Hence, the most popular way of recycling PCB is through dismantling. This involves loosening the board from its components. The steps are as follows:

Recycling Printed Circuit Boards
  1. First, recycle haulers collect these used to damaged boards and ship them to recycling companies.
  2. Next, the company drills the boards and loosens them to remove components easily.
  3. Finally, they meticulously remove the components, namely the following:
    • Capacitors
    • TV plugs
    • Motors
    • Screws
    • LED
    • Transistors
    • Switches

Dismantling the boards requires special tools and meticulous handling in order to avoid damaging the board as well as its components. After dismantling, the recyclable materials (copper) melt and refine into new products. Finally, recyclers incinerate any non-recyclable materials for electricity production and properly filter waste water from the process before discharging it.

Conclusion

Lastly, pulling or picking parts off the boards and recycling them is neither economical nor practical. Because of how delicate they are, test PCB after successfully recycling a PCB to ensure functionality.

If you are interested in recycling Printed circuit boards, Interco offers a variety of recycling services.

Recycling Used Beverage Cans (UBC)

Most people do not consider recycling used beverage cans. They toss used beverage cans into the trash rather than in to recycle bins as soon as they consume its contents. But is this right?

Recycling Used Beverage Cans (UBC)

Recyclers refer to used beverage cans as UBC when they are recycling used beverage cans. These UBC are very much recyclable because of their metallic properties and composition.

In addition, aluminum is the main material in producing UBC which has many purposes i.e.

  • Reproduction of cans
  • Foils
  • Kitchen utensils
  • Window frames
  • Vehicle parts (engine compartments)
  • Airplane parts, etc.

Why Recycle Used Beverage Cans?

Recycling Used Beverage Cans (UBC)

Recycling used beverage cans is very important. Recycling aluminum make use of approximately 5% of the total energy and emission required to produce aluminum from its ore (bauxite).

This means it is significantly cheaper, economic and greener (in term of reduced emission) to recycle used beverage cans than to mine bauxite and refine it for aluminum. At Interco recycling used beverage cans is so important.

Furthermore, recycling used beverage cans over and over again is possible without significant loss of its aluminum (metallic) properties. By recycling these cans, it helps conserve non-renewable fossils needed to make new aluminum from bauxite which in turn reduces:

  1. Energy consumption (approximately 95% energy)
  2. Emission of gases i.e. carbon dioxide
  3. Global warming (greenhouse effect)

How to Recycle UBC?

Recycling Used Beverage Cans (UBC)

How then do they get recycled? For the steps involved in recycling used beverage cans, read on:

Recycling Used Beverage Cans (UBC)
  1. The aluminum cans are first collected from can recycle bins or UBC depositories.
  2. Then the recycling company or manufacturing industry uses a shredder to shred the aluminum cans. This helps removes any colored coating.
  3. They subject the aluminum shreds to intense heat temperature in a furnace to melt.
  4. Finally, the molten aluminum is then poured into casts (ingot) to set. Over a million cans get produced from each of these ingots.

Conclusion

Like earlier stated, it is possible to recycle aluminum many times without degrading its intrinsic properties. Thus, if you desire to recycle or selling your UBC, Interco is the top company for recycling used beverage cans in the Midwest. They offer quality metal recycling services. Contact them here.

Recycling Used Lead-Acid Auto Batteries

Recycling Used Lead-Acid Auto Batteries

Recycling Used Lead-Acid Auto Batteries

Recycling used lead-acid auto batteries is very important because of the nature of their composition and uses. People use lead-acid batteries as backup power supplies and to power things like:

  • Automobiles
  • Electric scooters
  • Electric wheelchairs, etc.

The acid provides the electrochemical effect that powers these machines. Like every other battery or power source, the lead-acid auto batteries deplete or dilute and the chemicals start losing its efficiency due to:

Because of the toxicity of the lead-acid batteries, most countries have prohibited the indiscriminate disposal of them i.e. incinerating or dumping, and have highly recommended recycling used lead-acid auto batteries.

Why Recycle Lead-Acid Auto Batteries?

Recycling Used Lead-Acid Auto Batteries

Why recycle your car batteries or lead-acid batteries? Is recycling used lead-acid auto batteries recommended for disposing of them?

These batteries contain acids; toxic acids i.e. sulfuric acid which is very corrosive. They indiscriminate disposal of these batteries can be detrimental to human lives and the environment may lead to:

  • Rainwater
  • The decimation of agricultural land
  • Death of plants, etc.

Therefore, recycling used lead-acid auto batteries is necessary.

How to Recycle Lead-Acid Auto Batteries?

Recycling used lead-acid auto batteries should be done carefully and with all consciousness, preferably in a controlled environment far from residential areas. So, what are the steps involved?

Recycling Used Lead-Acid Auto Batteries
  1. First, recycling companies collect dead or used lead-acid auto batteries for battery depositories.
  2. The recycling company then neutralizes the acids. They Introduce a base that subdues the corrosive properties (toxicity) of the acid so it can be safely disposed of.
  3. A hammer mill shatters the battery or breaks it apart. The process is referred to as hammering.
  4. Then, place broken pieces in a vat, so that the lead plates and heavy materials sink to the bottom while the plastic floats.
  5. They transport the polypropylene plastics into a plastic recycler to melt and refine them.
  6. Cleaning the lead plates and heating them in furnaces so that they melted. After this, cast the molten lead into an ingot mold. After some minutes, the impurities float to the top of the cast and they scrape them away.
  7. Finally, they re-melt the pure ingot casts and use them in new batteries.

Conclusion

Therefore, because of the acid content, it is highly advisable not to try recycling used lead-acid auto batteries by yourself. You can take or sell them to Interco for recycling purposes.