Ikea releases products made with recycled plastics, and Rhode Island adopts standardized public bin signage to boost recovery efforts.
Recycled-content products: PSFK.com takes a look at three recycled products produced by retailer Ikea, including a chair made of recycled plastic and wood. The Odger chair, which was designed in collaboration with Swedish design group Form Us With Love, is made of 70 percent recycled plastic and 30 percent wood.
Plastics-to-wax: GreenMantra Technologies, which uses a catalyst and patented process to recycle PE and PP into industrial waxes, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with EMCO Chemical Distributors for its products. Additionally, the Brantford, Ontario-based company received up to $600,000 from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario to help the company expand market development for a series of wax it produces.
Bin signage: Rhode Island has adopted a standardized recycling bin label that clearly states which materials, including plastic containers, can be placed in public bins. Rhode Island NPR reports the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) has adopted signage from Recycle Across America, which works to standardize recycling bins signs to reduce consumer confusion. RIRRC is a quasi-governmental body that runs the Ocean State’s only large-scale materials recovery facility.
Bag ban: Lawmakers in the U.S. Virgin Islands have advanced a bill restricting plastic bags in the Caribbean territory. The Virgin Islands Consortium reports that a committee on June 20 advanced the legislation, which would require stores to offer either reusable bags or those deemed compostable.