Some California beverage redemption centers report more difficulties, and we look at the presidential candidates’ recycling bon mots and bonafides.
Recycling notes from presidential candidates: This weekend, NPR ran a story on the source of wealth for both major party candidates for president, and the reported noted a bit of recycling exists in Republican nominee Donald Trump’s backstory. “My father would go, and he’d pick up the sawdust, and he’d pick up the nails – the extra nails. And he’d pick up the scraps of wood; he’d use whatever he could use, and recycle it in some form, or sell it. And it was a constant process,” Trump said at a meeting of the National Association of Home Builders last week in Florida. Of course, on the other side of the presidential contest, Hillary Clinton spoke capably about issues facing recycling (and artfully dodged one thrown shoe) at the 2014 Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ Convention.
RMR expands: Recycling Management Resources (RMR) is building a recovered paper consolidation facility in Colbert County, Ala. The company got a tax incentive to build the $1.8 million facility, which will employ 23 people. The Times Daily says the new facility will bring in recyclables from various sources.
Picking up the slack: As more and more beverage redemption centers in California close, the ones that are left have to pick up the slack, which is straining their resources, reports the East Bay Times. One operator says he’s had to hire more staff to keep up with the demand, but because commodity prices are down, he’s still finding it difficult to stay afloat.
Teenage entrepreneur: An 18-year-old boy in Portland, Ore. has started his own recycling service, collecting electronics, plastic bags and other items three days a week, according to Portland’s KGW news channel.
Organics collection service: A company in Southern Utah has started a monthly organics collection service, says St. George Times. For $5 a month, Nature’s Way Recycling will collect food scraps, lawn trimmings, cardboard and paper. It composts that into fertilizer, which it also sells.
Fraud bust: California authorities arrested a truck driver they said was attempting to smuggle used beverage containers in from Arizona to fraudulently redeem. CalRecycle said the containers in a semi-truck driven by Julio Bolanos, 40, of Los Angeles, could have been worth $11,000 in illegal redemptions.