Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink

Enlarge Image Image Gallery We’re trying to increase our recycling efforts, but industries must first change the way they create products. ISTOCKPHOTO

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In an effort to reduce waste and cut carbon dioxide emissions, Germany and Japan are requiring that products such as automobiles, household appliances and office equipment be designed for easy disassembly and recycling. In May 1998, the Japanese legislature enacted a tough appliance recycling law that prohibits discarding household appliances such as washing machines, TVs or air conditioners. Consumers bear the cost of disassembling appliances in the form of a fee to recycling firms, so there is strong pressure to design appliances so that they can be more efficiently disassembled.

Closely related to this concept is that of remanufacturing. Caterpillar has emerged as a leader within the heavy industry sector. At a plant in Corinth, Miss., the company recycles some 17 truckloads of diesel engines a day. These engines are disassembled by hand by workers who do not throw away a single bolt or screw. Once the engine is disassembled, it is reassembled with all worn parts repaired. The resulting engine is as good as new. Caterpillar’s remanufacturing division is racking up $1 billion a year in sales and growing at 15 percent annually, contributing impressively to the company’s bottom line.

Another emerging industry is airliner recycling. Boeing and Airbus are currently vying to see which company can dismantle jetliners most efficiently. The goal is to recycle 90 percent of the plane. With more than 3,000 airliners already put out to pastureand many more to come — this retired fleet has become the equivalent of an aluminum mine.

With personal computers becoming obsolete every few years as technology advances, European information technology firms are getting into electronics recycling. Because European law requires that manufacturers pay for the collection, disassembly and recycling of toxic materials in electronic equipment, manufacturers have begun to focus on how to disassemble everything from computers to cell phones. Nokia, for example, has designed a cell phone that will virtually disassemble itself.

Patagonia, an outdoor gear retailer, has launched a clothing recycling program for its polyester fiber garments. In fact, Patagonia is now recycling not only the polyester garments it sells, but also those sold by its competitors. A garment made from recycled polyester is indistinguishable from one that contains the initial polyester made from petroleum, and Patagonia estimates that it uses less than one-fourth as much energy. With this success behind it, Patagonia is beginning to work on nylon garments and plans to recycle its cotton T-shirts.

Blast From the Past: Clean and Reuse Materials to Lessen Landfill Strain

Other recent measures encourage the reuse of products such as beverage containers. Finland, for example, has banned the use of one-way soft drink containers. Canada’s Prince Edward Island has adopted a similar ban on all nonrefillable beverage containers. In both cases, the result has been a sharply reduced flow of garbage to landfills.

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