Aluminum cans, fluorescent lamps, wood waste, scrap metal — all are hot items for corporate recycling and some companies are even making money, Environmental Leader reports.
However, more remains to be done.
Despite progress by beverage companies to deal with the environmental impact of their packaging, most beverage companies continue to fail five basic criteria — reduction of materials use, increased recycled content in containers, greater recovery and recycling rates, support of public policy initiatives to increase container recycling rates and disclosing such activities to stakeholders, according to the second annual Beverage Container Recycling Scorecard and Report.
It might make sense to step up the activity, since even in the global recession some companies are making money on recycling. Mercury Recycling Group, a Manchester, UK-based company that recycles fluorescent light tubes and sodium street lights, achieved a 20% rise in profits up in 2008.