Upcycling: A True Environmental Investment

If you’ve spent much time on our website (or hanging around our blog), you probably know that we’re huge fans of sustainable living. As a waste management company, we have a big responsibility—to reduce the waste stream and help companies build green by recycling and upcycling as much as we can.

Not familiar with the term upcycle? Think of it as “repurposing” your junk. So…instead of your glass water bottle being melted down and formed into a new water bottle—you paint your glass bottle and call it a bud vase.

At Cardella, we’ve taken upcycling to a new level. Partnering with Scrapile, a NYC company, we pass along wood leftovers from construction sites. Then Carlos and Bart, Scrapile’s resident artists, upcycle the discarded wood scraps to create innovative bench, table and accessory designs. Browse their website and you’ll find that their pieces are better than any furniture available at the retail store!

We’re proud of our collaborative upcycling efforts. If you’re interested in becoming part of the green revolution, tune in to next week’s blog for tips about how to salvage your household junk through creative upcycling.

Cardella is Going Green

If your facility uses fluorescent bulbs to light workspaces, retail environments and warehouses, you know that they can be difficult to throw away. Fluorescents are made with mercury, an element associated with neurological problems in both adults and children. These bulbs are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and cannot be thrown in solid waste containers or sent to landfills. When bulbs are broken, mercury vapor is released into the air, increasing the chances of environmental pollution and mercury-related health conditions.

To help you safely dispose of the fluorescent bulbs used in your business, Cardella offers a new bulb recycling service. Customers can order prepaid EasyPak boxes online or over the phone. These EasyPak boxes are custom containers designed to securely transport your old bulbs so they can be safely recycled—with no danger to you or the environment.

Interested? Call today to inquire about eco-friendly bulb disposal—or to order EasyPak boxes designed for battery and electronics recycling, too. It’s just one more way that Cardella is going green—and serving our valued customers in New York and New Jersey.

Peaceful, green holidays from Cardella!

To get in the holiday spirit, we recently sponsored the New Jersey U.S. Green Building Council’s 8th annual holiday celebration (Mon., Dec. 7). This is the first year the event has been held at Gladstone’s elegant Hamilton Park Golf Club, situated on 600 acres complete with USGA-rated golf courses, fine dining and luxury entertainment venues.
Joined by USGBC-NJ members from all over the area, the Cardella family gathered to celebrate the achievements that emerged in the midst of 2009’s marketplace difficulties.

We hope you’ll join us in preparing for an exciting, prosperous 2010. As the end of this year approaches, we’d like to wish all of you—our customers, families and friends—health, happiness and business success in the year to come. Enjoy the season.

More Green Giving with Recycled and Sustainable Gifts

If you read our last blog, you found some great tips about reducing your holiday gift waste. By opting for waste-free wrapping, embracing the e-card and buying rechargeable batteries, you’re taking some small steps toward reducing your carbon footprint and making the world a cleaner place.

As you put the finishing touches on your gift list this year, visit the following websites to find innovative, recycled presents to impress your recipients—and save a tree or two.

Shop thrift and consignment stores for cool, vintage items you won’t ever see at the mall. You’ll find chrome appliances, antique dolls, glassware, jewelry and more when you visit The Thrift Shopper online for thrift store listings by zip code.
Browse MakeStuff.com for a variety of homemade holiday gift ideas. The site also includes a list of crafty items you can make from recycled materials.
Buy beautiful, sustainable fabric by-the-yard for quilts, clothing and other gifts. Near Sea Naturals carries knit, woven and pre-cut fabrics made from natural fiber choices.
Check out Scrapile—one of our favorite manufacturing partners—for furniture created from recycled bits of lumber. Their stools, benches, tables and wood accessories make creative gifts for that hard-to-buy-for someone.
Don’t forget your pets when you’re buying recycled. Visit Planet Dog for Orbee-Tuff RecycleBALLS and RecycleBONES—made from Orbee-Tuff fiber waste that would otherwise go into the waste stream. Many of Planet Dog’s products are also guaranteed to stand up to aggressive chewers.

For those trying to live sustainably, there are hundreds more eco-friendly gift ideas online. Take the time to be ecologically responsible this holiday season—and join Cardella in our quest for a greener tomorrow.

Giving Green This Season

Estimates indicate that U.S. consumers dispose of millions of tons of additional trash during the holidays, making it a perfect time to think about conservation and recycling. But how can you remain festive while downsizing your carbon footprint? Use the following waste reduction tips to “green up” your holidays.

1. Opt for e-greetings over snail mail. While everyone enjoys holiday cards, they usually end up in a sea of wrapping trash by January 1.  Avoid paper waste by sending electronic greetings and holiday letters to computer-savvy friends and family. In addition to being eco-friendly, you’ll cut your holiday postage budget by 50 percent or more.


2. Think outside the wrapping paper roll. Companies like Delight.com and ReusableBags.com encourage consumers to go waste-free by enclosing gifts in holiday-printed, canvas shopping bags. Baskets, bins and buckets are also reusable—and become a creative part of the gift.


3. Give experiences instead of “stuff.” Tickets to a baseball game, theater performance or museum make great, green gifts—and offer the recipient and the giver a chance to spend time together.


4.  Pass around a box to collect reusable bows, bags and tissue paper. Even crumpled gift wrap can be shredded and reused to protect fragile items before they’re stored or mailed.


5. Don’t forget the rechargeable batteries. PDAs, gadgets and children’s toys seem to eat batteries, so get creative by adding a charger and some rechargeables to electronic giveaways.


6. Recycle Styrofoam peanuts rather than sending them to the landfill. Visit the Plastic Loose Fill Council for a drop-off facility near you.

Businesses and construction companies looking to become “waste-wise” this holiday season can call (800) 548-8001 to schedule a personalized recycling consultation. At Cardella, we urge all NY/NJ businesses to partner with us in creating a greener tomorrow.

More about Cardella’s Community Commitment

If you’re familiar with Cardella Waste—you know that we never hesitate to champion a worthy effort. We’re aggressively pursuing one of those efforts every day, as we make it our continued mission to contribute to a greener tomorrow. Through our state-of-the-art, 24,000-square-foot materials recovery facility, our innovative recycling technology and our impressive landfill diversion rates, Cardella is helping residents and business reduce their carbon footprints and protect valuable natural resources. And while we specialize in fulfilling LEED requirements for construction projects, our customers can rest assured that we recycle salvageable waste for all jobs—not just LEED-specific projects. If you’re new to Cardella, call us today at (800) 548-8001 for more information about partnering in our eco-friendly initiatives.

Going Hybrid

Consistent with Cardella Waste’s “Green” focus, we’ve just purchased our first Green vehicle for a member of our sales team. Although fuel prices are coming down, we still have an obligation to the environment – and this addition to our fleet reflects our philosophy of working toward a “greener tomorrow.” We expect our new Toyota Prius to be followed by other hybrids as we gradually replace our company vehicles.