Recycling is one of the many ways that we can do more to protect our planet. Recycling turns previously “end use” products into a renewable resource, allowing fewer items to clutter up landfills – and, in some cases, taint groundwater supplies – by redefining what items are regarded as waste. Recycling is very familiar to many of us in the form of paper, plastic, and glass; but it is possible to go further still in our efforts to minimize our waste and take good care of the earth. Cell phones, batteries, ink cartridges; all of these are recyclable, too.
At Osborne Wood Products, Inc., we are continually looking for better ways to handle what would otherwise be considered “waste.” In addition to having bins available for employees to recycle newspaper, glass and plastic bottles, and aluminum cans; we also recycle all of our metal tooling. When tools get too short for use on the lathe and nuts and bolts get stripped out, we have a location set aside for their collection to be recycled. This also includes band saw blades (when they become unusable), the metal banding from lumber shipments, and any other scrap metal we might encounter.
In addition to this, all of the cardboard from any shipments received is either reused or recycled. Also along the lines of paper products, we use shredded paper from a few local businesses as packing material. Our sawdust is currently being brought to chicken farms to be used in the chicken houses. Although sawdust is biodegradable, it is good to reuse products, getting as many uses as are possible out of a single item reduces waste, and consequently lessens the negative impact on the environment.
Finally, we have recently begun to take advantage of another corporate recycling program. A Home Depot store has recently opened in our town, and they have a battery recycling program. The heavy metals and acid found in batteries can be very detrimental to the environment; tainting groundwater supplies and soil. Now that there is a local collection point, we can collect any dead batteries around our plant, and bring those to Home Depot to recycle.
There are many views on just how dire the situation with the environment is, but regardless of a person’s thoughts on what might just be “hype” and what is a genuine problem, all can agree that we need to make the best use we possibly can out of whatever resources we have. Producing less waste and being more careful with what resources we have ensures that we always have the healthiest planet we can, and the most abundant resources to work from. To reiterate a previously mentioned point from our discussion on Lean Management, the old adage says, “Waste not, want not;” and that is a principle that we are continuously striving to implement.
