Success Story:
Du Frense Manufacturing Realizes the Cost
Savings from Recycling Plastic Film
Du Frense Manufacturing Company, located in Vadnais Heights,
has been an industry leader in the precision metal fabrication industry for more
than 27 years. To maintain their commitment to sustainable practices, the
company’s green team applied for and received a grant from BizRecycling
to find new ways for the company to recycle more.
BizRecycling completed a waste audit and recommended that Du
Frense recycle their plastic film, which was filling up their trash dumpster.
By diverting 1,260 pounds of plastic film from the trash, they reduced their
trash dumpster size from 12 to 8 yards, saving them $600 a year in disposal
costs. Du Frense was so impressed that they started collecting plastic film at
a second facility and added new color coded and labeled recycling bins to help
employees know where to put their recycling. They also purchased reusable
bottles for employees to avoid using disposable ones. Du Frense is currently
implementing an organics recycling program for food waste and paper towels to
further reduce their trash. Watch their video story here.
BizRecycling works with businesses in Ramsey and
Washington counties to improve their recycling or organics collection. Learn
more at BizRecycling.com or call
651-266-1199.
News You Can Use:
Remodeling
Your Home with the Environment in Mind
If you’re tackling a home remodeling project this fall, here
are some ways to reduce your impact on the environment:
-
Donate.
Donate any unwanted
items in good condition like cabinets, radiators, doors, windows and other
building materials to a used building material store. Local stores include Bauer
Brothers, Better Futures, City
Salvage, Guilded Salvage, Habitat
for Humanity ReStore and Professional Rebuilding Outlet.
Call first to confirm what items are accepted.
-
Recycle.
If you’re getting
new appliances, ask the retailer to recycle your old appliances or dispose of them properly yourself. You can also recycle used carpet and carpet
padding. See our online A to Z Disposal Guide
for options.
-
Reuse.
If you have a
small area to paint, like an accent wall, check out our Product Reuse Center.
You just might luck out and find a free can of paint in the color you like! Visit
Ramsey County for more
information.
-
Buy
Recycled Content.
Consider
purchasing materials made with recycled content. You can find recycled content
options for glass tile, carpet and latex paint.
For green tips on approaching major remodeling
projects, read the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency’s fact sheet.
Relax, Repair, Repeat – Ramsey County to host
first Fix-it Café on September 22
The Ramsey County Fix-it Clinic program
has seen great success since it began in July 2015. Looking to expand its
reach, the program will pilot a spin-off event called a Fix-it Café later this
month.
The Fix-it Café is a cozy, relaxed and stay-awhile version
of the Fix-it Clinics. Bring things like small household appliances, clothing,
electronics and more. Volunteer fixers and menders will help you disassemble,
troubleshoot and repair your item FOR FREE!
The Fix-it Café will also feature:
- Free coffee and pastries while you wait for your
item to be fixed (while supplies last.)
- Free tours of the Minnesota
Tool Library.
- An opportunity to learn more about Mobile
Menders, a volunteer group dedicated to providing free mending
services around the Twin Cities area.
- An opportunity to meet Alexis from MyTalk
107.1’s Jason & Alexis in the Morning.
All are welcome! There
is a three-item limit.
Saturday, September 22
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
BlackStack Brewing
755 Prior Ave. N., Saint Paul, MN 55104
Ban the Bug from School Lunch Boxes
If you send your kids to school with a home
lunch, follow these simple rules for keeping foodborne illness at bay:
- Always wash your hands before preparing any food.
- Use insulated lunch bags with freezer ice packs to keep cold foods cold. You can also try using frozen water bottles or juice boxes as ice packs.
- Use insulated containers to keep hot foods, like soups and chilies, hot.
- Remind your children to wash their hands before they eat.
If your child has nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or diarrhea, be sure to keep him/her home from school. Foodborne illnesses can spread very quickly.
Recycling Improves at the Ramsey
County Fair
Recycling
at the Ramsey County Fair in mid-July was a great success this year! Staff set
out several containers around the fairgrounds to capture more bottles, cans and
cups for recycling, and more food scraps, paper towels, and paper service ware
for composting. Thanks to thousands of conscientious visitors, recycling
increased by 17 percent over last year. It was the fair’s highest recycling
rate ever. We look forward to doing even better next year.
Did you know?
For
over 30 years, Ramsey County has helped turn garbage into electricity to power
homes in Minnesota. The Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center
(R&E Center) in Newport takes in trash from Ramsey and Washington counties
and processes it to make refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The RDF is then transported
to Xcel Energy plants in Mankato and Red Wing, where it is burned to generate
electricity.
In one year, the RDF powers approximately 30,000 homes—which is close
to the total number of households in the city of Roseville. The
R&E Center also removes and recycles metal in the trash. In 2017, it recycled
over 14,000 tons of metal or the weight of almost two Eiffel Towers!
Ramsey and
Washington counties, which own and operate the R&E Center, are also
exploring new ways to recover energy from trash. Watch for updates in future
issues of Green Ramsey.
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