One-day Zero-waste-to-landfill Challenge No Time-waster

Yesterday’s Green Manufacturer Network Take on the Zero Waste to Landfill Challenge in Portland, Ore. was an amazing aggregate of plant tour/case study/best practice sharing/problem-solving technologies/new advanced waste technologies and cool LEED building tour that was even more amazing because so much truly helpful information was relayed in one day.

Attendees were treated to a tour of Purdy Professional Painting Tools’ plant to see how the eco-conscious plant achieved zero landfill, as well as how its excellent paint brushes and rollers are hand-crafted.

Scratching your head as to how to find an outlet for you cafeteria waste? David Miller’s Recology and Harvest Power’s Nathan Gilliland explained how their companies take compostables and convert them to nutrient-rich soil, natural gas and electricity and why separating and collecting compostables for energy capture is far more efficient than trying to capture landfill gas.

Dorothy Atwood of the Zero Waste Alliance helps ecosavvy companies collaborate and practice share to achieve zero waste. Denton Plastic’s Dennis Denton updated the group on trends in plastic recycling and showed why he is the king of plastic recycling.

Finally, Tom Malone, MicroGREEN Polymers President, introduced his company’s new ecofriendly insulated cups made of recycled and expanded PET that easily cost-compete with standard plastic drink cups and function like styrofoam cups AND that can be recycled just like PET plastic bottles.

Wish you’d been there? Me too. At least, you’ll have an opportunity to read about Purdy’s landfill free achievement in the July/August issue of Green Manufacturer.