Max-R’s customized recycling bins are made from recycled plastic jugs, resulting in a sturdy product that can be recycled and reprocessed over and over.
It seems as if the green revolution is a never-ending development, with an evolving focus on environmental challenges and sustainability initiatives. Going “green” has been a priority for companies, individuals, governmental policy and universities, but the term originally referred to the agriculture practices beginning in Mexico in the 1940s.
Today, it is redefining the products we use, how they are packaged, how we recycle and our viewpoint on the footprint we are leaving on the planet. Many organizations focus on the triple bottom line, where people, planet and profit principles capture a spectrum of values for measuring economic, ecological and social success.
Enter Max-R, a company riding this green wave into many new markets. Max-R specializes in building waste and recycling bins tailored to specific waste streams and esthetics. Its markets are parks and recreation, government, municipalities and the most popular campuses. Each recycling station reclaims an average of 1,000 milk jugs in its manufacture.
Max-R recycles thousands of milk jugs into its recycling bins.
Max-R also produces a variety of other site furnishings, including benches, planters, message centers and more in a facility powered by 100% renewable energy as an EPA Green Power Partner. This renewable-energy purchase yields the carbon emission equivalent of taking 100 cars off the road a year!
When Max-R started making furnishings some 15 years ago, it wasn’t all about sustainability from the start. The novel material, pure recycled plastic, is what got Max-R into business. The material is revolutionary — it is maintenance-free, it never needs painting and it is impervious to weather elements, all while being environmentally friendly. Using a green material automatically created a company that is green from the inside out.
The Mission 100 Million is a goal that helps envision a world with less waste — and ultimately, none at all. The milk jugs reclaimed in every single Max-R product inches toward that goal, which currently sits near 71 million.
Max-R has furthered its sustainability involvement by creating Max-Resources as a way to help others improve their recycling programs. The program features seven guides, aimed at furthering sustainability and recycling programs. A few resource examples include Branding & Your Recycling Program, Campus Center & Commons Site Audit for Recycling, a Separating Your Streams Workbook and more.
Max-R’s continued commitment to environmental consciousness involves many other things as well, including:
Energy-efficient T8 high-bay lights power the Max-R shop, saving more 100,000 kWh of energy annually — a decrease of nearly 75 tons of CO2 emissions a year
More than 50% of the raw materials used are sourced from within 200 miles of the facility
Products are made of 97% post-consumer HDPE, which may contribute to LEED goals under MR 4.1 and MR 4.2
An in-house recycling program separates streams into their very own recycling units.
The end life of Max-R products isn’t the end at all, thanks to the Max-Reclaim program. If a product is damaged or needs an upgrade, it can be shipped back to Max-R, where the recycled material will be reprocessed, and the shipping costs will be credited toward the next order. This never-ending life cycle is redefining the way we think about waste, and creating a new spectrum of environmental business.
It will be very interesting to see how the green industry continues to transform. Where do you see sustainability in relation to where green business is going in the next 10 years? Do you think we can eventually be a waste-free society?
This guest post was written by the Max-R team.For more original content on recycling and sustainability issues, visit the Max–R Recycling blog. For whitepapers and other resources available for download on recycling best practices, visit the Max–Resources page.
The end life of Max-R products isn’t the end at all, thanks to the Max-Reclaim program. If a product is damaged or needs an upgrade, it can be shipped back to Max-R, where the recycled material will be reprocessed, and the shipping costs will be credited toward the next order. This never-ending life cycle is redefining the way we think about waste, and creating a new spectrum of environmental business.
It will be very interesting to see how the green industry continues to transform. Where do you see sustainability in relation to where green business is going in the next 10 years? Do you think we can eventually be a waste-free society?
This guest post was written by the Max-R team. For more original content on recycling and sustainability issues, visit the Max–R Recycling blog. For whitepapers and other resources available for download on recycling best practices, visit the Max–Resources page. 