The St. Louis – Jefferson Solid Waste Management District is a regional agency that was created in 1993 to assist the public, private and nonprofit sectors in establishing and expanding programs for recycling and waste reduction. The service area includes the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County. Funding for this program is provided by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. For more information visit www.swmd.net or call 314-645-6753.
Responsible Recycling:
Didion Orf Is First In State To Hold Dual Recycling Certifications
At Didion Orf Recycling, we strive to be the standard for excellence in the recycling industry. Since the inception of the company in 2001, Didion Orf Recycling (DORI) has seen tremendous growth as a company. In 2010, we expanded our recycling capacity to incorporate electronics recycling. DORI was searching for something that would set us apart from other scrap metal recycling companies in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area. Being the first company in the state of Missouri to hold a dual certification in both Responsible Recycling (R2) and Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS), allowed DORI to establish a strong foothold as a leader amongst recycling companies in the St. Louis market.
The evolution of Didion Orf Recycling is noteworthy not just in terms of the expansive list of materials that are accepted at our facility, but by our general position, that by providing the community an alternative means of disposing of their unwanted and excess recyclables, we can change the mindset of our community that not everything needs to be thrown in the trash and sent to our landfills. In providing excellent customer service and educating our community members on the proper ways to recycle their material, we provide our community with the knowledge and power to be more environmentally conscious. DORI takes pleasure in providing people with information and the opportunity to not only do what is right for our environment, but continue that message throughout our local and surrounding communities. DORI helps to incentivize people to be an environmental steward, by providing competitive market pricing for scrap metal and electronics. We are projecting to recycle 40,668 tons (81,337,332lbs) of scrap metal and electronics in 2017, that is over 3,000 more tons than our goal of 37,500 tons of material.
Didion Orf Recycling was ranked 6th in the nation in terms of employee growth, so not only are we keeping potentially hazardous materials out of our landfills, but we are also putting money back into the hands of our community members which helps strengthen our local economy. DORI’s growth can be seen by the investments made in the company itself, Didion Orf Recycling built a brand new 40,000 Sq. ft. building on our now more than 15-acre campus. This new building that houses our electronics division, allows us to further grow our electronics division and award more services for our community. Didion Orf Recycling is pleased to announce that it is now providing Information Technology Asset Disposal (ITAD) services for businesses not only in Missouri, but across the nation. We are looking forward to see where this new venture into ITAD services and Asset Management takes us as a company. It is our hope that by providing these services to businesses we can continue to see growth within our organization and provide even more employment opportunities for our local and surrounding communities, but to continue to add even more recycling services to our always expanding catalog of services we can provide to our customers and suppliers.
For more information, visit www.didionorfrecycling.com or call 636-397-6060.
B&G Industries Recycles Wood & Plastic Pallets
B&G Industries is a material handling company with a primary focus on wood and plastic pallet recycling. Kristen Goldstein, CEO, has over 35 years’ experience in the wood pallet industry. Paul Goldstein, President has over 25 years in Material Handling/Plastic Pallet Sales.
B & G offers various grades and sizes of 100% recycled wood pallets for industrial and general shipping use. Used and/or damaged wood pallets are collected and repaired, dismantled for parts, or remanufactured to custom-fit industry specifications.
Any wood that is unsuitable for reuse or remanufacturing is separated and ground into mulch. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the wood reused or recycled through B & G is diverted from landfills.
There are many reasons and benefits for reusing good pallets or using refurbished ones.
Many companies are looking to buy recycled or remanufactured to keep costs down and practice eco-friendly business. And for those disposing of used pallets, this not only lowers dumpster cost but helps free up industrial space for other purposes.
B & G takes in pallets from street vendors and from major companies that collect them in large trailers. Short pick-ups are also offered to customers who want to save space and money.
Plastic pallets made from 100% recycled plastic are also assembled by B & G. What comes in is sorted for condition and usability. If the pallets are too broken, they are salvaged and stored in heavy truck loads to be sold to recyclers who regrind the plastic for use in other products.
These plastic pallets are an alternative to heat treated wood pallets and a great option for one-way export. The advantage to the plastic; bug free, fungus free, does not absorb water, and the nestable pallets allow you to get more on a truck and save freight cost.
Heavy duty recycled plastic pallets and bulk containers help close the loop in many operations. B & G Industries works with several recyclers to buy back their wood pallets, but also teams up to help customers recycle additional materials, such as corrugate cardboard and stretch film.
B & G Industries is located on Crown Industrial Court in Chesterfield. For more information, visit www.bandgindustries.com or call 636-532-5021.
Forest Park Forever Gets Grant To Improve Recycling
Thanks to a grant from the Solid Waste Management District in 2016, Forest Park Forever improved the ease of recycling in Forest Park’s Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center. The building’s old garbage and recycling bins were replaced by a series of trash receptacles that clearly separated garbage from recycling and helped guests understand what could and could not be recycled. There is now a total of nine of these stations within and around the Visitor Center, including at the adjacent Variety Wonderland Playground (the SWMD grant financed six of them).
It is always important to make recycling as easy as possible for people in public spaces. Limiting barriers that might prohibit people from sorting their trash is key to encourage recycling. The old containers in the Visitor Center looked the same and were often separated, making it difficult for people to consistently recycle properly.
Thanks to the new waste receptacles, clearly marked trash and recycling, containers are always side-by-side, making it simple for people to put their recycling where it belongs. The informational graphic included on each receptacle also serves to educate the public about recycling best practices. Forest Park Forever takes sustainability seriously. In everything the organization does, it looks for ways to be environmentally friendly. These receptacles are just one small way Forest Park Forever is making Forest Park an even greener place to be.
For more information, please visit www.forestparkforever.com.
FIND IT ON THE WEB -RECYCLING INFORMATION
Associations, Organizations and resources
- America Recycles Day- www.americarecyclesday.org
- Earth 911 – www.earth911.org
- e-cycle Missouri – www.e-cyclemo.org
- Envirolink – www.envirolink.org
- Global Recycling Network – www.grn.com
Household Hazardous Waste
- (HHW) Program – www.HHWSTL.com
- Keep America Beautiful – www.kab.org
- Missouri Recycling Association – www.mora.org
- National Recycling Coalition – www.nrcrecycles.org
- The Healthy Planet magazine
Local Recycling Information – Government
- City of St. Louis – www.stlouis-mo.gov (Search Recycling, click Refuse Division’s Recycling Program)
- Jefferson County Residents – www.jeffcomo.org
- (Then go to Services and click Recycling)
- St. Louis County Recycling Information – www.stlouisco.com
- St. Louis-Jefferson Solid Waste Management District – www.swmd.net
- St. Charles County Recycling Information – www.scchealth.org/docs/es/docs/recycle