SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—On Monday, August 12, 2013, California’s Assembly Natural Resources Committee approved SB 254 (Hancock/Correa) by a 7-0 bipartisan vote. The intent of SB 254 is to create a used mattress recycling program that will keep old mattresses out of landfills, off highways, and out of vacant lots and alleys. Per the authors of the legislation, Senator Loni Hancock representing Berkeley and Senator Lou Correa representing Santa Ana, this type of legislation creates a win-win situation by furthering California’s overall recycling goals.Specifically, SB 254 creates a used mattress recycling program that will have a dedicated funding mechanism, reduce the...

The most effective way to set up viable recycling programs is using a method that I call parallel access. Recycling bins for most commonly-discarded materials should be located next to but be visibly different than the trash bins. The decision the guest makes of whether or not to participate in the recycling program should only take a fraction of an instant and the effort required to do so shouldn’t take much longer. For example, if your guest has a trash bin in their room, but has to walk down the hallway to get to a recycling bin, that is...

TROY, N.Y.—Audubon International announced it has partnered with Clean the World, a nonprofit organization that recycles soap and bottled amenities from the hospitality industry and distributes them in needed areas throughout the world. Audubon International is offering a 10 percent discount on its Green Lodging Program annual membership fee for hospitality properties enrolled in the Clean the World program.“Environmental quality and human health are inherently linked in the context of global sustainability,” said Ryan Aylesworth, president and CEO of Audubon International. “Our organization has a long history of collaborating with diverse partners to advance environmental stewardship and address important...

LISLE, ILL.—Air Cycle Corp. has unveiled Viking Pure, an electrolyzed water technology that allows organizations of all varieties to create their own non-toxic cleaning and sanitizing solutions on-site, in real-time and for a fraction of the cost of traditional cleaning and sanitizing chemicals. This is done using water, a little salt, and a small charge of electricity. The system transforms the ions in the water into two safe solutions.Within the unit, chloride ions are converted into Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl), a sanitizer with a kill time of just seconds, while sodium ions are transformed into Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), an alkaline...

CHICAGO—Top officials from Protect-A-Bed, a leading provider of bedding protection products, announced the company has appointed four new distributors. Protect-A-Bed has named Advance Foam Limited (Barbados, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Tobago and Trinidad), Matsushita Greatwall Corp. (Singapore) and Valmar Export Group (Columbia) as sole distributors of Protect-A-Bed products in their respective countries. Protect-A-Bed has also extended an agreement with King Koil Corp. to include Thailand. King Koil currently distributes Protect-A-Bed products in Malaysia.“We are excited about the expanding markets and continuing to make Protect-A-Bed the top-of-mind brand for consumers when they think of protecting their mattress and creating a healthy...

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—On July 15, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed legislation into law that would create the United States’ second mattress recycling program. The International Sleep Products Assn. (ISPA) worked closely with Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio and House Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chair Representative Arthur Handy to craft legislation that will recycle used mattresses in Rhode Island. The legislation tasks mattress manufacturers in Rhode Island with creating an organization to responsibly collect and process discarded mattresses throughout the Ocean State.“We were pleased to work with state officials to develop legislation that promotes the proper disposal...

WATERFORD, N.Y.—Cascades Tissue Group today announced that the company’s Cascades Moka 100 percent recycled unbleached bathroom tissue has been honored with a first place finish in Green Manufacturer magazine’s 2013 Green Manufacturer’s Innovation Awards. The panel of judges praised Cascades for the product’s “outstanding features” and commitment to sustainability, as well as its low environmental impact compared to similar, traditional products. “We’re proud of this innovative product and pleased to receive recognition from such an esteemed publication,” said Suzanne Blanchet, Cascades Tissue Group CEO, who conceived and championed Cascades Moka bath tissue’s development. “The last several years have...

DURHAM, N.C.—The biggest barrier restaurants in Durham, N.C., face in achieving “zero waste” is a lack of affordable composting and recycling options, a new study conducted at Duke University has found.Zero waste encourages the reuse of all materials. For businesses, it is often defined as diverting 90 percent of a location’s waste stream away from landfills and into other uses. For example, a restaurant can take much of its packaging, food scraps, and cardboard—items that often go into the trash—and recycle or compost those materials.The study, commissioned by the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program and conducted by...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Refinishing Touch, a leader in on-site environmentally safe and sustainable furniture refinishing and re-upholstering for private and public organizations, has completed a large-scale renovation project at the Candlewood Suites in Killeen, Texas. The Refinishing Touch re-upholstered 68 lounge seats, 63 desk chairs and seven side chairs using eco-friendly Embrace recycled leather, the latest addition to the company’s Touch Textiles commercial fabric division. After receiving customer feedback around outdated, stained and worn upholstery across its existing furniture assets, Candlewood Suites sought an alternative to purchasing new furniture that would enhance its ongoing sustainable initiatives and save on...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Food waste from restaurants accounts for a large proportion of a hotel’s waste in total. Leftovers from buffets, kitchen scraps, bread and what guests leave on the side of their plates all add up to hundreds of kilos every day. Much of this food waste is thrown away unnecessarily and Scandic is now taking the next step in its work on sustainability by actively working on waste management at all its hotels. A recently completed pilot shows that, with know-how and planning, the hotels can reduce breakfast waste by more than 30 percent.By training staff, controlling purchasing and...