ROUND ROCK, TEXAS—Dell has launched free recycling in several additional markets worldwide, meeting a timetable set in June to provide free recycling of any Dell-branded product for consumers worldwide as part of its global recycling policy. Dell is the first and only computer manufacturer to offer such a program. This recycling offer is designed for consumers and includes responsible recycling of used Dell-branded computers and peripheral equipment at no cost. The service does not require a replacement purchase. Details are available at www.dell.com/recycling. Dell recently expanded recycling services into several markets to meet its goal, including Brazil,...

MADISON, WISC.—Upon entering the Arbor House—an Environmental Inn, you may want to watch where you step. The door mat is made from recycled truck tires. That is just one of the many ways the eight-room inn lives up to its name. Many of the items found in this historic Madison property were added or kept with the environment in mind. “Arbor House’s mission is to provide the art of hospitality within a model for urban ecology,” the inn’s website says. “Our goal is the wise use of resources and providing guests with an unparalleled combination of natural design, features, fabrics,...

Building managers find that effective recycling programs reduce waste management costs. Strong recycling programs also advance sustainability by reducing the need for new resources and the environmental impacts of landfills. Recycling turns the ‘waste’ stream into a resource stream than can be mined for materials. Recycling services, the prices paid for recycled materials, and the demand for recycled materials are growing. Facility managers can take advantage of the continually evolving recycling market by reducing waste disposal costs through recycling and by getting paid for recyclable materials. There are widespread recycling markets for paper, cardboard materials, HDPE and PET plastics, aluminum and...

LEAVENWORTH, WASH.—Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat was recently presented with the 2006 Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices. Governor Christine Gregoire recently presented the award to Sleeping Lady, along with four other businesses and a not-for-profit group, in Olympia. The 2006 award marks the second Governor’s Award for Sleeping Lady, with their first win in 2001. This year’s honor was the Continuing Excellence award, which recognizes the retreat’s continued commitment to the high standards that garnered it the award five years ago. “We are obviously honored, and are grateful that this award exists, to help get the word out about...

PRESIDIO, TEXAS—Recycling is becoming a way of life in the border communities near Big Bend National Park thanks to the generosity of Forever Resorts. Extending their environmental ethic and friendship across the border of Texas to Mexico, Forever Resorts’ Big Bend Resorts, the concessioner in Big Bend National Park, in partnership with J.V. Manufacturing of Arkansas, recently presented a recycling baler to the community of Ojinaga, Mexico. C. Ing. Jorge Jesus Montoya, Presidente Municipal of the city of Ojinaga along with Ing. Ma. Isisdro Olivas, Eduardo Castillo and students from the Cetis 98 School accepted the generous gesture...

SOMERSET, N.J.—Philips Lighting Co., the U.S.-based lighting company affiliated with Royal Philips Electronics, was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the first company in the United States to launch a companywide effort towards meeting the EPA’s National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) waste minimization standards. As a new partner in the national program, Philips Lighting has committed to reducing the amount of mercury used in the manufacturing of its fluorescent lamps by 780 pounds by the end of 2007. In addition, the company has committed to eliminating the amount of lead in all of its...

NORCO, CALIF.—Quick Crete Products Corp. has introduced a virtually smokeless ash receptacle for the disposal of cigarette and other tobacco-related litter in public areas. Through a patent-pending process, the new Halo product virtually eliminates tobacco smoke and odors, keeping the surrounding air cleaner and easier to breathe. The Halo’s covered design also eliminates the unsightly appearance caused by partially smoked or spent cigarette and cigar butts. “Because cigarette litter is becoming such a major environmental issue in communities, customers have been asking us for a better solution to the problems associated with it, especially in public areas frequented...

NEW YORK—Last week’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, which drew more than 35,000 people, was packed with innovative products to help hoteliers clean naturally, save energy and water, and minimize waste generation. Also on hand were vendors offering everything from environmentally friendly wall coverings to nontoxic tub refinishing. Here are a just a few highlights from the 1,250 companies who exhibited at the lodging industry’s No. 1 trade event. Action Comax Environmental Inc., Newark, N.J., introduced its BioX high-volume organic waste decomposition system. Inside of a large steel container, food waste is broken down to liquid through biological decompostion. It...

DENVER—Osram Sylvania announced that it has developed a business association with Veolia Environmental Services, the largest lamp and ballast recycler in North America, to provide environmentally responsible recycling alternatives. As a leader in environmentally preferable, energy-efficient lighting solutions, Osram is now expanding its range of lighting and recycling solutions by offering the sale of Recyclepak, Veolia’s proprietary recycling kit, through www.sylvania.com/recycle. Using the Recyclepak makes recycling easy for large or small quantities of spent lamps and ballasts. Prepaid packaging allows for a convenient way to manage lighting waste. One price includes everything needed for complete lamp and ballast...

CINCINNATI—Procter & Gamble (P&G) Professional, in cooperation with Homewood Suites by Hilton and the National Coalition for the Homeless have combined efforts to donate freshly laundered, hotel-quality sheets to homeless shelters across the United States through their “Mission S.O.F.T.” program. This program provides homeless persons with a way to “Start Out Fresh Today.” “When people donate to homeless organizations, they typically think of the obvious necessities including clothing, food and toiletries,” says Michael Stoops, acting director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Sheets are an often overlooked necessity that many shelters need and want.” The three...