Why World Food Prices Are Poised to Keep Climbing

Photo credit: marfis75/Creative Commons
In February, world food prices reached the highest level on record. Soaring food prices are already a source of spreading hunger and political unrest, and it appears likely that they will climb further in the months ahead.

As a result of an extraordinarily tight grain situation, this year's harvest will be one of the most closely watched in years. Last year, the world produced 2,180 million tons of grain. It consumed 2,240 million tons, a consumption excess that was made possible by drawing down stocks by 60 million tons. (See data at www.earth-policy.org.) To avoid repeating last year's shortfall and to cover this year's estimated 40-million-ton growth in demand, this year's world grain harvest needs to increase by at least 100 million tons. Yet that would only maintain the current precarious balance between supply and demand.

To get prices back down to a more acceptable level, it would take perhaps another 50 million tons for a total increase of 150 million tons. Can the world boost this year's grain harvest by 150 million tons or even 100 million tons? It is possible, because we have had annual harvest jumps of 150 million tons twice over the last two decades, but this year it does not appear likely.
In assessing the world grain harvest prospect, we focus on the big three grains -- rice, wheat, and corn -- that together account for nearly 90 percent of the harvest. Barley, oats, sorghum, rye, and millet make up the remainder.
We start by looking at rice because, as an irrigated crop, its production fluctuates little. The average annual gain in the world rice harvest, which totaled 452 million tons last year, has been 7 million tons. Let's assume that we get a 10 million ton gain in rice this year.
Wheat, now the world's leading food grain, is much more difficult to assess because so much of the harvest is rain-fed, making yields as variable as the rainfall. But since most wheat is winter wheat, which is planted in the fall, is dormant in winter, and resumes growth in early spring, we know that this year the wheat area planted is up by 3 percent. We also have an early sense of the crop's condition.
We begin with the big four wheat producers -- China, India, the United States, and Russia -- which collectively produce half the world's wheat. China, the leading wheat producer, was until very recently suffering the worst drought in its winter wheat-growing region in 60 years. Although rain and snow in late February and early March rains and snow have lessened the drought effect, we could easily see China's wheat harvest drop from 115 million tons last year to 110 million tons this year. India officially expects an 82-million-ton harvest, up 1 million tons from last year.
In the United States -- the third ranking wheat producer -- the southern Great Plains are suffering from drought. As of the end of February, the U.S. winter wheat crop condition was among the worst in the last 20 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the harvest will drop from 60 million tons to 56 million, and this may be conservative.
Russia's wheat harvest should be up sharply from last year's heat-devastated crop of 42 million tons. But last fall it was too dry to plant one fifth of its winter wheat, which means many more farmers will plant lower-yielding spring wheat -- wheat that is planted in the spring and is harvested in the late summer or early fall. With a little luck, Russia should harvest roughly 58 million tons of wheat.
Adding in the rest of the world's expected wheat production, can we match last year's world wheat harvest figure of 645 million tons? We should exceed it. The International Grains Council estimates this year's harvest at 672 million tons, up by 27 million tons over 2010. This contrasts with the Canadian Wheat Board estimate of 653 million tons, a gain of only 8 million tons. For calculation purposes, let us assume that this year's wheat harvest is up by 20 million tons for a total of 665 million tons.
Now for corn. Two countries tell the story here: the United States and China, which produce 40 and 20 percent, respectively, of the 814-million-ton world corn harvest. Combining the expected 4 percent increase in U.S. planted area with a 10-ton-per-hectare yield, the U.S. corn harvest could increase by 25 million tons. China's corn harvest, which has fluctuated around 165 million tons for the last three years, is not likely to increase given its tight water situation. For the remaining 40 percent of the corn harvest, we will assume a gain of 15 million tons. All together this takes the world harvest up by 40 million tons.
Let's review the global numbers. It will take 100 million tons of additional grain just to maintain the current precarious situation and close to 150 million tons to restore some semblance of stability in the world grain market. We can count on a 10-million-ton increase in this year's rice harvest. We are hoping for a 20-million-ton rise with wheat and a 40-million-ton jump in corn. Let us also assume that minor cereals increase by 10 million tons over last year. This would give us a total increase of 80 million tons, not enough to prevent further price rises.

Estimating world grain production is becoming more complex and difficult. On the demand side of the equation, there are three sources of growth: the addition of 80 million people per year, some 3 billion people moving up the food chain consuming more grain-intensive livestock products, and the massive conversion of grain to fuel ethanol in the United States.
On the supply side, there was a time when grain production was on the rise almost everywhere. That world is now history. In a number of countries, grain harvests are shrinking because of aquifer depletion and severe soil erosion. Rising temperatures are also taking a toll. And some agriculturally advanced countries have run out of new technology to raise land productivity.
In 18 countries containing half the world's people, overpumping for irrigation is depleting aquifers. Among the countries where harvests are falling as aquifers are depleted are Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iraq. World Bank data for India indicate that 175 million people are being fed with grain produced by overpumping, which by definition is a short-term phenomenon. The comparable number for China is 130 million people.
In some countries such as Mongolia and Lesotho, grain production has fallen by half or more in recent decades as severe soil erosion has led to wholesale cropland abandonment. In North Korea and Haiti, soil erosion is undermining efforts to raise output.
In several agriculturally advanced countries, the backlog of unused technology has largely disappeared. Japan's rice yield per acre has not increased for 16 years. China's rice yield, now approaching that in Japan, may also be about to level off.
In France, Europe's leading wheat producer, yields have been flat for a decade. Wheat yields have also plateaued in Germany and the United Kingdom. In Egypt, Africa's leading wheat producer, wheat yields have been flat for six years.

At this point, it seems unlikely that we will get the 100-million-ton grain harvest increase this year that would be needed just to maintain the current rather precarious situation. Instead, it looks more likely that we will reduce stocks further. It may be somehow possible to avoid a rise in world food prices in the months ahead, but at this point it seems unlikely.

Biodegradable Products Could Be the Answer to Environmental Pollution

Perhaps the greatest concerns for every country in the recent days are the issues relating to environmental pollution. Scientists and administrative authorities are trying to address the problems by combined ventures. On the other hand commercial establishments are coming up with innovative ideas and products befitting the requirements and preference of customers who are steadily turning towards reusable products and biodegradable products that are eco-friendly.
Biodegradable Products
Biodegradable products undergo a natural decay and merger with the soil after its task is over and when it is thrown as waste. Some of the most popular biodegradable are disposable plates, containers for food and saucers. They have the capability of improving the capacity of the soil to hold water. Hence there is comparatively less soil erosion. Permeability as well as infiltration capabilities of heavier soils are also improved with the product. Landfill with biodegradable products also results in less pollution due to methane emissions.
Addressing Landfill Waste Problems
One of the best purposes served with biodegradable products is the addressing of landfill waste problems across the globe. In the recent years the amounts of wastes in landfill have been increasing consistently. Most of these wastes are harmful for the environment creating pollution. Use of biodegradable helps diversion of such wastes. Over the years the diversion of biodegradable wastes from landfill has been quadrupled and yet it covers only 9% of the entire waste and thus 91% still goes to the landfills. While wastes like leaves, yard debris, and grass can help formation of compost and does not affect the environment adversely, use of products can help the cause tremendously.
Types
Numerous types of biodegradable can be considered. For instance; such tableware includes plates, trays, containers, bowls, saucers, serving plates, utensils, and cups. Disposable boxes are also a very popular type of biodegradable product. Good thing about it is that all products are usually subjected to stringent laboratory tests leaving no room for their becoming harmful to environment around in any manner. Such tests aim at finding out by way of analyzing the components as to what fraction of the organic carbons have been derived from the renewable resources.
With gradual shift of consumer preference towards natural, pure and organic from the synthetic, biodegradable products are assuming greater significance in the market.
biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers

Waste and Sustainability - Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Materials

Rubbish, garbage, trash, junk, litter, refuse; we throw stuff out every day and nearly every aspect of our modern life creates some form of waste. We throw waste in the bin and we wash waste products down our drains when bathing and cleaning. But, we live on a finite planet and all the waste we are creating is having a very real and negative impact on the Earth.
Our waste can be recognised as either biodegradable or non-biodegradable and this can be a useful distinction when we consider our product choices and our waste disposal.
Biodegradable Materials
Biodegradable matter is generally material from an organic origin that when disposed of will decompose by a natural process. This means it will breakdown and decay into simpler forms of matter.
The process of decomposition is essential within the natural environment for new growth and development of living organisms; it is the way nature is able to recycle the finite matter of the living world. When organic matter breaks down it returns energy and materials used by nature to generate more energy and organic materials. This is the process by which the planet is able to sustain life.
Biodegradable matter is any food scraps, garden waste, or materials or products made from plant or animal derived substances or artificial/man-made materials that are similar enough to organic matter and thus can still be broken down by a natural process.
Non-biodegradable Materials
Non-biodegradable material is in-organic or man-made matter that will not decompose. Any material that is non-biodegradable does not decay or breakdown into simpler forms of matter.
This means that when disposed of by us, nature cannot reuse these materials to fuel the cycle of life and it will remain as pollution in the environment. It also means, all the resources and energy used to make the material in the first place, are trapped within the waste. Because nature cannot breakdown the material; the matter and energy cannot be reclaimed and reused by the environment to generate more organic matter and energy.
Relying on non-biodegradable materials and ingredients is an unsustainable and polluting practice. It traps resources and energy that can not be re-claimed in materials that cannot be broken down. Resulting in masses of polluting substances and rubbish that cannot every truly be digested by the planet.
Fortunately we are able to recycle some non-biodegradable waste. Meaning the materials can be reused to make new products and materials. This saves natural resources and reduces the impact of the vast amounts of in-organic waste ending up as landfill and pollution throughout the world.
Where does our waste go?
Our waste can end up in a number of places; landfill and incineration, recycle centres, sanitary sewers or septic tanks, as compost or as litter and pollution in both our natural environment and urban towns and cities. In order to reduce the negative environmental impact of our waste we need to consider where and how we dispose of things.
When we clean our homes and ourselves the products we use end up as waste washed down the drains and into sewers or septic tanks. Sewerage waste is treated which changes most of that waste to carbon dioxide and water with some minerals, waste elements and non-biodegradable materials left over. The treated water is then pumped back into a river or ocean. This means that the non-biodegradable matter in the products we use may eventually end up as pollution in our waterways.
A great deal of our household and commercial waste ends up in landfill sites which are large holes in the ground filled with all kinds of rubbish. Or in certain areas where there is no space for landfill waste is burned, both practices are damaging to the environment. Luckily we are able to reduce the amount of waste that ends up as landfill or in incinerators by recycling and composting.
But this means we must dispose of our rubbish thoughtfully. When recyclable or biodegradable materials are not disposed of properly and end up as landfill or incinerated they contribute to the mass of non-biodegradable and polluting waste; their potentially reusable and sustainable properties lost.
It is important to try and ensure any biodegradable waste is composted and does not end up in landfill. Landfill is designed to inhibit the natural process of decay as uncontrolled decomposing waste can contribute to ground water pollution, methane gas emission and unstable sub-soil conditions. It has been discovered that many organic materials are "mummified" by the conditions of landfill and do not appear to breakdown or only at a vastly diminished rate.
How can we improve our methods of waste disposal?

• In order to ensure biodegradable waste is disposed of correctly when need to support composting through our local councils or within our own homes and communities
• Create your own compost bin, one that suits your space, needs and lifestyle; we can all compost our kitchen and garden scraps and even newspaper and paper products
• Avoid throwing away any materials that can be reused or recycled. Insure where available they end up in a recycling facility
• Look for cleaning products that clearly state certified biodegradable ingredients
• Look for certified biodegradable alternatives to disposable plastic items
• Reduce consumption of non-biodegradable products by limiting our dependency on plastics, including disposable goods, shopping bags, packaging and wrapping
• Purchase goods made from recyclable materials and always reduce, reuse and recycle

By moving away from a reliance non-biodegradable ingredients and materials we can reduce the amount of toxic waste clogging up the Earth. If we consider the impact of our product choices and dispose of our waste with a little more care, we can improve the sustainability and limit the negative effects of our modern disposable lifestyle.

The Facts About Biodegradable Products

Biodegradable materials are supposed to be environmentally friendly but sometimes this expectation isn't entirely true.
What Is Biodegradable?
In order for a product to be classified as a biodegradable product, it must be able to be broken down into its constituent natural elements and be absorbed by the environment. Real biodegradable material will often break down into:

• Simple organisms
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Oxygen - Carbon dioxide Co2 and water H2O

Because a product is advertised as biodegradable it doesn't necessarily mean that it is good for the environment. No guidelines exist with which to aid buyers of products which are advertised as biodegradable. These products may actually be biodegradable since they eventually break down into their natural elements but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are safe for the environment.
Being Biodegradable Isn't Always Safe
Different biodegradable elements tend to break down into natural elements over a certain period of time. Some of them break down into natural elements which may be harmful to the health of both flora and fauna alike. One such element is nonylphenolethoxylate otherwise known as NDE; this element is a constituent part of many cleaning supplies we use today. The natural elements that make up NDE include carbon, hydrogen as well as oxygen, thus most people assume that when it is broken down it should break down into these same elements. However this is not the case, NDE actually breaks down to become a harmful benzene compound that is damaging to female reproductive organs.
How Long It Takes Is another Factor
Something else that is of importance and considerable concern is the period that a product takes to break down into its constituent parts. Something like a loaf of bread is totally biodegradable. It can actually break down into simple sugars in a mere matter of days. Paper on the other hand may take up to 5 months to degrade into its proper constituent elements.
One other problem is the disposal methods that are used to get rid of the products we wish to dispose of. A natural compost pile makes it easy for normal food to degrade easily. If waste on the other hand is placed among other forms of garbage natural and unnatural alike, it may take months to or even years to decompose. Researchers have found apple cores that were more than two decades old in garbage landfills. If you seek out better ways to dispose of biodegradable material, you can help speed up the degrading process and make the resultant products safer.
This is are average indicators of the period of time that it takes to breakdown a biodegradable product completely

• Paper: 2-5 weeks
• Banana peel: 3-5 weeks
• Orange peels: 6 months
• Cotton rags 1-5 months
• Cigarette butts: 1-12 years
• Plastic or cardboard milk carton: 5 years

Returning To NatureAny products that come from nature such as plants, minerals and animals will eventually return to their natural states over time. Products that are man-made such as petrochemical products cannot be broken down by microorganisms into natural elements. They will simply remain non-degradable and will continue to litter the earth for centuries.
biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers

Biodegradable Plastic: The Benefits

As its name suggests is a type of plastic, which can be decomposed naturally, thus less harmful to the environment. Biodegradable plastic can be composed from renewable raw materials. Environment savior biodegradable plastic is a great method to take all the advantages of the plastic yet save the environment. This is the reason why biodegradable bags are gaining popularity.
As we all know that most of the retail packaging is done with the help of plastic packaging products and the booming packaging industry is a potential threat to our environment. The boom in this plastic packaging sector is coming at the cost of our environment. Nowadays, the use of plastic is unlimited as even one cannot imagine his life without the plastics, for example the advertising companies are making the use of plastic heavily for their advertising banners. Plastic is cheap, durable but harmful to the environment. According to a survey more than 2.5 billion plastic bags per year are dumped in an average sized country alone.
Ordinary plastic: A threat to the atmosphere
It is not like that the ordinary plastic is un-degradable, but it takes hundreds of years for ordinary plastic to degrade. If it is not done properly then plastic can be the food of any animal causing the loss of their life. It is also the reason of greenhouse gas emission and pollution and even more harmful because it generates several types of harmful gases.
Why biodegradable plastic?
There are many sanctions created against the plastic bags in many countries but none were successful because nobody can ignore the importance of plastic. The scientists are thinking about creating a material which can take that effectiveness and usability of plastics and avoid its harmful things, and they came up with biodegradable plastic. Also the replacement of the ordinary plastic has to be cost-effective otherwise people will hesitate to accept it. There are several replacements suggested by the scientists before the biodegradable plastic but none was found to be effective. These replacements were not the proper match or proper answer for cheap, low weight and water resistant plastic.
Sometimes paper bags are suggested to be a replacement of plastic but researchers revealed that more paper bags will cause even more harm to the environment because it will directly envolve cutting of the trees and paper bag industries will create even more pollution. Recycling the plastic was considered as an option but failed because not all the people in USA collected their plastic waste, and it is not possible to gain all the used plastic back for recycling. Actually, less than 2% plastic bags are recycling in USA per year.
This is the only method found to be effective against the ordinary plastic. The manufacturing of biodegradable plastic involves the use of addictive like D2W and EPI combined with the film of polythene during the manufacturing process. The lifespan of biodegradable plastic is dependent upon the substances use while manufacturing and the environmental condition in which the biodegradable plastic left to degrade. These bags are naturally degraded by heat, light and oxygen.
Nowadays, many plastics manufacturing companies are coming in this way and focusing on manufacturing biodegradable plastic to save our environment, which is a good sign.

The Renewable and Biodegradable Plastic?

Plastic is a useful substance. We use it to make countless everyday items and seemingly, we can't live without it. It is relatively cheap to make and it is convenient as well. However, all of this comes at a price that our environment can't continue to bear.
Conventional plastic is a petroleum product. To put it another way, plastic is made from oil. Oil, as you know, is a fossil fuel and fossil fuel is a finite resource. We are rapidly running out of this finite resource and while there still are oil deposits to be found, searching for them will become more and more dangerous, not only with respect to the crews mounting the search, but also to the environment itself. The explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequent oil spill is just one example of the perils we face in the future.
To give you an idea of how plastic impacts the environment, it is estimated that plastic use consumes two hundred thousand barrels of oil a day in the United States. That is two hundred thousand less barrels that could be used as fuel. In addition, plastics now take up one quarter of all the space in landfills across the country. What this means is that twenty-five percent of landfill space is filled with stuff that isn't going to degrade away.
There are now alternatives to conventional plastic. Recent advances in technology have enabled scientists to make a plastic resin based on corn. This resin is called polylactic acid, or PLA and is nearly identical to conventional plastic. Most importantly, corn is easily grown and is a renewable resource and is completely biodegradable. If we were to replace even a third of conventional plastic with corn plastic, that would make a huge dent in our consumption of oil and help top reduce the size of our landfills.
Corn plastic is not without its own issues, however. For one thing, switching from petroleum based plastic to corn plastic would require that vast allotments of land be converted to growing corn. Land is not an unlimited resource and farmland also provides us with the food we eat. If we need to convert too many acres over to corn for the purposes of making PLA, that would mean that it could not be used to grow other things.
biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers

"Go Green," "Recyclable," "Eco-Friendly" Custom Tote Bags - What Does it Mean?

You go to the grocery store and hear, "Paper or plastic." If you decide to try to "go green," you'll take the paper bags. If you are delving into the "eco-friendly" lifestyle, you probably already have your own tote bag that you reuse over and over again. And, if you are fully living the green lifestyle, you most likely only buy "recyclable" items.
What Do these Terms Mean?
Let's start off with "recyclable." Recyclable items means that the items are made from used materials that have undergone a process to make them new again. Recycling helps to stop waste of useful materials that would otherwise just be thrown away. Recycling is the key component in today's waste management. If you recycle, whether it be soda cans or plastic bottles, or if you wear clothes made from recyclable materials, you are living an eco-friendly lifestyle and have gone green!
"Go green" is an environmentalism social movement. A person or item can be "eco-friendly." The two terms are virtually interchangeable.
How Do these Terms Relate to Promotional Tote Bags?
Now that we know what these terms mean we need to know how this all relates to promotional tote bags. First of all, the fact that you can reuse tote bags over and over means that they are eco-friendly and the person using them has gone green.
Custom tote bags means that they are being used to promote a business or event. If the business or event planner decides to use eco-friendly tote bags, they are deciding to use bags that are made out of recyclable materials, such as organic cotton. Organic cotton is safer for the environment because it is manufactured without the use of harsh chemicals. Soft and durable, promotional tote bags made out of organic cotton can hold just about anything you put in them.
Using Promotional Tote Bags to Go Green
There are so many advantages to using eco-friendly promotional tote bags. Here are just a few:

• Promoting your business over and over again.
• Helping to save the environment.
• Reducing waste.
• Increasing sales of your business.

No matter which way you look at it, going green with custom tote bags is a positive choice. As a company purchasing and giving away these bags, you are saying that you not only care about your business, but you also care about the environment. You are spreading the "Go Green" message every time you give away a promotional tote bag.

Decorating Your Home With Recyclable Christmas Crafts

During Christmas, almost everyone is busy looking for ways on how to celebrate it. There are some who go out of the country for a vacation trip with their friends. Some just practically stay at home and have dinner with their family while others go to street parties and social gatherings to meet other people. No matter how you celebrate Christmas, there is one thing that is indispensable during this season - Christmas decorations. Homes, offices and other establishments put up Christmas crafts and decorations in order to add color to the Christmas atmosphere. However, with the changing world that people have right now, there is a more practical way of doing things. If you want to know more about it, read through this special article today.
Christmas and the Crisis
Today, the world is faced with so many economic problems so people have to tighten their belts. However, Christmas is already coming and this is the time of the year when there are so many expenses. So how are you going to celebrate the Yuletide season with the least expenses? What about the gifts, food and Christmas crafts?
There are several ways on how you can practically observe the Holidays without going out of your spending limit. Just the same, you would still be able to enjoy Christmas the same way that you did on the previous years. All you have to do is cut down your expenses to things that you really need like food. You can still give gifts to your family and friends. Anyway, it does not necessarily have to be expensive. You just have to give them something that they can add to their fondest Christmas memories. As for the decorations, you can use recyclable Christmas crafts for your home.
Here are some tips on how you can go about it.
You are able to recycle almost everything. Try to look for your old Christmas crafts at home. Choose which ones still look good and separate them from the other decors that are already destroyed. Try to restore the ones that are already ruined with the use of paint and other materials so that they will look good again. You can make use of these to decorate your home so that you would not have to by expensive Christmas crafts in the mall. There are other things that you can turn into attractive decorations like bottles, cans and other reusable materials. You just have to make use of your imagination and creativeness and you will be surprised on how much these recyclable materials can turn into just like the ornaments that you can buy at the mall.
Now that the holiday season is fast approaching, you can start collecting things that you can make use for your recyclable Christmas Crafts. As early as now, you can check which of your old decors can still be used so that you will know what to do with the Holiday ornaments that are already not so attractive and appealing.

biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers 

Paper Carry Bags Are Recyclable and Reusable

Paper carry bags are an ideal choice for those looking for eco-friendly products. This kind of carrier is reusable and recyclable items, which are a better choice than the non-biodegradable plastic bags. The business sector aiming for an environmentally conscious effort to sell and package their products will also benefit from using this kind of bag. By doing so, business owners are doing double marketing by imbibing a more responsible image for contributing to environmental advocacy while at the same time, creatively using means to promote their products and services. For many, paper carry bags carry not just goods, but also information on the company, such as list of branches, contact numbers, e-mail addresses and the more mainstream information such as company name, slogan, logo, and endorser/model. Indeed, these bags serve as more than just environmentally friendly container for products, but more importantly, act as a mobile advertising medium to leverage one's business.
A nice packaging completes the look of your products and consequently, of your brand's image. This includes your company's carrier bags. As environmentally friendly items exude a more positive impression, these bags fit the bill, especially those that not only clearly reflect your company with their style and design, but also prove to be trustworthy materials. This indicates that your business' reliability should not only be limited to the confines of the products you offer, but should extend to the paper carry bags that contain your items. This includes a strong and sturdy paper bag that can bear the weight of its contents. Never count out the importance of the little details that make your company great.
Shoppers who walk around the mall carrying attractive paper carrier bags, with products well-secured inside, without worrying of the bag tearing apart, but instead are proudly displaying a strong handle and solidly glued seam, add to the confidence of carrying the paper bag. Moreover, it furthers the good impression of your brand. By opting for a durable, well-made carry bag, even one that is made from paper, which meets the aesthetic ideas of your consumers, qualifies for multiple uses, and serves as a walking billboard for your brand name.
What counts, particularly for marketing and advertising concerns, is that paper carry bags have been proven useful to be utilized again and again and more significantly, is visible to make a business more marketable. Advertising business with carry bags actually works. These days, it's not just about magazine or newspaper spreads, TV ads or billboards. Big things do come in small packages. Your company's bags can seal the deal in promoting your business. Your business can suddenly be transformed into these cute, colorful, glossy, or whatever picture you wish to mold for your business.
Thanks to technology, paper as a raw material is now better than ever. Gone are the flimsy days of paper materials, replaced by a stronger paper material processing. The way paper products are made is also more efficient and effective. From the design, styling, colors and processing, paper carry bags boast of high quality. You can enjoy choosing over a wide variety of carry bag options that will meet your company's specifications from color and logo to branding and design.

Recyclable Guide - Things You Can Recycle

Plastic

With a little bit of care much plastic can be recycled, and collection of plastics for recycling is increasing rapidly. Plastic recycling faces one huge problem: plastic types must not be mixed for recycling, yet it is impossible to tell one type from another by sight or touch. Even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin the melt. The plastic industry has responded to this problem by developing a series of cryptic markers, commonly seen on the bottom of plastic containers. These markers do not mean the plastic can be recycled, these makers do not mean the container uses recycled plastic. Despite the confusing use of the chasing arrow symbol, these markers only identify the plastic type.

[1-PETE 2-HDPE 3-V 4-LDPE 5-PP 6-PS 7-Other] Virtually everything made of plastic should be marked with a code. Not all types can actually be recycled. Types 1 and 2 are widely accepted in container form, and type 4 is sometimes accepted in bag form. Code 7 is for mixed or layered plastic with little recycling potential. You should place in your bin only those types of plastic listed by your local recycling agency! Due to fluctuating market conditions, some colors or shapes may be useless to the recycling agency.

Recycling #5 Open Top Containers (Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Strawberry Baskets)

For decades, the #5 cups have been the bane of the good home recycler. The cups are hard to avoid buying, and mostly useless for recycling. Many curbside collection programs won't complain if these are placed in a bin, but they won't recycle them either.

Finally there is a good option for some people. Preserve Products offers pickup at select Whole Foods Locations. Simply stack your containers until you have enough to justify the trip.
Other plastic Containers (milk, soap, juice, fresh pasta, water, etc.)

All plastic containers you purchase should be marked with a large and clear recycling code (C). This code must be molded into the plastic and located on the bottom surface of the container. Ideally the entire container should be made of the same plastic to avoid confusion, but often the caps are of a different type. Caps should be separately marked, but few are (B). Note that most caps are NOT of the same type as the bottle they sit on.

Grocery sacks, produce bags, and other packaging

These are great to reuse. Not only do you save a new bag, but your old bags don't smell like chemicals (the 'plastic bag smell' is mostly plasticizer chemicals that outgas from the bags).

Plastic grocery and produce sacks are commonly, but not always, made from plastic types 2 or 4. These bags are often collected in barrels at grocery stores, and usually end up as plastic lumber. Collection is not particularly profitable.

Other Plastic Items

Any product made of a single plastic type should be marked -- after all the product may one day break or be replaced. This includes toys, plastic hangars, trash cans, shelves, baskets, rain ponchos, and many other products (B). Many products, such as compact discs, video tapes, and computer discs, are made from mixed materials which can't be recycled unless first disassembled.

Glass, Steel, Aluminum Cans and Foil

Glass, steel (or "tin") and aluminum are easy to recognize and recycle. For clarity, a recycling symbol should be present, but most people have little trouble sorting these materials. Glass bottles must not be mixed with other types of glass such as windows, light bulbs, mirrors, glass tableware, Pyrex or auto glass. Ceramics contaminate glass and are difficult to sort out. Clear glass is the most valuable. Mixed color glass is near worthless, and broken glass is hard to sort.

There have been marketing experiments with plastic and steel cans that look exactly like aluminum cans. Recycling plants have been damaged by these fakes. The distinctive shape of an aluminum beverage can must be reserved for aluminum beverage cans only (C).

It is no longer necessary to remove labels for recycling. To save water, clean only enough to prevent odors. Unlike with plastics, the high temperature of glass and metal processing deals easily with contamination.

Scrap aluminum is accepted in many places. Other metals are rarely accepted.

Aseptic Packaging (Drink boxes, soy-milk containers)

The square boxes used for liquids are called "Aseptics", the most common brand of which is "Tetra Pak". Aseptics are made from complex layers of plastic, metal and paper. The aseptic industry has spent millions in public education on the issue of aseptic recycling, including distribution of classroom guides and posters like "Drink Boxes are as Good on the Outside as They are on the Inside" and "A Day in the Life of a Drink Box". The actual recycling process, unfortunately, is very expensive and awkward, and is therefore only available in a very few places. Coca-Cola maintains a list of aseptic recyclers, call 1-800-888-6488 for information. Because of the difficulties, only an insignificant fraction of aseptic packages are currently recycled.

Paper

Most types of paper can be recycled. Newspapers have been recycled profitably for decades, and recycling of other paper is growing. Virgin paper pulp prices have soared in recent years prompting construction of more plants capable of using waste paper. They key to recycling is collecting large quantities of clean, well-sorted, uncontaminated and dry paper.

Soy-based inks.

It is important to know what you are buying in a paper product, for that reason virtually all paper products should be marked with the percentage and type of recycled content, as above (C). Just saying "recycled paper" is not enough. "Recycled paper" could mean anything from 100% true recycled paper to 1% re-manufactured ends of large paper rolls. "Post-consumer" means the paper that you and I return to recycling centers. From a recycling point of view, the more "post-consumer" paper the better. Soybean-based inks are gaining favor as a renewable alternative to harsh and toxic petrochemical inks.

White Office Paper

One of the highest grades of paper is white office paper. Acceptable are clean white sheets from the likes of laser printers and copy machines. Colored, contaminated, or lower grade paper is not acceptable. The wrappers the paper comes in are of lower grade, and not acceptable. Staples are OK. White office paper may be downgraded, and recycled with mixed paper.

Corrugated Cardboard

In areas that don't take cardboard from consumers, one can often drop boxes off at a supermarket or other high volume business. Contaminated cardboard, like greasy pizza boxes, is not acceptable. In some areas cardboard must be free of tape, but staples are always OK.

Newspapers

Newspaper is widely available and of uniform consistency, which makes it valuable. The entire newspaper including inserts acceptable, except for things like plastic, product samples and rubber bands. Newspapers may be stuffed in large brown grocery sacks, or tied with natural-fiber twine. Other brown paper bags may be mixed with newspaper.

Phone books

Some phone books are made with a special glue that breaks down in water, while other phone books use a glue that interferes with recycling. Printed in your phone book should be information on the source and type of paper used, the nature of the binding, and where locally phone books can be recycled (C). Note that many phone companies continue to use virgin rain forest to produce directories. In many communities phone books are only accepted during the time new directories are distributed.
Waxed cartons (Milk, juice)
.
Mixed Paper

Mixed paper is a catch-all for types of paper not specifically mentioned above. Everything you can imagine from magazines to packaging is acceptable. The paper must still be clean, dry, and free of food, most plastic, wax, and other contamination. Staples are OK.

Remove plastic wrap, stickers, product samples, and those pointless "membership" cards, and most junk mail can be recycled as mixed paper. Due to new technology, plastic window envelopes and staples are generally OK.

Paper that can't be recycled

Paper that can't be recycled as normal "mixed paper" includes: food contaminated paper, waxed paper, waxed cardboard milk & juice containers, oil soaked paper, carbon paper, sanitary products or tissues, thermal fax paper, stickers and plastic laminated paper such as fast food wrappers, juice boxes, and pet food bags.

Paper with any sort of contamination or plastic layers can't be recycled. Plastic laminated paper is bad for recycling plants; such paper should be clearly marked (A).

Old refrigerators, Heat Pumps & Air Conditioners

Most older refrigeration equipment contains freon, a chemical know as a Chlorinated Fluorocarbon or "CFC" for short. Each molecule of a CFC can destroy over 100,000 molecules of the earth's protective ozone coating, leading to increased risk of sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer for the entire population of the planet (human AND animal).

If you are throwing away an old refrigerator, heat pump or air conditioner please be sure the CFC's are drained out and recycled first. Use only a hauler who will perform this important service -- call and ask before you let them take your old equipment away. Before having your car's air conditioner serviced, ask what the shop does with the freon. Never allow a leaking refrigeration system to be recharged.

A number of international treaties, federal and state laws govern the use of CFC's. Handlers of refrigeration equipment can get information on laws and recycling equipment from the American Refrigeration Institute

Single Use Batteries (Alkaline, Heavy Duty)

Once recommended for the trash, increasingly these batteries are collected. Not that they are actually recycled: often they are simply put in a more expensive landfill. The State of California mandates recycling of such batteries.

With the invention of "low self discharge" or "precharged" NiMH batteries, single use batteries are all but obsolete. A leading "low discharge" brand is the Sanyo Eneloop, costing less than 3 times that of a typical single use battery. Investing in a "smart" charger is a must for the best battery life. Shop for models with microprocessor control (not a timer), and the ability to charge each battery individually (not two or four at a time). A good comparison and shopping site is www.greenbatteries.com.

Rechargeable Batteries (other than car batteries)

Rechargeable batteries are commonly used in portable telephones, computers, power tools, shavers, electric toothbrushes, radios, video tape recorders and other consumer products. There are a variety of different battery types, some of which contain quite toxic materials.

[RBRC Battery Recycling Logo]The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is an industry funded group promoting battery recycling. Manufacturers pay a fee to use the logo shown to the right, and to support the costs of the eventual collection of the batteries they sell. Look for (and even insist on seeing) the RBRC logo on rechargeable batteries you buy.

biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers

The Didderence Between Recyclable, Biodegradable and Compostable

RECYCLABLE: 'Recyclable' products can be collected and reprocessed to produce new items. Common recyclable materials are: paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum, and electronic waste. Recycling is very important in diverting waste from landfills. Check with your local recycling collector to check what materials in your area can be recycled. The types of items accepted can vary from location to location. Also, properly sort your recyclables into your household recycling bins. If your city does not collect recyclables, you can use http://earth911.org/ to find public and private recycling centers.

BIODEGRADABLE: 'Biodegradable' simply means that a product will break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass within a reasonable amount of time in the natural environment. The term 'biodegradable' however has no legal enforcement or definition. Therefore, the term has been used loosely by some manufacturers. One important thing to remember is that biodegradability is a desirable feature in products such as cleaning agents. Conventional cleaning agents will often release harmful phosphates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as they break down, but biodegradable versions will not. Products that are labeled as 'biodegradable' can be disposed of in your garbage. However it is important to remember that landfills lack the microorganisms and oxygen required for waste to biodegrade in a timely manner, so you should still try to minimize the amount of wasted material. Some companies will label their recyclable, biodegradable or compostable products.
COMPOSTABLE: 'Compostable' products are biodegradable, but with an added benefit: when they break down, they release valuable nutrients into the soil, aiding the growth of trees and plants. These products degrade within several months in an industrial composting facility and produce no toxic residues. Compostability is a desirable feature in traditionally-disposable products such as plates, bowls, cups and cutlery. These products are commonly made out of PLA (Polylactic acid), bagasse (sugarcane fiber) or vegetable starch. It is environmentally-preferable to use disposable products that are labeled 'compostable' rather than just 'biodegradable'.

Products that are labeled 'compostable' must enter an industrial composting facility in order for it to fully degrade into organic matter. If your city has a composting facility, place these products in your compost bins to be picked up. Compostable products will typically degrade in 30-120 days in an industrial composter, depending on the product size and material used. If your city doesn't provide industrial composting, you can dispose of compostable products in your backyard or home composter, but they will take longer to biodegrade. If you do not have access to a compost facility or a home composter, dispose of the compostables in the garbage. This option should be your last resort as waste does not easily biodegrade in landfills. Remember: do not put compostables into your recycling! They are not recyclable and will contaminate the recycling process.

biodegradable cups, biodegradable plates, biodegradable clamshells, biodegradable take-out containers