Tips for eco-friendly Christmas gifts

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also a time of peak waste. To give you a bit of perspective, Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve period than any time of the year - and it amounts to one million extra tons of garbage per week. While green already is the traditional color of Christmas, we could start giving it an additional meaning by becoming more eco-friendly and conscious by cutting back on obvious excesses, such as useless gifts, unrecyclable wrapping paper, and even food. 

The great news is that more and more people become conscious and consider making the most out of the festive season without wasting Earth’s resources (and money). To be of help, our Gold-Circuit E-Cycling team compiled a list of eco-friendly gift ideas:

1. Fewer objects, more experiences.

Statistics show that about 35% of Americans have at least an unused Christmas present that collects dust somewhere in a corner. Why buy objects that only look nice but have no real purpose when you can purchase a gift that keeps on giving? Try holiday vouchers, concert tickets, cinema tickets, memberships for services that your loved ones would enjoy, sponsorships for organizations such as WWF or World Vision. Choose truly memorable and purposeful gifts, that add value to their lives. 

2. Buy local or create your gifts.

There are lots of small businesses that create beautiful, unique handmade objects which are also recyclable and eco-friendly. By buying from them, you support the local economy and get to offer more thoughtful gifts that’ll surely put a smile on your dear ones’ faces. Of course, if you’re handy and good at baking, sewing, painting, and not only, you can craft your own gifts and even save money in the process.

3. Switch to eco-friendly wrapping materials.

Imagine this: if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. The shiny, glittery wrapping papers and ribbons may be adorable, but they’re not recyclable. You can switch to green alternatives such as brown paper, newspaper, raffia, string or textiles. For example, we can all take inspiration from Japan, where a method of using cloth to wrap up gifts was invented long ago. You can find lots of such colorful fabrics on Etsy - and they can be used again and again.

4. Take the vintage route.

Think outside the gift box and don’t be afraid to incorporate pre-loved treasures on your Christmas shopping list. The age-old stigma around offering used objects is long gone - but of course, they should be in good condition. The resale market has been growing rapidly in the US, and you can find lots of stores and independent sellers that commercialize awesome goods at very reasonable prices (including authentic luxury clothes and accessories). Imagine how much the Earth could benefit from our mutual decision to embrace second-hand gifts!

Two reasons why you should recycle styrofoam

As bans on single-use plastics and straws gain more and more global attention, we shouldn’t lose sight of another less popular form of plastic that’s incredibly damaging for the environment: styrofoam.

This material is frequently used, yet seldom recycled due to the high costs and energy associated with the operations. Thankfully, our facility is fully-equipped with all the machinery necessary to keep styrofoam away from the environment and give it a new purpose after its first life comes to end. 

Moreover, we’ve created a division dedicated only to styrofoam recycling to raise awareness within our community and simplify the process. Check out this article to learn more about what styrofoam is and what’s our solution.

Secondly, let’s see why is it so important to recycle styrofoam.

It poses a huge danger for the environment

We cannot stress this enough: plastics shouldn’t be thrown away because there’s no “away”. Plastics do not decompose over time and pose serious health concerns for both aquatic and terrestrial life. And yes - styrofoam is made of thousands of pieces of non-biodegradable plastic, even if the name doesn’t suggest that. Keep in mind that small changes add up to big results - and when it comes to protecting the earth and repairing the already-done damage, every individual action matters.

It can be recycled over and over again

That’s the best quality of styrofoam: it can be recycled and repurposed over and over again. In our facility, for example, the most part of our volume comes from residents, businesses and municipalities that collect it from their communities. After recycling, we send the newly-created volume of EPS to be transformed into picture frames, baseboard/ceiling moulding, house/building insulation or insulation board. And then, hopefully, the materials get back to us and the cycle continues. Hello, new life - good-bye, landfills and resources waste!

A few things to keep in mind

While we’d love to be able to recycle each and every type of foam, at the moment we are unable to accept packing peanuts, food containers, colors other than white, and foam that is dirty or contaminated. We’ll let you know as soon as we find a convenient manner to expand our range of services.

To learn more about our solution, visit our dedicated website here: https://www.recycleyourfoam.com/.

For inquiries, give us a call at 888-283-0007 or drop us a line at info@goldcircuitecycling.com

Styrofoam Recycling

Maybe you find yourself with plenty of Styrofoam after unpacking a new electronic or after using those infamous white Styrofoam coolers. Maybe you’re a manufacturer who goes through thousands of pieces of Styrofoam per week or a household who deals with it just once per year.

What’s your next step?

Styrofoam and other types of foam are in abundance all around us. They’re most commonly used to pack products and serve as insulation. While foam might help protect the things we ship, it’s important that once it’s out of the manufacturer’s hands and into ours, we take the responsible next steps. It’s because of this abundance that Gold Circuit E-Cycling decided to create a way for our customers to dispose of their Styrofoam in a way that’s easy and keeps our environment happy. Whether you’re recycling foam for your household, business, or municipalities, we’ve got a solution for you.

What’s our Solution?

We created Recycle Your Foam to transform EPS, XPS, and EPE foam into reusable options. EPS is Expanded Polystyrene foam, XPS is Extruded Polystyrene foam, and EPE is Expanded Polyethylene foam. All of these types of foams are used for packaging, insulation, and more. But once these foams have been used for their initial purpose, is that the end of their timeline? It doesn’t have to be.

The thing is, these foams include air, which gives it its notable lightweight feeling (and ability to float). These foams are made up of beads that are fused together and can easily be broken down through a two-step process we’ve perfected.

What we do

Our facilities provide a hot melt densifying solution. We transform these three types of foam to make it economically viable to ship to manufacturers. If left at a landfill, the foam will never go away. Because it is plastic, it does not decompose. Rather than adding to the growing issue of landfills filled with plastic, we encourage you to take time to educate yourself on your options. When you find yourself with foam, we’re here to assist you with it so that you know you’re making the responsible and environmentally-friendly choice.

Our two-step process consists of first crushing the foam and then applying a hot melt to form a solid, 55-pound block. This process removes the air and allows it the opportunity to be reused and accepted by manufacturers as they create new items with it.

What Next?

Once recycled, the materials can be used to create all new items. Some examples of things that can be created through recycled foam include picture frames, baseboard or ceiling molding, house or building insulation, and insulation board. Your Styrofoam can take on a new life and have new uses thanks to your environmentally-conscious choice.

Things to Note

While we’d love to be able to recycle each and every type of foam, we do have some criteria that we have to follow to ensure a smooth process. We are unable to accept packing peanuts, food containers, colors other than white, and foam that is dirty or contaminated.

We hope you can see how Styrofoam recycling is an accessible service to improve our environment and give you peace of mind knowing you made the responsible choice.

To learn more about our Styrofoam recycling efforts, visit our new, focused website here: https://www.recycleyourfoam.com/.

Have questions or want to talk with someone more in-depth about what this process looks like for your used Styrofoam that you’re ready to part with? Give us a call at 888-283-0007 or email us at info@goldcircuitecycling.com

Furniture: What to do When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

When it's time to say goodbye to a piece of furniture, you might find yourself with a few options. We’ve all seen that couch or mattress find its way to the neighborhood dumpster only to get rained on until someone eventually gives in and hauls it to the dump. Many trash companies actually won’t even pick up large items like that.

While it’s of course “easier” to throw that piece of furniture to the side of the road and hope it gets picked up or dumped out, that’s not the best option. Furniture isn’t something that can decompose the longer it sits out at a landfill. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency actually found that in 2005, 9.69 million tons of furniture and furnishings were dumped at a landfill. That number has only grown tremendously and will continue to grow.

So, what are your other options?

If you’re looking into other options for getting rid of furniture you no longer want, you may consider donating or recycling it. There are many organizations out there that take donated furniture and give it to people who need it, such as those coming out of homelessness, poverty, or domestic violence. There are also many organizations that exist to help Veterans furnish their homes. You may also be familiar with stores like Goodwill who take donations and then put them on the sales floor for prices far below retail.

Donating Furniture

While most of these are tax-deductible opportunities and thus desirable, not every piece of furniture is made equal. Many times, the quality of or state that the furniture is in may not be ideal to be reused or donated. If your furniture has stains, has lived long beyond its years, or is no longer usable, donating it may not be a good idea for you.

If you want more information on where and how to donate furniture, this resource may be helpful.

Recycling Furniture

When people hear the word “recycling,” they often don’t associate it with furniture. The thing is, furniture is made of a variety of materials, many of which can be recycled. When it comes to mattresses, 80% of the materials in it can actually be recycled. At our facility, we accept mattresses and box springs and do our part to get them separated and recycled where we can. To read more about what this process looks like, check out our previous blog here.

Our facility is able to process old furniture such as couches, recliners, chairs, dressers, desks, and more. We remove any steel that’s in the furniture and send whatever remains for further recycling of the wood and materials. Our fees for recycling furniture are $20 for mattresses, box springs, tables, dressers, recliners, and loveseats, and $40 for couches.

Before you recycle furniture, make sure that you remove any personal items, especially if it’s something like a dresser or desk.

Helping the Environment

Recycling furniture rather than leaving it at a landfill is a responsible choice for the environment. By recycling, any of the materials that can be recycled can be reused and made into other items. Materials like metal, wood, and foam can be used for things like scrap metal, mulch, carpet padding, and fabric.

When it’s time to say goodbye to furniture in your home or office, we’d love to be your first stop for items that can’t be donated or repaired. Give us a call today if you have any questions at 888-283-0007. We look forward to helping reduce your waste production and helping you make the most out of the furniture you loved!