At work, you’re in the zone. And because you’re so focused on doing a great job, you probably don’t have much time to think about what should go in the recycling bin and what is just trash. But here at Carolina Fibre, we know how easy it is to establish healthy, productive patterns of sustainability no matter where you work! To kick off your new recycling regimen, we’ve compiled a short list of items you can keep out of the garbage cans for a cleaner, greener work environment.
Printer Paper
It might seem like a given, but paper still ranks highly in materials that make up the general population’s waste. If you’ve finished with a document you printed, and it doesn’t contain sensitive information, use the backside as your own notepad. If the document does have confidential details on it, look into a trusted shredding service that will recycle the unusable paper once there is no longer any danger of passing on personal or corporate information.
Ink Cartridges
In case you weren’t aware, ink and toner cartridges are made of plastic and metal and are difficult to make in the first place. Most office supply stores will accept empty cartridges when you make a purchase (such as more ink and toner), and some even offer a discount on your purchase just for doing the environmentally responsible thing!
Computers and Technology
If you’ve recently upgraded your office computers or other electronic devices, it’s tempting to toss out any pieces that you know won’t sell. But this kind of waste can cause just as much damage to the environment as other waste products if improperly disposed of, which is why there are now places that will accept older computers and can recycle them properly for you.
Batteries
Batteries can be tricky to recycle in the sense that you toss out the old and keep buying new ones. To this end, we recommend that your office invests in rechargeable batteries. Set up a designated area in the workspace for letting them refresh their power, and help your employees remember to simply switch out sets as needed.
Shipping Supplies
Shipping supplies, such as padded envelopes, tape, the backings of labels, and other items can put a strain on the waste disposal systems of many companies. Like many other materials, you’ll want to make sure that none of these can be repurposed before they are disposed of with the rest of the office garbage. If not, check with your recycling service to properly recycle them, which will effectively eliminate them from the work environment and avoid putting a strain on the community’s landfills.
Cardboard
Some recycling services separate paper and cardboard waste, and others are unable to accept cardboard because of their facilities’ limitations. If that’s the case, don’t be discouraged! If possible, you might even be able to reuse boxes and other cardboard products rather than immediately throwing them out, so after you find out what your recycling service will and won’t be able to take care of for you, take a look around and see if you can find a use for them.
Plastic Bags
If your trash and recycling pick-up service doesn’t separate recyclables, you might not be able to put them in the regular blue bins, but that doesn’t mean plastic bags from lunch time can’t be recycled properly. If this is the case where you live and work, have a separate collection area for plastic bags and arrange for them to be taken to your local grocery store or drop-off point.
Once you establish a recycling system at work, it’s only a matter of time before recycling company waste in the most optimal way becomes routine for everyone. If you’re ready to initiate a company-wide recycling program, contact Carolina Fibre to find out how we can help!

Recycling, by definition, gives us the ability to take used materials and put them back into commercial production, either as a similar product or something else entirely. But have you ever considered the possibility of recyclable products like plastic being repurposed as a food source?
The wax worm is actually quite fond of plastic snacks, namely plastic bags. A study conducted about three years ago by Federica Bertocchini at the University of Cantabria in Spain first revealed the insect’s propensity for chowing down, during which the test subjects were able to make sizable holes in plastic shopping bags after about 40 minutes. It might not sound like much, but in the long run, every little bit counts.
Wax worms take up residence in beehives, which is where they typically gain their sustenance. They eventually take on the form of a smaller moth, after consuming plenty of wax from the hives. It’s their natural food source preferences that ready their digestive systems for the materials found in most plastic bags. Both wax and plastic are, at their cores, carbon polymers that the insects can easily break down.
The excitement over this discovery stems from the fact that plastic makes up a significant portion of world waste production, and often doesn’t degrade as easily as other materials. Rather than adding to global pollution, the plastic could now be disposed of by wax worms as a food source. It may not be recycled through an industrial or commercial process to be remade into similar products, but this organic alternative takes it out of the pollution equation altogether and makes way for new and innovative options instead.
But is feeding the worms a viable and immediate solution to the continual struggle for a smaller environmental impact? Critics are wary of introducing the insects as a prime biodegradation process given the unpredictability of their appetites and the amount of time it takes them to dispose of something as relatively small as a plastic grocery bag. But the same scientists that realized the worms’ potential for sustainability practices also discovered that is was an enzyme or bacteria in them that broke down the plastic, meaning that they didn’t necessarily have to actively chomp into the material to get rid of it.
While these studies move forward, Carolina Fibre will continue to provide excellent commercial recycling services for aluminum, paper and plastic products. If you’re ready to move forward with a business recycling plan – without waiting for the worms to be made readily available – contact us for a consultation!

It’s that time of year when we all scramble to make and get started on a resolution or two for the months to come, something to work toward and enrich our lives. This year, if you’re already planning on changing things up, why not start with your very own home? Here at Carolina Fibre, we’ve come up with a few ideas for reducing waste and decluttering your closets, without the additional environmental strain of larger trash bags.
Holiday leftovers
No, we’re not literally talking turkey. But right after the new year begins, you might be glancing around and wondering how you came to own so much stuff that you don’t need, or why you have so many reusable items just sitting around and taking up space. Champagne bottles from New Year’s Eve, for example, can be recycled into commemorative vases or even employed as kitchen decorations once you wash them out, let them dry, and wind in some strands of twinkle lights. The holidays can still bring you some cheer after they’re over – you just have to get creative!
The whole package
Packaging items, like boxes, egg cartons, or even foil can be reused rather than tossed in the trash. When the kids need art supplies, or you have an impromptu birthday gift to wrap, you’ll be glad you thought to keep them, even if they are tucked out of sight! Or, you could donate these items as much-needed art supplies to a community center or classroom and save yourself the trouble of storing them altogether.
Spring planting
Spring will be here before we know it, and when it rolls around you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared to enjoy it. For some, this means planting a garden. If you’re hoping to nurture a green thumb this year, consider involving your entire yard in the process of maintaining your vegetable patch. Clippings from mowing the lawn serve as great natural fertilizer, not to mention cut down on the usage of plastic bags you would have employed to clean them up.
Wardrobe changes
We all change out our wardrobes from time to time, or at the very least get rid of old, worn-out clothing we can no longer wear. If it isn’t threadbare and can still be worn, the obvious answer for most items is to donate them. But, if you have a shirt with one too many holes or an exhausted coat, try your hand at a little DIY home improvement. Clothes can be broken down to make coasters, pillows, seat cushions, you name it!
Plastic or paper bags
Although it’s tempting – especially if you keep forgetting to take your reusable bag into the grocery store – refrain from throwing out paper or plastic shopping bags. These can be used in so many helpful ways around the home: trash can liners, recycling containers, temporary storage. And the best part? If something does happen to them, you won’t have risked a container that you wanted to keep for long anyway.
No matter how you choose to simplify your life or reduce the amount of waste produced in your home, the important thing is sticking to your resolutions and persevering! Contact us for a greener plan for your place of business, so you can bring this enthusiasm for a more sustainable space to the office.

Earlier this month, Carolina Fibre had the unique opportunity to learn from fellow professionals in the recycling business at the Southeast Recycling Development Council’s fall recycling forum in Asheville, North Carolina. This year’s theme was “Overcoming Obstacles: Strategies for Success,” and for a day and a half we were able to gain a lot of industry insight! Approximately 100 private and public entities, as well as material group representatives and brand owners were in attendance to discuss strengthening demand of recycled feedstock.
As an organization dedicated to uniting industry leaders, government, and non-governmental groups in promoting sustainability and recycling in the region, the SERDC is all about education; the forum they hosted was no exception! Speakers included Brent Bell, the president at Waste Management Recycle America, Nicole Smith, who manages sustainability practices for Coca-Cola North America, and Katie Wallace, the CSR at New Belgium Brewery.
Thanks to these engaging sessions and the speakers that led them, we got to learn more about other companies’ goals for a greener future, all of which were similar to ours in that they rely on solid recycling infrastructure and industry support. We were thrilled to hear that others remained focused on outreach and education as well as promoting their businesses! Through sustainable practices and careful strategizing, these industry giants pushed cleaner work environments and continued to operate as successful businesses. And if they can do it, we know you can, too!
Here at Carolina Fibre, we want to promote the same ideals with other fields in the region. If you want to bring your business up to speed with commercial recycling for paper, plastic, aluminum, or other products, contact us today for consultation. We can help you make a game plan for your organization to get on the same environmental page as top industry leaders!

The start of the school year brings all sorts of challenges. There are new schedules to adjust, teachers with whom to become acquainted, and a slew of permission slips and other forms to get signed and returned to the right hands!
That doesn’t mean it all has to be stressful, though. A new year can bring a fresh perspective. Our suggestion? Take that feeling of renewal and start with your own personal environment, whether that is the classroom or parts of your home. Once you get started, it’s easy to learn how to make your everyday a little greener.
Create a recycling center.
We use a lot of reusable materials throughout the school year, so it can be truly helpful to set up a designated area just for taking care of all the loose odds and ends to be recycled. You can do this either at home or in the classroom with a simple container for each recyclable material and a basic label for each. At school, each student could be assigned his or her own week to monitor the station for cleanliness and emptying the bins when the time is right.
Make the world a more beautiful place, one crayon at a time.
It probably isn’t something you’d think about right off the bat, but you can reduce an education’s impact on the environment just by buying the right supplies! Several major brands supply eco-friendly offerings such as acid-free glue sticks, petroleum-free crayons, refillable dry erase markers, and more. Take the extra second to do a little research and see if your favorite brands can help you on your mission for a more sustainable school year.
Use what you have. 
Tempting though it may be, you probably don’t need all new items like lunch boxes and book covers. If you reuse the things you already have, there’s no need to toss the old in favor of the new. Likewise, you can always employ everyday items into what you need. Has your lunch box toted its last sandwich? Look into Tupperware alternatives that are already taking up space in your cabinets. Are you worried about the wear and tear a secondhand textbook might sustain? Save the paper bags from your grocery trips and decorate them to your heart’s content. It’s easy to shape them to the covers of most textbooks, but if you need some help you can find the basic idea here.
Hopefully these ideas will get you started on the way to a greener, more sustainable lifestyle for the school year, but if you still have concerns about recycling and eco-friendly living in general, Carolina Fibre is here to help. Check out our blog for more tips, or contact us today!