“Styrofoam”, is a brand name for EPS, or Expanded Polystyrene.  This material comes in many forms shapes, and sizes, but is typically found as protective packaging for appliances, furniture, electronics, and other types of items. Unfortunately, it is also the material of choice for large coffee chains such as Dunkin Donuts. In a previous post,...Continue Reading

The United States generates a LOT of waste.  (254 million tons in 2013).  While many people regard recycling as the best method of waste removal, only 34% of our waste is actually recycled.  That leaves 66% or 167 million tons that need to be disposed of annually.  Where does it all go? Of this total,...Continue Reading

The recycling industry has been playing a major role in reducing America’s trade deficit. In America, a considerable number of export containers are shipped to various countries. These containers are filled with scrap metal, paper, and plastics. Scrap commodities are among the nation’s largest exports by value. Overall, exports account for 27% of the recycling industry’s...Continue Reading

There are two recycling holidays each year.  You’ve heard of Earth Day, but do you know about America Recycles Day? America Recycles Day America Recycles Day is a national initiative started by Keep America Beautiful. It is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. On November 15th...Continue Reading

We’ve gotten a lot of questions on where we ship or market the multiple grades of metal, paper, and plastic recyclable products we handle. When we reply that many of these materials are exported to foreign countries, people have a hard time believing recyclables would be shipped to the other side of the world for...Continue Reading

Many people wonder why there are charges related to recycling since recyclable materials have value. Think of recycling as one option for managing waste. The process of managing that waste costs money. The value of the material generated through the process is not always equal or greater than the expenses, including transportation, sorting, equipment and...Continue Reading

My name is Randy Miller and my history is the recycling business. I am the third in my family to preside as President and owner of Miller Recycling Corporation, located at 73 Plymouth Street in Mansfield, MA. In 1972, I started my career in the recycling business when I began working summers for my father,...Continue Reading

Do you find yourself confused about the various descriptions used to define terms in relation to the environment and recycling as a business? There are many terms and tag lines used to define the various factors affecting our environment and how we treat it. In order to build an environmentally friendly space that practices recycling...Continue Reading

Corrugated cardboard recycling has been on a consistent rise for the past few decades. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) recently released a report stating that Old Corrugated Container (OCC) recovery has been climbing at a steady velocity since the 1990’s. The Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA) also recently announced recovery of cardboard (OCC) recycling...Continue Reading

Safety is and should be the #1 priority for any recycling facility.  Lockout / Tagout is one way to ensure safety of all workers in recycling operations. There are many moving parts within a recycling operation – and each one can and does present a potential hazard to employees. Trucks, forklifts, loaders, balers, shredders, guillotines,...Continue Reading