The other kind of plastic

Water bottles, grocery bags and many other common consumer containers are made from recyclable plastics called thermoplastics or thermoplastic resins.

When you head out to add things to your neighborhood or company plastics recycling bin, these are the kinds of polymers you're taking out to be melted down and molded into new products. And that's great. But what about the rest of the plastics? The ones without the little recycling arrows or numbers?

Most of these harder plastics, known as thermoset resins, can’t be easily recycled. Unlike thermoplastic resins, cured thermosets will not melt and flow. They will soften when heated, but they cannot be reshaped. These polymers, used in things like circuit boards, airplane parts, Bakelite electrical insulation and epoxy glue, decompose when heated. Most products made from these plastics end up as waste.

But all that may be changing, according to a New York Times article:

Chemists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have devised a thermoset plastic that, rather than decomposing, heals itself when heated. Writing in the journal Macromolecules, the researchers, Youchun Zhang, Antonius A. Broekhuis and Francesco Picchioni, say the material has the potential to be recycled and reused many times. ...The researchers demonstrated that the material can be shredded, melted and remolded at least seven times with no loss of mechanical properties. Their discovery, they say, adds to scientific understanding of the nature of self-healing materials, and with more research may eventually lead to the full development of recyclable thermoset plastics.

This discovery could add a whole new green dimension to businesses who produce or use thermoset plastics in their products or have significant amounts as components in their machinery or equipment.

Making your business greeting cards earth friendly

Many businesses send greeting cards as a part of their marketing plan. And a growing number honor their employees with birthday cards, job anniversary cards and even job-well-done cards. Business greeting cards are a wonderful, and relatively inexpensive tool for keeping in touch with the people who keep your business working.

But all those cards can add up to a lot of paper. And a lot of potentially toxic inks and dyes. So is there a way to maintain the marketing power of an annual company Christmas card or the morale boosting power of wishing an employee happy birthday, and not create a mountain of wasted paper?

Look for cards that are made from recycled paper

This may seem like an obvious first step, but in reality many people shy away from the idea of recycled holiday cards because they remember the way recycled cards used to look. But the days of brown cards with poorly printed images on rough paper are long gone. Today's recycled papers are available in colors from white to pastels to deep jewel tones.

Be sure to check the percentage of recycled material used in the cards...and the envelopes.

Recycled paper can range from as low as 10% to 100% recycled content. Look for cards that utilize at least 20% post consumer waste. At this level, you'll be making a significant difference in the use of virgin paper.

Choose soy inks and avoid foil embellishments

The type of ink you choose and the embellishments use on the cards makes a big difference in whether the cards can be recycled after your clients or employees have finished with them. Soy inks and cards free from foil trim or printing can be added to recycling bins and make another trip around, reducing both paper use and landfill volumes.

Green solutions for paper

One of the most common sources of waste in an office is paper. Fortunately, it's also one of the easiest eco-problems to address. Here are some tips for reducing the environmental impact of paper use in your office:

1) Switch from virgin paper to recycled paper for copiers, printers, and notepads. The Conservatree site has an excellent list of copier papers , along with their recycled content, availability and color choices.

2) Find downloadable or printable sources for common business forms, required employee paperwork and other paper products you would ordinarily buy in packages. Not only will you have the option of printing them on 100% recycled paper, you'll avoid the waste that occurs when official forms change before you've used up the package. And you'll avoid the materials used in packing and shipping.

3) Choose green sources for paper goods you have to buy. From labor law posters and job applications to file folders and business greeting cards, there are now green providers for most paper office products.

4) Make "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" standard business practice. Encourage less printing. Many documents can be read, edited and shared electronically. Make printing a last resort. Encourage employees to reuse unwanted papers as scratch paper. Provide recycling bins and teach employees what goes in which bin. Look for more green ideas in the article "Going green in your business."