How Do I Dispose of Medical Waste?

Medical waste comes in many forms and from many sources. Doctors offices and hospitals are only the beginning. Dental offices, blood banks, and vet clinics also produce medical waste. 

Medical waste can be liquids, solids, semi-solids, or contained gases. They can be manufacturing process byproducts, sludges or spent materials, or simply discarded products. 

Whatever their form, proper management and disposal is essential to protect human health and the environment.

Can I Recycle Laundry Detergent Bottles?

Laundry detergent bottles fall under the category of Plastic #2, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), along with other products like cleaner bottles, milk jugs, and other rigid, non-clear/colored plastics.

This material is definitely in demand and recyclable in many conventional recycling centers. 

How Much Extra Food and Trash is Thrown Away During the Holidays?

Thanksgiving marked a day of family, friends and giving thanks for all of the wonderful things we have in our lives. One of these things, unlike some other countries, is an overabundance of food.

“In 2016 nearly 88 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. 

The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds, meaning that approximately 736 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday.”

How Can I Dispose of Used Paint Cans?

All paints basically fall under two solvent categories, which define their type: water-based and oil-based.

“Water-based paint actually has water as a solvent, and is most commonly called "latex" paint even though it does not contain latex. Many water-based paints are made with acrylic and may be called "acrylic latex."

Oil-based paint is equally confusing. It isn't actually made with oil; it has a solvent of mineral spirits (also known as paint thinner) or alkyd resin. Alkyd can be thinned with mineral spirits, and latex paint is thinned with water. At the paint store, you can't go wrong with the terms latex paint or alkyd or oil-based paint.”

Diapers in the Landfill

Each year, recycling centers across the nation have to discard disposable diapers into the landfill that people put in with their recycling. Disposable diapers are not only not recyclable, they shouldn’t be put into the landfill….or on your baby for that matter.

It is estimated that 90-95% of babies in the United States wear disposable diapers for approximately 2-21/2 years. “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that about 20 billion disposable diapers are dumped in landfills each year, accounting for more than 3.5 million tons of waste.”

Borden Driver Praised by a Customer for Going Above and Beyond

A customer was so happy with the service she receives from her Borden trash driver that she wrote us to let us know!

She writes, "I have been very happy with my service with Borden's.  I was so grateful for him being so accommodating as to let me bring the trash out even though it wasn't already there. Thank you for employing people who care and who know that sometimes you just forget that it's trash day!!"

For Ken's conscientious service, Borden Waste-Away treated him and his family to dinner out!

Borden Waste-Away and its Customers Donate Check For Cancer Research For Sixth Straight Year.

Matching Customers’ Donations Dollar for Dollar, Borden Waste-Away Service, Inc. Donates Entire Amount to Goshen Hospital’s Cancer Research Fund.

ELKHART (July 25, 2017) --- In 2011 Elkhart-based Borden Waste-Away pioneered an exclusive program where interested customers could add $1.00 to their monthly bill as a donation for cancer research. Each year Borden matches these donations dollar for dollar and the entire amount is donated to Goshen Hospital to support forty-five active clinical trials, spanning breast, lung, colorectal, lymphoma, esophageal, head & neck, prostate, melanoma, multiple myeloma, pancreatic, and other cancers. Other programs include pre-clinical studies for early detection, cancer vaccinations and improved radiation oncology verification systems, as well as The Tissue Bank.

Are Manufacturers Required to Use Recyclable Materials or Packaging?

Some more progressive parts of the United States, particularly on the west coast, have laws mandating that they use a certain percentage of recycled materials in the production of new items.

According to wastedive.com and takepart.com, the top superstar recycling cities in the US are:

• San Francisco, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• San Jose, CA
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA