I recently attended the Recycled Products Trade show in Sacramento. Since the passage of AB939 in the early 1990s, Californians have been diverting waste by recycling more and more. All this material must go somewhere and be made into something and that is one of the toughest tasks to accomplish. Making new aluminum cans from recycled aluminum is simple as is making new steel cans or glass bottles. However, other materials such as plastic, rubber and building materials are rarely recycled into new products.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board had half a dozen booths touting all their recycling programs including one with an array of recycled products made by smaller companies. They have the definitive web site: www.ciwmb.ca.gov. Check It out; it is really worth the time. The California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling also has a recycled products page listed as www.bottlesandcans.com. The American Plastic Council lists many sources at www.plasticsresource.com (800 243-5790).

I’ll list a few of my favorite discoveries here and put a new Buy Recycled list on our website. For those of you who do not surf the web, we can mail you a copy.

Used tires are a big issue in California. More companies are finding creative ways to recycle them. One of the companies I’d like the city of Vallejo to investigate is Rubber Sidewalks (310 515-5814). Their module sidewalks are easy to install and remain flexible around trees. CALTRANS has resurfaced some highways with rubberized asphalt (www.rubberizedasphalt.org, 800 373-1113) which is thinner and more durable than conventional surfaces.

There are companies shredding old tires (www.groundscape.com, 877 922-7529) or capturing the shavings from the re-treading processing (www.RainbowTurfProducts.com, 909 987-5554) to make loose mulch for playground surfaces and landscaping.

Companies that make molded playground surfaces include www.deltaflexinc.com (909 340-4700) and www.emcmolding.com (909 383-7049).

One commercial carpet company (www.interfaceinc.com, 800 336-0225) caught my eye with its interlocking carpet squares. Damaged squares in high traffic areas are easy to replace and can be recycled back to the seller.

C & D (Construction and Demolition) Recycling is slowly coming into play. No Spark Bark is a fire resistant ground cover made from old roofs (www.roofgone.com, 541 741-8333). A Burlingame company is recycling old ceiling tiles ( www.armstrong.com, 650 685-1654).

Sacramento Habitat for Humanity, (www.shfh.org, 916 440-1215) has a ReStore which accepts donations of unused building materials. They occasionally have parking lot sales that are open to the public.

Several companies sell recycled paint which is also available to the public at the recycling yard next to our transfer station on Devlin Road.

Alameda County Waste Management (www.stopwaste.org, 510 614-1699) travels with their Resource-Full Showcase trailer that is filled with samples of building materials including recycled flooring, ceiling tiles, countertops, and roofing.

Biodegradable plates/cutlery are finally back on the market. Check out www.simplybiodegradable.com (866 782-2371) or www.greenearthofficesupply.com (800 327-8449).

While the big computer companies have yet to come forward with recycling plans for their products, there are companies that are tackling ink and toner cartridges. Most of these companies are taking them back for remanufacture and offering money to schools and nonprofits in the process. Check out www.lexmark.com (800 LEXMARK) or www.recycle4cash.com (818 700 6899).

COMPOSTING CLASS
Vallejo’s first composting class of the season will be held at VALCORE on Saturday, May 17 from 10am to Noon. Two BioStack bins will be given away and each participant will receive a composting book.

Earth Day and E-WASTE Recycling
A big round of applause for all who participated at our Earth Day celebration on April 26 and Kudos to all of you who recycled over 64 tons of Electronic Waste.