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Recycling: an Easy Way to Save Money, Create Jobs, and Help the Environment
Catholic Care for Creation Committee of Buffalo Aug 10, 2012
The City has to pay to dispose of its garbage, but it gets paid a rebate for its recyclables. For this reason, the City saves about $150,000 for every 3,500 tons of waste recycled, and every one percent increase in the recycling rate saves the City between $70,000 and $100,000. That means that every time you recycle something instead of throwing it away, you’re helping to keep taxes and fees lower.
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Recycling by Businesses Creates Jobs, Saves Energy, Reduces Pollution, and…it’s the law!
Timothy Moriarty Apr 1, 2012
In accordance with state law, the City of Buffalo requires all businesses to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and some metal. Violations are punishable by a fine between $25 and $250, and/or imprisonment for 15 days or community service. Many local businesses may not be aware of this law, and they may not be recycling at all, or they may be recycling only some of their recyclable materials. It’s time to spread the word about recycling, not just because …
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Recycling by Multi-Family Residences Creates Jobs, Saves Energy, Reduces Pollution, and…it's the law!
Timothy Moriarty Apr 1, 2012
Since 1996, in accordance with state law, the City of Buffalo has required all multi-family residences to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal. Each complex must provide and maintain a recycling collection area, and occupants must then put their recyclables in the appropriate receptacles Violations are punishable by a fine between $25 and $250, and/or imprisonment for 15 days or community service. Many property owners and managers may not be aware of this law, and …
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Reducing Disposable Bag Use
Rick Ahrens — Oct 30, 2011
Plastic shopping bags were introduced to the consumer market about 25 years ago. Since then, they’ve become-literally-a ubiquitous part of the American landscape. Every year, between 500 billion and one trillion disposable plastic shopping bags are consumed worldwide. In the United States, 100 billion plastic bags are used each year, costing retailers $4 billion, which is passed on to the consumer in the price of goods.
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The Potential of Deconstruction in Buffalo, New York
Erik Faleski — Apr 1, 2007
Building deconstruction is not a novel idea but represents an ancient practice reinvented for our modern era. Deconstruction is an environmentally friendly (yet fiscally remunerative) alternative to traditional building demolition. Deconstruction is: [t]he process of carefully dismantling a building in order to salvage components for reuse and recycling. Typically, a small team of skilled and licensed professionals disassemble the structure, setting aside the valuable …
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Don't Pay for your Neighbors' Garbage
Ryan Haggerty — Jan 1, 2007
The opportunities and benefits of recycling are under used in the City of Buffalo. The city currently achieves a meager 7% diversion rate. The rest of Erie County achieves a 42% diversion rate. Clearly, a great deal of recyclable content is included in city household garbage. Buffalo pays about $42 per ton of garbage it “tips” and it receives about $10 per ton of recyclable content it redeems. Every ton of waste that households can divert from garbage …
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Integrating Deconstruction and Recycling Into the Demolition Process in Buffalo, NY
Tara Stahl — Jan 1, 2007
Buffalo’s Comprehensive Plan currently calls for the demolition of 10,000 buildings over a period of ten years. While demolition contractors may recycle a small percentage of the waste created from demolitions, the process generates a great deal of waste that ends up in landfills. Many of the materials that are thrown away after a building is demolished are either reusable or recyclable. In order to lessen the negative environmental impact of building demolition, Buffalo …
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Residential Deconstruction in Buffalo: A Viable Alternative to Demolition
Sean Cooney — Jan 1, 2007
The problem of vacancy and abandonment manifests itself in many different ways. Whether it is crime, decreasing property values, loss of tax revenue, neighborhood eyesores, or removing the condemned structures, the City of Buffalo is facing a monumental challenge both in resources and policy. The deconstruction of abandoned homes offers opportunities for cost savings, environmental benefits, and economic development. An alternative to demolition, deconstruction is the …