“100% Recycled Material” on their packaging, knowing that the paper contains no post consumer content. “I don’t agree with it” says Neal, “but we don’t control their art departments, that’s up to them.” Neal has been a printer for over 20 years, and you’d be hard pressed to �ind an individual with more knowledge and expertise. While our packaging is currently not 100% recycled, we are working together to �ind a product that performs well enough to compete with virgin paper products. This has required us both to stretch and grow outside of our normal routines. “Thinking outside the box guides our initiatives in areas such as business development, product innovation and equipment investment”, Neal continued. “It is mission critical that we are nimble in evolving our offering to meet the emerging needs of our customers” Recently, the global waste game has taken a sharp turn as China put a ban on waste imports. While more paper and plastic ending up in land�ills is not desirable, industry of�icials said it could ultimately drive the U.S. to process more of its own recycling. Neal and Jera are already ahead of the game. Their on-site facility captures 100% of all waste paper through a system that can only be described as a thing of beauty. The beloved North Star employee known as “Uncle Leon”, would tell you a charming tale of how it was dreamt of and collected piece by piece until the mechanism was a perfectly primed recycling machine. Whether you’re charmed by his hunting tales, trying to �ind the perfect parts, or simply in awe of the �inal engineering masterpiece, anyone who sees it in action would be in awe of the machination of this recycler.
The US demand for recycled products is far lower than the supply. “We need to take an active role in creating more demand for the materials our members are processing,” said David Biderman, executive director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America. In the United States alone, about 258 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) were generated. Over 89 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted. In addition over 33 million tons of MSW were combusted with energy recovery and 136 million tons were land�illed. 136 million tons this means that we, the people, will need to take a more active role in how we consume. We can also choose companies that are working to improve the �low of post consumer products. In addition, the Solid Waste Association of North America has created a recycling task force to assist companies worried about the future of their recycling programs. While we may not be able to print “100% Recycled” on our packaging just yet, we are forging relationships and taking steps to ensure that we are doing more to preserve the planet we love for the next generation. Our customers have our commitment that throughout this process, we will be honest, and with a little help, we’ll get there.
Every scrap is collected at the end of each machine and automatically swooped through pipes up and around the warehouse ceiling, twisting, turning until arriving at the recycler outside. The recycler itself has been customized by years of design changes, trial and error, and a Davincian knack for invention. The scraps pass through the machine and come out the other side as the most neatly bundled bail you’ve ever seen, ready to take to the recycling plant. But therein lies the problem. Where does it go from here? LEFT: North Star Printing Spanish Fork, Utah. ABOVE: Neal and Jera Foster. PHOTO: Ruthie Kohrman
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