Organizers of a state program that seeks to keep business waste out of landfills say they’ve had another successful year. David Cretors oversees the Iowa Waste Exchange, which he says seeks uses for the materials. He says anything that Iowa businesses produce such as byproducts from paper, cardboard or wood pallets are recycled into paper or mulch. Cretors says not all the things they work with are waste materials. He says they had some brand new motorcycle engines that were factory over-runs and they were sent to college and high school shop classes as an educational tool. He says the Iowa Waste Exchange diverted over 71-thousand tons of material from the trash heap — and saved businesses two-and-a-half million dollars in disposal costs. He says businesses seem to turn to the exchange on cyclical basis. When times are tough, he says they seek out the exchange to try and save some money. He says many businesses are always looking for ways to manage waste materials and be good environmental stewards. Cretors says they worked with 25-hundred businesses in the fiscal year that ended in June.He says they’re constantly looking for new businesses and new ways to reuse or recycle business waste. The Iowa Department of Economic Development’s Recycle Iowa Office partners with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Waste Reduction Center and participating host sites to support the program. For more information, surf to www.recycleiowa.org.
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