TheCleaners.net

Recycling is something that's part of our culture.  If you were born after 1960, it's pretty much in your blood.  We bundle newspapers, rinse and collect jars and bottles, crush aluminum cans, and sort our trash six ways from Sunday.  But have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "Where does this stuff go, anyway?"  If you have, you're not alone.

This week, in honor of April 22 and Earth Day, we're taking a closer look at what is actually done with all that stuff.  You'll be amazed (and perhaps amused) by some of the uses.  We've got some great links to direct you to sites with recycling instructions and where you can buy any of the pictured items made from recycled materials. 

We'll also share with you what we as a company -- and the drycleaning industry as a whole -- are doing to be sure we're as environmentally careful as possible.

Happy Earth Day -- see you soon!

Jim Nixon
The Cleaners

Just as most grocery stores accept and recycle shopping bags, many drycleaners accept hangers from customers. We participate in IFI's "Caring for the Future Now" program which is designed  to help members make a difference in their communities by offering recycling services. Show that  you care for our community and the environment by helping us help you.

HALF-PRICE COUPON
We will dryclean all garments for 1/2 of our regular price....No Limit
Does not apply to Shirt Laundry or Suede & Leather.
  You MUST bring in the coupon with your initial order - not when you pick it up.
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Expires April 24, 2004

How can I reuse thee? 
Let me count the ways!

Admit it, you've had the occasional thought as you sorted through yet another pile of trash and put some of it in the recycling bin for pick-up that this is probably just all going to the landfill.  You're wrong, though.  Your recyclable trash (and mine, and that of a whole lot of other people, of course) turn into the most amazing things.  Here are a dozen.

1. Recycled Plastic Lumber -- that's right, they take plastic and extrude it as super-durable "lumber".  See photo 1 above and look at the deck.  No problem with weathering there!
2. Recycled Yellow Pages -- Pay attention to the instructions on how to recycle your Yellow Pages each year.  They're processed and blended with plastics, and turned into promotional items like those in photo 2, retaining their characteristic color.
3. Lazy Boy Flip Flopps by Splaff -- (photo 3) Straps are made from old bike inner tubes, bottoms are reworked tire rubber, hemp fabric insole is also recycled material.
4. Windchimes made from recycled glass -- a sweet tinkly sound, even the second time around (photo 4).
5. Pencils made from recycled money! (photo 5) -- You thought they burned it all?  Nope.  Now they make it into things like piggy banks, pencils, and other items.  Same for blue jeans and newspapers.
6. Recycled Armoire -- (photo 6) Preserving the world's forests by using reclaimed timber -- from demolished barns, warehouses, houses.  Sometimes better wood than today, since it's from old-growth forests of yester-year.
7. Ring-a-ling!  Baskets, bowls and more made out of recycled telephone wires (which come in many colors).  Photo 7.
8. From pop bottles to playground equipment (photo 8).  This sturdy plastic is ideal for outdoor use and takes a beating.
9. Recycled chop sticks! (photo 9)  Yes, somebody gathers up old chop sticks and uses them to create home decor items like those in this photo.
10. Corrugated Art -- This backgammon board (photo 10) is made from recycled cardboard, but it's not cheap.  Each board is hand crafted and unique.  Even the frame and glass are recycled.  Playing pieces are Sacajawea and Susan B. Anthony dollars (an interesting twist on recycling) since they are gold and silver.  Priced at $300 each, this product shows recycling does pay.
11. Engravable wooden pens, mechanical pencils and letter openers -- made from recycled bowling pins, alleys, driftwood, pool cues and other hard woods from dumps. (photo 11)
12. Trash containers -- how appropriate, trash turns around and collects more trash. (photo 12)

You can help the environment by recycling everything possible -- and by purchasing recycled goods, thereby encouraging development of this vital industry that puts all that recycled stuff back into use again.

What We're Doing

The drycleaning industry has been actively recycling and working for environmental improvement since long before the first Earth Day was declared.  Getting your clothes clean is important to us, but not at the expense of the world we all live in.  We live here too; we have families; we live in your community; we breathe the same air and drink the same water.  We're as concerned as you are.

That's why...

• Our equipment recycles the drycleaning solvent that is used to clean your garments.  We distill out impurities and recover the clear, clean solvent for reuse over and over again.  In fact, drycleaning machines have improved in this area by over 90% efficiency in the past few decades!
• Our industry is studying and experimenting with many different technologies that will continue to make cleaning your clothes more environmentally friendly all the time.
• We recycle anything we can -- hangers, used polyethylene garment bags, even clothes.  Some people never return to pick up their clothes, and we contact organizations that can redistribute them to needy people.

We're proud to do our part, and we thank you
for all you are doing, too.