Case Studies

Green Building, Windows to Counter Tops Closing the loop on glass others deemed unrecyclable This major oil company takes great pride in their sparkling, LEED Certified 50-story building. When Hurricane Ike blasted through Houston’s skyline, thousands of windows were damaged. The company asked their suppliers to find an alternative to landfill for the 180,000 lbs of glass. Time and again, they were told it was "not recyclable” because of the heavy film and special trim. They were introduced to RecycleMatch and figured it couldn’t hurt to try. We matched them up with a company that would crush the glass and upcycle it into counter tops and other green building materials.

Returned Merchandise, A Sure Fit for Textile Recycling

Closing the loop on post-consumer return items

Sure Fit has built a massive business selling everything from sofa slip covers to doggie car-seats that really fit. As with any consumer product, damaged or returned goods made their way back to their warehouses, adding up to hundreds of lbs of textile waste each month. They certainly didn’t want to pay to put them into the landfill and posted the materials on RecycleMatch to find a better solution. RecycleMatch connected them with a company that could recycle the material – cleaning it and turning it into material that looks like virgin cotton fiber. Now that recycled cotton and polyester fiber is spinning a new yarn.

Paint Roller Waste Turns Into Automotive Seats

Polyester scraps are more than just fluff

You may not know the name Rock Valley Textiles. But, chances are, if you’ve painted your home you’ve handled their products. This Wisconsin paint-roller manufacturer needed a better solution for 40 bales per month of post-industrial polyester scrap. At 600 lbs per bale, they had a large volume but not all end users were interested since it was multi-colored and contained PVA coating. RecycleMatch connected them with a company with a great reputation who could reprocess the material, using it as shoddy and agglomerated plastic that would ultimately go into products like car seat cushions.

Reducing Waste While Manufacturing Fun

Reduce, reuse, recycle just got easier for this manufacturer

Polystrand manufactures continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials using E, S, carbon and aramid fibers impregnated with polypropylene, polyethylene, co-polymer, recycled polypropylene and PET. Otherwise known as a key ingredient in cool stuff like snowboards and performance yachts. Their process has no VOCs and few waste byproducts. But they still end up with foam sheets used to protect the raw materials they receive. They knew there was still value in the discarded packaging. And that the outdoorsmen who ultimately use the sporting equipment and other items made from their product would appreciate the reduced emissions. RecycleMatch found several businesses to reuse the packing material instead of buying it new. Everyone saved and Polystrand doesn’t have to cringe every time the truck comes by collecting for the landfill.

Upcycling is Cool

Everything old is new again in the world of eco-fashion

Icebox Knitting is all about upcycling. They take thousands of old sweaters and suit jackets and turn them into fun, innovative, funky art that you can wear. As a company that uses others’ waste as a resource, they wanted to pay it forward by finding an end use for all of the wool scraps that wound up on the cutting room floor. Icebox posted 1,000 lbs / month of scraps on RecycleMatch, and were matched up within a week with a company that would take the materials and sell them as part of knitting starter-kits. Now, that’s a closed-loop that’s close-knit.

Protection for Brands is a Matter of Scale

These upcycled bags really pull their weight

Advertisers change the images on road side billboards monthly. But, what happens to the 80 lbs of vinyl per billboard when the promotional message is out of date? Innovative designers at AdVinylize now use the heavy vinyl to make reusable shopping bags and event bags. The giant advertising images get cut into such small pieces, that logos and brand ID are unrecognizable. But the value is recognized by everyone. Instead of paying to put the materials in landfills, now outdoor companies and advertisers can sell this heavy duty material to make the reusable bags.

Auto Parts Unleash $1.48 Million in Value

Never listen to “not recyclable”

A large auto-parts manufacturer, who wishes to remain confidential, was sending 75 tons per month of unusable weather stripping to a landfill. They had been told countless times it was “not recyclable”. After posting it on RecycleMatch, a small US company requested samples, did some R&D, determined he could retool his equipment to separate the metals from the rubbers and plastics, and even lined up financing to be able to make those changes. The results? An estimated $1.48 million in value was discovered that otherwise would be buried in a landfill.