|
Recyclable Envelopes |
Recyclable products are a vital component of our life on planet earth and we have a duty to apply these priciples to all our activities, personal and business alike. It may seem a small thing to recycle an envelope, but actually nearly 450 BILLION envelopes are manufactured each year. Of course, we take them for granted and immediately throw them away. With a lttle care and by choice of purchase, we can greatly reduce the costs of careless disposal of these eminently recyclable items. A typical envelope consists of paper, glues, stampe and maybe an address window. All can be recycled except maybe the glue and the shiny transparent address window. If in doubt, we can strip out these suspect components, and just recycle the paper. This alone will make a huge difference ...
|
|
|
Of course, you might prefer to buy 100% recyclable envelopes, as it can take some time to strip out the recyclable components of standard products. There are many companies on the internet providing completely eco-friendly envelopes. Some are also bio-degradable, so you could put them on your compost heap! How is an eco-friendly envelope constructed? First of all, the paper used can be derived form paper that has already been used elsewhere, cleaned, pulped and re-formed. Sometimes, this produces a paper that is not completely white, but this is small price to pay for a clean environment.The glues used can be a source of polution and depends upon the source. Some cereal based glues degrade easily and pose no threat. Other chemical adhesives can linger in the environment and also polute nature. The plastic windows so prevalent in business type envelopes are also a source of concern, with some plastics taking hundreds of years to dissapear naturally, while a more friendly plastic will degrade naturally over some months in the right conditions. Of course, burning the wrong kind of plastic produces poisons and toxins that we really don't need in our atmosphere. Many plastics contain arsenics and other noxious materials. Modern living is becoming more and more a precarious balance between the human needs of commerce and the essential needs of our environment. This balance can easily be achieved with care, promoting a clean environment of all of us. For businesses all over the world, choosing the right envelopes and how our customers dispose of them can have a significant impact in our efforts to create a cleaner planet.
|
