Enviro-Log Expands Waxed Cardboard Collection

Enviro-Log, based in Atlanta, is expanding its recycling program to enable more retailers to recycle their waxed old corrugated containers (OCC).

The company says that to date it has worked with more than 100 retailers and recycling partners throughout North America and diverted more than 75,000 tons of waxed cardboard.

Enviro-Log uses 100 percent recycled waxed cardboard, originally employed for the transport of produce to grocery stores and restaurants, to manufacture its fireplace logs.

The company refers to its product as “the greenest and most versatile fire logs on the market” because it “saves thousands of trees from use as firewood and millions of pounds of waxed cardboard from going into landfills every year.”

In related news, the company has rolled out a new product, Firestarters, designed as an alternative for kindling, petroleum-based starter blocks, lighter fluids and ethanol-based gels. Firestarters are made from 100-percent recycled-content eco-friendly wax, the company says.

According to Sam Miller, Enviro-Log’s vice president of recycling, approximately 1.5 million used waxed boxes are sent to landfills each day, amounting to approximately 600,000 tons annually. “Clearly retailers can make a huge environmental impact by participating in our recycling program,” Miller says.

“Retailers are seeing their trash diverted down more than they ever thought it would be,” adds Miller, who says 2011 proved to be a good year for Enviro-Log. “We set a record in 2011 for the number of logs shipped, and we’re looking for a better year yet in 2012.”

Miller says Enviro-Log works directly with retailers, recyclers and haulers who provide recycling and solid waste services to grocers and other waxed OCC generators. Those interested in collecting and shipping material to Enviro-Log can reach Miller at sales@enviro-log.net.

Through its partnerships, waxed OCC is routed to Enviro-Log’s manufacturing facility in Fitzgerald, Ga. In some cases, the 100-percent recycled-content product is sold by the same retailers who supply waxed OCC. The company says its closed-loop experience makes for a fast and easy program that allows retail partners to see immediate financial benefits.

“Our recycling program offers a win-win for retailers,” says Ross McRoy, president of Enviro-Log. “Not only are we helping retailers significantly reduce their waste removal costs and improve their environmental impact, Enviro-Log provides value-added services to help retailers improve their sustainability and reach their carbon footprint goals.”

Enviro-Log bills itself as the largest waxed cardboard recycler in North America and the third-largest producer of manufactured fireplace logs in the U.S. Enviro-Log products are sold by a number of U.S. retailers including Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s, True Value, Rite Aid, Sears, Whole Foods, Walmart, Dollar General, Stop & Shop and Winn-Dixie. In Canada, Enviro-Log products are also available at Lowe’s, Walmart, and Canadian Tire locations.