Plastic Container Blog

Plastic bins along with most other packaging materials are being affected by the increase in oil prices.  Click here to read more about this.

High oil prices are driving up costs of not only gasoline and everything shipped by truck, but also the plastic bins and cardboard boxes that hold much of what you buy.
Petroleum is an ingredient in the display bins made by TRB Plastics of Lancaster. 
Consumers may not notice the rising costs of store displays and packaging materials because they don’t directly pay for them, but companies say they have risen dramatically.

TRB Plastics, a Lancaster manufacturer of such products as plastic bins for candy and pastries, and display racks for brochures, clothing and shoes, is one of the companies struggling with the problem.

TRB, a division of Merchandising Solutions Inc., has had to raise its prices, but its profits are still down.

Coping with the smaller profits can be painful, but raising prices too quickly can cause demand to slow.
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“We have to absorb some of the increase,” TRB President Tom Burns said.

Order sizes had dropped as the cost of raw materials and shipping increased, he said, but they have picked up again as companies made a “mental adjustment” to higher costs.

TRB isn’t alone.

Intertape Polymer Group, a Montreal-based manufacturer of paper and plastic packaging, announced 6 percent and 5 percent increases in masking and duct tape prices in July. It cited rising costs for plastic, paper and petroleum-based resin.
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Intertape’s products include industrial electrical tape and plastic bags filled with air used in protecting boxed products, among other packaging materials.

Oil prices, which hit a record high of $147.27 on the New York Mercantile Exchange July 11 — about 93 percent higher than the price in mid-July 2007 of $76.40 — are the main culprit.

“It’s getting a little rougher out here,” said Dave Husser, a Manheim resident and industrial consultant for Georgia-based Unisource.

Unisource makes a variety of packaging products, from pallets and corrugated boxes to label printers and shrink wrap.

The company sells tape, corner board and stretch film to Intelligencer Printing Co., 330 Eden Road, as well as paper and packaging materials to Acorn Press, 500 E. Oregon Road.

Husser said packaging prices are likely to rise further because of increasing energy and transportation costs and a growing demand in China for boxes.

How much prices will rise will likely vary from mill to mill, he said. Prices usually shift most in September and January, as demand rises in the lead-up to the holiday season and then subsides.

Linerboard manufacturers announced a $55 price increase, to $605 per ton, earlier this month. Linerboard is used to make corrugated cardboard, and the increase would translate to an increase of about 11 percent to 14 percent in the price of finished boxes, beginning this month.

The Fibre Box Association, the corrugated cardboard trade association, said that box shipments dipped 3.5 percent in June, slightly more than the average decline for the year.

Husser said Unisource hadn’t seen a slowdown, but he expected one in the fall.

“They’re really busy right now because everyone’s trying to avoid price increases,” he said. “After a while, you just don’t buy any more.”

Part of that may be due to companies’ attempts to economize.

“The Wal-Marts of the world have kind of made it an edict to try to reduce their packaging costs,” Husser said.

Companies are watching their “carbon trails,” he said. Some nut producers are using plastic bags instead of jars or bottles. More bags than bottles can fit into a delivery truck, reducing fuel costs.

Some companies are also using lighter packaging materials, substituting cardboard for wood so trucks can carry more product, he said.

For companies that produce plastics, however, reducing petroleum consumption isn’t an option because it’s the main ingredient of the product itself.

“We always try to get the best yield out of the materials,” Burns said. “We haven’t been able to cut back on raw materials.”

Some petroleum-based packaging, such as plastic seals on bottles, is being replaced by natural starches.

In addition to being cheaper than petroleum, natural starches biodegrade, making them more environmentally friendly. The problem is that they aren’t as durable as petroleum products.

“Most of the ones that are naturally based material are still in the developing phase,” Burns said.

He added that because most natural plastics are being developed in pellet form, they won’t help his business much. TRB uses sheets of plastic.

The company uses some recycled material, but not for display products.

“If it’s a utility material, that’s one thing,” Burns said.

Recycled plastic doesn’t have the same clarity as new material, he said, so TRB uses it only for opaque products.

Husser said consumers should brace themselves for sticker shock, in spite of companies’ efforts to cut costs.

“Everything that we buy today is going up in price,” he said.

Your company can streamline their process by using plastic bins and other related systems from Servolift.  You can read more about this here.

Servolift LLCEnhance quality control and streamline your process with Servolfit bins and related systems. Servolift offers total flexibility by employing both round and square geometries. Servolift offers a whole host of configurations to suit every product and process such as: blending baffles, removable bin frames, casters, purge ports, and high containment valves and systems.

Pre-configured bin shelving and bin cabinets help comapnies save time.  Read more about this here.

LYNN, MA — 06/17/08 — Warehouses and companies can now save time and effort with pre-configured bin shelving and bin cabinets from A Plus Warehouse, a leading national material handling dealer.

A Plus Warehouse sells tip-out bins in strips ranging from one bin up to ten bins per strip. These plastic bins can be as small as two inches and as big as over ten inches. Plastic bin systems from A Plus Warehouse are pre-configured for ease in ordering and to eliminate the worry of ordering the correct amount of nuts and bolts, the optimum amount of strips and strip mounting hardware.

“Bin cabinets are just what you need if you are storing many small or medium size parts and want a bit more organization or security,” said Ed Stairman, president of A Plus Warehouse. “Ordering the proper amount of shelf bins to maximize storage space on shelving can be confusing however, so we started offering our systems pre-designed. Order our bin shelving systems and you won’t worry about having too few bins.”

Many companies dealing with large quantities of small and medium sized objects also turn to A Plus Warehouse for tilt trucks, which allow the user to collect and move large quantities of materials.

“When you have bulk product that needs to be transported then dumped, tilt trucks are your best choice,” said Stairman. “These eliminate the lifting, carrying and hand emptying of buckets or barrels, and just save you a lot of overall time and effort.”

A Plus Warehouse is a national dealer of material handling equipment including bin cabinets, tilt trucks, work benches, metal cabinets, industrial conveyors, plastic bins of all types, strip doors, loading dock equipment, anti fatigue matting, packaging supplies and platform trucks. For more information on ordering, call 800-209-8798 or visit www.apluswhs.com.

About A Plus Warehouse:

A Plus Warehouse is an online business-to-business distributor of quality industrial equipment including storage lockers, industrial cabinets, safety storage cabinets, matting, warehouse racks, conveyors, work benches, steel shelving, and dock equipment. With an extensive selection of brand name manufacturers, hard-to-find products and exclusive offerings, A Plus Warehouse has everything a business needs to maintain a high level of efficiency and productivity at one convenient online destination.

One possible option that is being discussed to get the business community started in the recycling program is to offer
“toters,” or large plastic bins, to the businesses.  Read more about other options being discussed here.

Recycling coming soon to a business near you
By Rob Barry/rbarry@cnc.com
Tue Jun 10, 2008, 04:42 PM EDT
Medford -
While most residents are used to the idea of recycling, the business community is far behind — through not fault of its own. But that’s about to change.

A public hearing was held last Wednesday by the Trash and Recycling Commission to discuss possible changes in the way the city approaches commercial trash and recycling pickup.

 “Most of the audience seemed to be from Medford Square,” said commission Chairman Tom Lincoln, of the June 4 meeting. “Many put this in the context of revitalization. With good recycling and good trash management, it helps spiff things up.”

As there is no commercial recycling program in Medford, businesses must physically bring their recyclables to the Department of Public Works yard to keep the green spirit. Many don’t.

The Medford Chamber of Commerce is behind the effort to bring commercial recycling to the city. Dr. Reza Pourshadi, the chamber’s representative on the commission, said it is a matter of interest to many businesses.

“I get a sense that the business community is very much for it,” said Pourshadi. “I think the businesses will be positively impacted because right now businesses do not participate in recycling at all.”

The commission’s recommendation will most likely be that recycling is free. What could change is the method through which pickup occurs. At present, different areas of the city have trash pickup with varying degrees of frequency.

“One idea is to give everybody twice a week pickup,” said Lincoln, “and within that, once a week would be for recycling.”

Another possible option being discussed is to issue “toters,” or large plastic bins, to businesses — one for trash and one for recyclables. This could help prevent those unsightly piles of trash in the business areas that regularly announce trash day to pedestrians.

“One of the big themes of the evening was preventing the trash from blowing around,” said Lincoln. “One of the potential advantages of the toters were that things are kept nice and neat.”

Paying for the additional efforts is another matter of concern. No recommendation is set at the moment, but there are a number of possibilities. There could be a “pay as you throw” program instituted that would create a fee for trash disposal. This fee could be based on weight, bags, or the number of toters issued.

A fee on trash disposal, of course, would be meant to place an incentive on recycling.

“There’s going to be some give and take,” said Pourshadi. “Medford is one of the only cities that does not charge for trash or recycling pickup.”

Pourshadi said the commission has looked into how a number of other cities and towns approach trash and recycling collection. Pourshadi said Boston has a 40 percent recycling rate, Stoneham is at 35 percent and Arlington is around 30 percent. Medford, on the other hand, only has an 11.3 percent recycling rate.

Cheryl White, the chamber’s executive director, said bringing business recycling to the city is a good idea. But she is uncertain how suddenly being charged for trash pickup will sit with business owners.

“I think business recycling is going to be evident,” said White. “Naturally, the chamber is concerned that we don’t want to see our businesses begin to be charged for trash pickup now when the economy is so poor and many of our businesses are struggling to hang on.”

The commission is expected to have its recommendations for both the commercial and residential sides by early next month.

“I just hope that everybody gets on board and realizes the importance of recycling in our society,” said Pourshadi. “This is something we have not dealt with for a long time in Medford. When you look at the cities and towns around us, we are far behind.”

Rubbermaid offers many different sizes and options of plastic totes and bins.  You can read more about this here.

Why Closet Storage Systems Make Organization Easier

By Meryl Shana

Are you thinking about converting a spare closet for extra storage? You should be aware of all the options you have for installing storage closet systems. You can choose from thousands of different plastic bins, shelves, and boxes.

You’ll first need to decide what’s most important to you: Form, function, or a combination of the two. If it doesn’t matter how coordinated everything is in your storage area, you’ll have more options available to you. Canvas toes, rolling bins, and plastic tubs are just some examples.

Rubbermaid makes an amazing selection of plastic totes and bins that you can use in your closet storage. They range in size from small food storage containers, which are also great for hardware and craft supplies, to giant totes that are large enough for your biggest storage needs, like holiday decorations and patio furniture cushions.

Place the very largest bins on the floor, underneath wall mounted shelving, and fill the shelves themselves with an array of different sized bins.

Labeling is one of the keys to good closet storage systems. You should clearly label each tote, bin, and tub so that you’ll always know what’s inside.

It’s best to keep all similar items in one place, so that way you can tell what’s in any box just at a glance. You can use a label maker to make the process easier, and you can always peel off the labels and switch them out later if you need to.

Another option is to label the storage bin with a permanent marker, or you can tape a piece of paper to the side or front of the bin that describes the contents.

Clear or translucent professional organizer bins are a great choice, since you don’t have to create quite so detailed labels for them. You can see the contents at a glance, which means you can be even more organized and save yourself some time.

Rubbermaid has a great selection of these that you can use in your closet storage systems, too. Keep in mind that you can also get specialty storage for your closet, too, for gift wrap, craft items, and other hobby supplies and item.

Xterprise Incorporated announces its RFID-enabled asset management application which optimizes the use of Reusable Transport Items (RTIs) in various supply chain environments.
You can read the article in entirety here.

Xterprise Announces Clarity RTI(TM), an RFID-Enabled Reusable Transport Item (RTI) Application, Now Available for the European Market

Clarity RTI(TM) Application Optimises the Use of Totes, Pallets, Bins, Bulk Containers, Roll Cages and Similar RTIs in the SupplyChainLONDON–(Marketwire - March 10, 2008) - Xterprise Incorporated, theleading global supplier of applications for the High DefinitionEnterprise(TM) and a Gold-Certified Microsoft(TM) ISV partner,announced today the release in the European market of itsRFID-enabled asset management application which optimises the use ofReusable Transport Items (RTIs) in various supply chain environments.Reusable transport items play a critical role in many environments tohelp ensure the timely, continuous flow of materials and products toproduction lines, distribution and ultimately customers. Xterpriseand third-party research indicates that more than 50 million RTIs arelost, damaged or otherwise removed from service each year at anestimated cost, globally, of close to $1 billion — a significantportion of which are in Europe. Without proper visibility andmanagement of these valuable assets, stockpiling occurs atartificially high levels at critical choke points, resulting inunnecessary replenishment to meet demand.Xterprise has purposely built the Clarity RTI(TM) application toaddress the unique uses and resulting challenges of managing RTIs asthey move between stakeholders in closed-loop environments typicallyfound in retail, 3pl, and manufacturing organisations. Theapplication provides highly granular visibility and control of RTIassets across all stakeholders, matching supply to demand whilecontinuously measuring fleet performance. Typical customer benefitsinclude higher RTI asset utilization, lower acquisition costs, andgreater transaction accuracy.”The cost of RTIs to shippers, manufacturers and retailers has beenrising in step with the global demand and prices of commodities; assuch, organisations can no longer ignore the bottom-line implicationsof not having these assets at the right location in the correctquantities when needed. Surprisingly, these assets are typicallymanaged with spreadsheets or paper-based systems,” said MikeLetchford, general manager Xterprise Europe. “Without anRFID-enabled, high fidelity application like Clarity RTI(TM), keepingtrack and managing large volumes of RTIs across a constantly movingsupply chain can be next to impossible.”Xterprise has established a pedigree of excellence with ClarityRTI(TM) delivering value in many of the largest and most challengingRTI environments worldwide:– Managing millions of assets and millions of transactions each month for the leading plastic pallet-pooling organisation in North America. The scale of this deployment is second only to the US Department of Defense in terms of assets under management;– Optimisation of high cost RTIs used in production in a large Japanese automaker’s assembly facility;– Actively tracking the exposure of RTIs to ambient environmental variables to ensure safe shipment and integrity of reagents used in pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as liquids used in semiconductor manufacturing;– Automating the complex flow of inbound raw materials contained in RTIs into a lean manufacturing for a leading automotive electronics supplier.The Clarity RTI(TM) application from Xterprise is built on theMicrosoft BizTalk R2 platform featuring a robust RFID framework. Thisensures maximum flexibility, scalability, and interoperability at thelowest possible total cost of ownership.ABOUT XTERPRISEXterprise Incorporated was founded in 2002 as a provider of RFID(Radio Frequency Identification) applications. Today our solutionscombine Microsoft platform technology, continuous improvement andlean supply chain expertise, enterprise supply chain systemsintegration along with RFID technology to deliver previouslyunachievable levels of visibility, assurance, accuracy, processimprovement and value to clients. The growing customer list ofXterprise customers includes Alcon, Allergan, Chicken of the Sea,Corning, Cytech, Dairy Fresh, Dial, Eureaka, ExxonMobil, GeneralMills, Georgia Pacific, Kraft, iGPS, Intel, L’Oreal, Nokia, Samsung,Schoeller Arca Systems, ShopVac, Siemens VDO, The Libman Company, TheUS Department of Veterans Affairs, TIMCO Aviation Services, TNTExpress, Toyota, Wells Fargo and many others. The Xterprise Europeanoffice is located in Beverley, UK, with its global headquarters inCarrollton, Texas, USA (Dallas/Fort Worth). To learn more call +44(0) 1482 881979, email infoEU@xterprise.com or visitwww.xterprise.com.Brand names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respectiveownersCONTACTS:Mike Letchford (European Contact)General ManagerXterprise Europemletchford@xterprise.com+44 (0) 1482 881979Jim CaudillSenior Vice President of Marketing and StrategyXterprise Incorporatedjcaudill@xterprise.com+1 972-690-9460Howard LaMunionPublic Relations for Xterpriselamunion@consulttus.com+1 214-601-0977

Apparently many people like the plastic containers and plastic pallets that the U.S. Postal Service uses because loads are turning up missing.  You can read more about this here.

Post office’s plastic gear lost to offices, recyclers
BY BILL W. HORNADAY

Posted on Sunday, April 27, 2008

For years, the U. S. Postal Service has waged a costly and losing battle to round up millions of plastic tubs that end up as office organizers, dorm room ottomans or perhaps a porchside planter.

Now it faces a bigger dilemma. Millions of plastic shipping pallets, which are more than five times as expensive as tubs, are unaccounted for as well.

Despite postal markings on each side, these orange and black platforms are often seen bearing other carriers’ cargo. Many sit idle on loading docks. A few end up in oddball places. Others are illegally shredded for recycling — an activity that postal officials and other industries say is on the rise.

“We would like them back,” said Jim Hardie, manager of mail transport equipment for the Postal Service. “Because ultimately, it costs us all. That’s a lot of stamps to buy to replace just one.” The Postal Service adopted plastic pallets more than 20 years ago and is the nation’s largest user. More costly than traditional wooden pallets, they are lighter, more durable and easier to store, postal officials say.

Over the past two years, Hardie has spent $ 74 million for 3. 7 million plastic pallets. That’s $ 20 a pallet and about 37 percent of the typical annual budget for buying processing and transport equipment, he said.

Yet 2006 ended with the same number of pallets in his national warehouse and distribution center inventory as at the start of the year — about 120, 000.

By the end of 2007, that inventory had shrunk, Hardie said.

Tub retrieval remains a challenge as well. Despite annual recovery drives — last year’s drive liberated about $ 1 million worth — Hardie buys 5 million to 7 million tubs a year to keep inventories around 700, 000.

Since 2006, Hardie has spent $ 33. 4 million for 8. 8 million plastic tubs. That’s about $ 3. 80 each. Exhausting $ 207. 4 million on plastic containers since 2004 — nearly two-thirds of that on pallets — may sound exorbitant. Or it could be downright minuscule given the Postal Service’s $ 75 billion-a-year business. But “if every household in America emptied their garage and every business got rid of stuff they didn’t need, I wouldn’t buy anything next year,” he said.

HIDING PLACES When tubs and pallets pile up instead of returning to the post office, they become subject to office workers’ whimsy. Neither snow, rain, heat nor gloom of night dulls their ingenuity. Nor do labels that threaten a $ 1, 000 fine and three years in prison for “theft or misuse” of postal gear.

“I don’t think it’s anything malicious that people do,” said Hardie, noting that the Postal Service gladly accepts returns. “Somehow they get hold of a [tub or pallet ] and don’t know what to do with it.” Instead, pallets have turned up at paint-ball battlefields, a roadside golf ball stand and under haystacks at a farm. Some have surfaced in South America and some European airports, though the Postal Service does not send pallets out of the country, spokesman Mark Saunders said.

“One of our employees was on vacation in St. Maarten and brought back a picture of one that literally washed up on the beach,” Hardie said.

Perhaps the most brazen incident involved a pharmacy across from Postal Service headquarters in Washington. An employee on lunch break noticed a postal pallet loaded with water bottles and summoned the manager.

“He said, ‘ Hey, that’s not supposed to be used for anything but mail, ’” Hardie said. “Then he picked it up and brought it back to the office.” But when a pallet turned up in a primate exhibit at a Midwest zoo, Hardie said, “I gave them that one. I wasn’t going to go in and get it.” Officials at the Milwaukee County Zoo said several orange and black pallets are used in its primate exhibits, but were donated and lack postal markings.

Tubs have become bookcases, footrests, TV stands and toolboxes. More eclectic uses have included drums or donation bins for street musicians, ballot sorting in elections and a numbers box in a cruise-ship bingo match.

In 2002, an Indiana man was reportedly arrested for growing marijuana in mail tubs.

“The strangest use I’ve seen is for fishing gear in a boat,” said Daniel Medrano, a postal inspector based in Little Rock.

Tubs were popular with television stations, particularly for tape storage, when the Postal Service issued its first return request in 2002, Saunders said.

Newspapers are not to be outdone. An informal sweep of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Little Rock newsroom revealed 86 postal tubs in plain sight — only four of which contained mail.

PLASTIC PROFITEERS In 2007, postal employees came across a newspaper article about an Ohio recycling yard. To their amazement, Hardie said, a photo showed an employee tossing “almost brand new” postal pallets into a shredder. “We ended up calling our inspectors. Sure enough, there had been a theft of postal pallets and this company unknowingly bought stolen property.” Intentional theft or misuse of pallets and tubs are the “vast minority” of cases that inspectors see, said Jose Obando, manager of the U. S. Postal Inspection Service’s security and loss prevention group.

When they occur, it often involves resellers, who may buy stolen pallets for $ 7 and resell them for $ 18, or plastic recyclers paid by the pound, he said.

Inspectors in Florida recently halted a pallet export operation, Hardie said. Last year, police and private eyes in Maywood, Calif., found postal pallets among truckloads of beverage crates in what may be the largest recycling seizure to date.

Obando said he knows of “two or three” incidents firsthand and a pair of ongoing criminal cases. “But most people basically forget they have all these pallets.” Hardie says the Postal Service looks into each lead it receives about missing equipment. Some recyclers and shipping firms disagree. In recent years, trade publications reported that the Postal Service has rejected some pickup requests or threatened prosecution.

A Web site for the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association reflects such concerns. One section allows users to report pallets ready for pickup to the association and the Postal Service. It also includes a check box with the message: “My company has reported these USPS pallets to our local post office which declined pickup.” The owner of Cassville, Mo.-based Marck Industries Inc. said he deals only with commercial or industrial customers and that most — along with other recycling operators — are well aware of postal regulations.

“We simply won’t accept them [postal pallets ],” said Kent Longley, whose clients include Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other Northwest Arkansas companies. “Besides, it’s hardly worth the hassle.” Hardie rejects the notion that tips get ignored, noting that a special e-mail address for lost equipment is checked daily. Inspectors sometimes get involved, he said, but usually over large amounts of equipment.

Some say the Postal Service shares part of the blame for lost equipment.

In a 2007 presentation, the head of the Canadian Pallet Council, Belinda Junkin, noted that the Postal Service — unlike some shipping groups — never put a plan in place to control its pallet inventory.

With more than 37, 000 facilities nationwide — and additional pallets and tubs moving between postal centers or waiting on customer loads — it’s impossible to track each one, Hardie said. At least for now. “We are creating a system where mailers will be required to report their inventory of [mail transport equipment ] to give us this piece of the equation.” LOST AND FOUND The Postal Service is not alone in its struggles with plastic. Each year, the dairy industry loses $ 80 million worth of milk crates to theft, misuse or landfills, said Clay Detlefsen, vice president and counsel for the International Dairy Foods Association. Lost plastic trays also cost the baking industry some $ 50 million to $ 80 million a year, he said.

Prices for plastic resin — derived from oil and natural gas — have doubled over the past two years, Longley said. Another driver is increased demand in Asia and China in particular, he said.

Such increases help fuel a growing black market, Detlefsen said.

“There is an incentive for wrongdoers to collect milk cases and sell them for scrap, which could be roughly $ 1 a case,” Detlefsen said. New crates typically cost $ 4, he said.

So far, pallet theft has not been a significant problem in Arkansas, Medrano said. As returns go, 2, 988 pallets have come back to the Postal Service’s processing and distribution center in North Little Rock — averaging about 100 a day, spokesman Leisa Tolliver-Gay said.

About 100 flat tubs a day are returned to Little Rock’s main post office at 600 E. Capitol Ave., she said.

Last year, the Postal Service recovered some 25, 000 pallets worth nearly $ 500, 000, Obando said. So far this year, individual seizures have yielded several trailer loads worth $ 20, 000 to $ 25, 000 each, he said.

Some credit goes toward “better communication” and recent efforts to educate shippers and recyclers about postal equipment, Hardie said.

Inspectors also need more postal workers and citizens to serve as “eyes and ears,” Obando said.

“Obviously we’re not going to get everything. There’s warehouses in places people can’t see them and that’s unfortunate,” he said. “But by raising awareness… I think we’re definitely a little ahead than we were before.”

By using plastic bins, cardboard boxes, along with other types of bins, organizing kids rooms is easy!  Read more about this here.

Tips For Organizing Your Kids’ Rooms
March 25, 2008 By: Real Life Solutions Category: About the Family, Just for Fun, Organization, Parenting, Children, Uncategorized

One of the biggest battles in any home is getting the kids to clean their rooms.  If you build in success, by providing them the tools, it’ll make it easier on everyone.

When selecting the storage for your child’s room, be sure that it’s something that the child can use.  There are tons of options, from plastic storage bins, the fold up cardboard under-bed boxes and drawers and build-it-yourself furniture, and don’t forget garage sales.  Take your child with you when getting new storage, to make sure it will be user friendly.

Younger children have trouble opening heavy dresser drawers, so consider using cardboard box storage, or open stacking baskets.   Use the dressers for out of season clothes until they are older.  Put stickers on the drawers to show what goes in each one, so they can start learning to put away their own clothes. You can find a wide variety of stickers in scrap booking supplies.

Clear plastic bins are great for toys.  The lids are usually easy to work and the children can see what’s in the box.  It’s also fun to label the storage with bright pictures of what goes in each box.  Stuffed animals can multiply like rabbits, but storing them on a Velcro covered pole is fun and helps decorate the room.  A large decorative laundry basket can make good storage for the stuffed animals as well.

By sorting the toys into groups, and storing some in either the basement or garage, you can limit the amount of toys in their rooms at one time.  Rotate which toys they have once a month or so, helping limit boredom with the toys.  This is also a good time to sort out the things the kids no longer play with or have gotten too old for, and either pass things on or have a garage sale.

 I learned how you can help make your work place more “green” and it starts by buying more plastic bins.  You can find additional ways by reading the article found here.

Green is good for business

You’re likely doing everything you can at home to reduce, recycle and reuse, but what about at work? With these simple measures your business could do a lot to protect the environment.

• Buy more bins. Make it easy for your employees to recycle paper and plastic by simply placing an extra bin near their workstation. Put a large bin for electronic waste (such as old fax machines or computers) in a central spot and contact a recycling company to empty it regularly.
• Appoint a ‘Green Leader.’ Ask one of your employees to lead your company’s recycling efforts. Make it part of his or her job to assess current recycling practices, make recommendations, implement new measures and to encourage other employees to support your green mission.
• Do little things. Going green shouldn’t take a lot of time or effort. Little things like turning off the lights at night, lowering the thermostat or taking public transit will reduce your carbon footprint.
• Turn green into sales. Tell your customers what your business is doing to protect the environment by adding a “Green Policy” page to your website, a paragraph in your next newsletter or a line in your promotional materials. It will give your customers one more reason to buy from you.