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Yellowstone partnership will create less plastic waste.
A new recycling partnership has been forged between Yellowstone National Park and Universal Textile Technologies. This new partnership creates and protects jobs for the American workforce, reduces the amount of plastic bottles that go into landfills and helps Yellowstone National Park meet its recycling goals.
Universal Textile has committed to purchase the recyclable plastic bottles Yellowstone collects each year and convert them into a non-woven, fleece material used to manufacture BioCel and EnviroCel high-performance backing for carpet and synthetic turf. The Georgia Tech Research Institute has provided third-party verification for this innovative project.
Like many recyclable materials collected in America, most plastics collected in Yellowstone had previously been sold overseas. There, they were used to produce plastic products that were later sold in the U.S.
“Yellowstone was created as the world’s first national park in 1872,” says Jim Evanoff, nationally recognized speaker on the Yellowstone eco-system and an environmental protection specialist with Yellowstone National Park. “We have an obligation to set the example for promoting sound environmental stewardship practices that will serve as a model for future generations. This new partnership not only diverts plastics from landfills, it dramatically decreases the fuel and other resources used to transport materials around the planet.”
Both BioCel and EnviroCel utilize naturally renewable soybean- based polyols derived from domestically grown soybeans. The use of soy-based products helps support the U.S. economy by creating American jobs and through the sale of Universal Textile products.
BioCel and EnviroCel also provide numerous additional benefits related to green technology and sustainability. Both use Celceram, a highly refined material recovered from coal combustion in electric utility power plants that reduces dependency on petroleum-based products and supports the EPA’s initiatives for high-performance, sustainable products in industry. They also assist in LEED certification. BioCel and EnviroCel are resistant to moisture, insulate against energy loss, reduce ambient noise and increase the structural integrity of carpet and synthetic turf.
“We ask you to please recycle your plastic. If we don’t address the recycling issue today, our children and grandchildren will certainly be forced to,” says Doug Giles, director of marketing for Universal Textile Technologies.
For Yellowstone National Park facts and information, visit Yellowstone’s website.
