New Recycling Venture Launched In Goshen

Goshen, IN - RedPost Inc., a startup software company, is partnering with two Indiana companies to launch RedPost/Recycle, a recycling collection center for multiple types of waste. RedPost started the program, which will collect foam, electronics, CDs/DVDs and rechargeable batteries, among other things, because there were no other local options for recycling these materials.

"We generate a lot of waste from our electronics assembly. We're working to meet Cradle to Cradle design standards, and one of our early goals is to send as little waste to the landfill as possible," says RedPost founder and CEO Eric Kanagy. "There aren't other options for more than cardboard, bottles, and cans, so we decided to build our own recycling center."

Kanagy founded RedPost in February of 2007 with a strong set of core values, including environmental stewardship and community partnership. With their recycling collection center, RedPost combines these two values, making the recycling service available to the whole community. "We figured we'd offer the service to others because it doesn't cost us much and it's simply not available locally."

RedPost has partnered with EFP Corp. (Elkhart, Ind.) to accept expanded polystyrene foam (commonly known as Styrofoam ) and with Chesapeake Recycling (Winamac, Ind.) to accept end-of-life electronics at RedPost World Headquarters, 211 South Fifth Street, in Goshen.

EFP Corporation, a member of the Elkhart County business community for over 50 years, uses state of the art recycling equipment to insure consistent quality, integrating the recycled foam in several of their molded foam products. "We support recycling not only because we live in the community, but because it is simply a good business practice," says Mike Martin, EFP Corp. Operations Manager. "Our ability to recycle EPS is important because it creates business opportunities that would not available to us without the ability to recycle. The long term benefits of recycling are the same as any other material that is recycled - it keeps the product out of our landfills and makes more complete use of the resource."

Chesapeake Recycling handles electronic scrap, also called e-waste, which, unless properly recycled, is classified as hazardous waste; lead, mercury, lithium and cadmium make up just some of the toxic elements that are found in virtually all electronics. If put into a landfill, these toxic elements will eventually find their way into the local water supply. "When you consider the toxins that are contained in our electronics, it becomes ever more important to keep this material from going into our landfills," says Ed Shank, Chesapeake's Vice President of Operations. "We break the material down into base components and separate these based on metals and plastics content. These are then sent to different facilities so the material can be reused."

RedPost is coordinating with local businesses to collect their waste foam and electronics as well. Town and Country Appliance and The Electric Brew, both located on Main Street in Goshen, generate waste foam from used packaging, in the forms of refrigerator lining, and food supplies respectively.

SOURCE: RedPost Inc.