Recycling Facts

"EPA estimates that businesses discard approximately 2.9 million tons of furniture and furnishings in 1995 (Characterization of municipal Solid Waste in the united States. 1996 Update) Given a 1995 national average tipping fee of about $32 per ton ( Solid Waste Digest), the potential avoided disposal costs of 493.million" - EPA Waste Wi$e Update
Based on a survey of PFRF (Office Furniture Recyclers Forum) members, their sales of recycled furniture are $1.2 billion, which represents 9% of the commercial industry.
Recycled office furniture has a recovery content of about 86%. This includes recycled wood, metal, plastic, fabrics, paint, laminates, and cardboard., (The EPA's recommended content levels for plastic desktop accessories in 25-80% post consumer material and 30% for paper and paper products.)
Quality: Remanufacturing and refurbishing restore worn out office furniture to "like new" condition. Warranties have been included on recycled office furniture, which allow products to compete with new office furniture and add to the value of recycled office furniture. The OFR has publishes standards for recycled office furniture to help increase its quality and acceptance in the marketplace.
Availability: Recycled office furniture is often more readily available most part, than new because, for the product is already made. This fact enables the recycler to provide short lead times, usually only four to six weeks.
Prices: Prices of recycled office furniture typically range from 255 to 75% less than new furniture! The conservation of energy and natural resources result in recycled office furniture that is remanufacture at lower coats than manufacturing new.
Conserving Natural Resources: Office furniture recycling reduces the exploitation of limited natural resources by extending the lives of resources in circulation. Natural resources, such as wood and aluminum, as well as steel, plastics, and fiber, may reused over and over to the fullest extent possible.
Solid Waste Stream Reduction: By recycling office furniture, the products as well as the natural resources are diverted from the solid waste stream. For example, fabrics on panel systems tend to wear out and the colors become outdates. By remanufacturing , the fabrics can be replaced and the office furniture returned to the market for a second life. Recycling results in fewer products filling up the limited landfill space.
Energy Conservation: Recycling Conservation: Recycling office furniture conserves labor and manufacturing energy. Labor energy is conserved in post-consumer product because the amount of labor required altering an existing product. Manufacturing energy is conserved when metals are kept out if the the melting process as well as in other manufacturing processes.
Air Pollution: Recycling reduces the pollution caused by the manufacturing process. Carbon monoxide (CO) carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur oxides (SOχ), nitrous oxides (NOχ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter are all reduced by recycling office furniture. By reducing the amounts of the contaminants, global warming, acid rain, photochemical smog, and other forms of air pollution are also reduced.
Remanufacturing is the ultimate form of recycling. It provides both societal benefits and added value to products. Remanufacturing conserves natural resources, reduces the amount of products filling landfill, and saves manufacturing and labor energy while adding value to the post-consumer product. Remanufactured office furniture is stripped to its bare parts, reassembled, and made to resemble a new product-all at lower costs!