Posts Tagged ‘Container’


Life cycle of Styrofoam, greener than you Think!

Thursday, December 8th, 2011


Styrofoam, just the sound of the word may send chills down the spines of many.

“Doesn’t that stuff NEVER break down?”

The answer is Yes. But there is more to the story. Styrofoam is actually Polystyrene aka Plastic, which has been infused by air to puff it up. We all know that air is a good insulator, so Styrofoam keeps your coffee warmer longer for this reason.

If you throw Styrofoam in the trash, then it will go to a landfill and will not break down for hundreds of years, maybe never! So what do we do about all of this foam waste?
Recycle it!

You got it! Styrofoam is actually very recyclable, but one of the least recycled materials because it is mostly air and therefore recyclers do not waste their time hauling it because the rates are too high.

Luckily, there are progressive companies like Dart Container in Mason, MI (outside Lansing) who have a polystyrene recycling facility and collect within a 100 square miles as well as accept deliveries of used Styrofoam. If you would like to learn more about Dart and their recycling initiative please read my article about it, which is based on a tour I took of their facility.

Recently, a life cycle analysis (LCA) was released by Cascades, Inc., which dispels many myths about the illustrious Styrofoam. The LCA demonstrates the vast capabilities of the material as well as calculating the ecological effects of its manufacture and use.

The study proves that polystyrene is actually a good choice for the environment, based on the fact that the impact of a material on the environment is determined by the type and amount of energy used to make it. Here’s what they found out:

  • Produced least amount of greenhouse gases throughout its entire lifecycle from raw material extraction to end-of-life.
  • Composed of 90 percent air.
  • Recyclable, though rarely recycled.
  • Using recycled polystyrene has tangible ecological benefits, using the recycled material results in less raw material extraction.

Designed to judge the environmental impact of Cascade’s food packaging trays, the LCA included 7 types of packaging materials.

  1. Foamed and oriented polystyrene (XPS and OPS) #6 Plastic.
  2. Standard and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET and RPET) #1 Plastic.
  3. Polylactic acid polymer (PLA) grouped with the #7 Plastic category.
  4. Polypropylene (PP) #5 Plastic.
  5. Molded pulp (made from recycled newspapers and telephone books).

The president of Cascades, Luc Langevin said:

“This analysis provides an new perspective on food packaging. The environmental performance of our trays is much better than popular belief. Polystyrene foam can now be part of our environmental packaging solution.”

“These findings have us taking stock of our current situation so that we can better understand our impact and thereby improve our efforts to reduce the environmental footprint left by our products.”

 

I hope that this post helps shed some light on the myth’s about Styrofoam. It is actually a very ecologically sound choice, thus why we use and recycle all of our Styrofoam cups here at Maxi. We hope that in the future, more companies and consumers start to understand the ecological benefits associated with choosing Styrofoam over paper cups. I urge you to please forward this post to someone whom you think would benefit from the information.

The full results of the LCA are available on cascades website.

Original article found though Packaging Diva published by JoAnne Hines.

You can read the original article by Cascade’s Inc. in The Sacramento Bee by following this link.


Lafayette Greens: Compuware Creates an Urban Garden

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Strawnerris growing in a 55-gal drum

On August 31st, Compuware debuted its newest creation (and it’s not software) Lafayette Greens, an urban garden located at the old Lafayette building site, which was demolished in 2009. The community garden will provide all organic produce for Gleaners Community Food Bank (and if there is an over abundance of produce, it will go to the volunteers too!). The garden will be maintained almost entirely by a volunteer workforce. I was fortunate enough to join them for the grand opening celebration.

This initiative is run by Compuware employees Gwen Meyer (onsite manager) and Meg Heeres (project manager). We had the pleasure of meeting them during the development of the garden, consulting on the design types possible with our containers. They eventually had to resort to custom made beds for the majority of the garden, but still utilized our drums in the “Children’s Garden”. In this section our used juice drums were placed in a circular design which is lower to the ground so kids can interact with the plants better. It has a very “zen” feel to it.

The event was spectacular, samples of gourmet cuisine made from fruits and veggies grown in the garden were being passed out. Free drinks (non-alcoholic) and lively music was playing. The news obviously was informed about this event, I think I saw one person from every major local station there! This event was well planned. I enjoyed my afternoon there, though I mostly just hung out in the Children’s Garden where our containers where displayed.

They also are utilizing one of our compost tumblers, though I don’t think a single tumbler will be able to supply the entire gardens needs. The footprint of the garden is the entire corner, it’s pretty big. I urge any and everyone who is in the downtown Detroit area to go in and check it out!

We are so happy to be involved in the beautifying of Detroit with Compuware. At Maxi, we are dedicated to getting involved in our community and the amount of gardens going up in Detroit this year was amazing. We urge others to develop community gardens and work together to turn vacant lots into functional and beautiful gardens. This is the green movement and companies like Compuware and Maxi, and people like Gwen and Meg are what our city needs. Take a moment to check and see if there are any projects planned for your community.

Enjoy this slideshow of pictures from Compuware’s Lafayette Greens Community Garden. You can view these photos on our Flickr as well.

[slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157627569688870″ type=”slideshow” captions=”on” delay=”3″]

Lafayette Greens is on Facebook!


The life of a container Gardener

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Living in an apartment and condo does NOT mean you can’t garden. And people, I’m not talking about one or two hanging plants. I am talking about really gardening… fruits, veggies, flowers, and herbs. Right now I have tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, jalapeno and cayenne peppers, plus a herb garden and a few flowers for accent, all on my patio. You must be wondering just how I fit all that on my small 5′ x 10′ patio? Well let’s just say, very creatively. By utilizing hanging hooks on stands that fit four pails each, and two half pallets (I sawed one in half basically), I can make a varying array of configurations that are both beautiful and at the same time add a sense of privacy to our patio.

Another benefit of my container garden is the family activity it creates. My fifteen month old daughter grabs my hand and begs to be a part of the gardening experience. I supply her with her own little watering can and a plastic spade shovel to dig in the dirt with me. This is a family garden. It has become a central part of our family life. Whether it is the wife and I relaxing after the baby has gone to sleep, or working together to harvest some basil to make pesto for dinner, it is enjoyable and bring us even closer together. If you live in a apartment or condo and think that gardening is just too much to handle, reconsider. Give it try. We have previously used food grade 5-gallon pails perfect for starting your very own garden. Please email me at joshua@maxicontainer.com for a free consultation. We can design your pails to fit the types of plants you want to grow. We have three styles right now for our 5-gallon pails, they are:

  1. Traditional planter
  2. Hanging tomato planter
  3. Pepper / strawberry planter (Can hold up to 6 plants)
    *can easily be made into a self-watering planter

We also have experimented with our 30-gallon plastic barrels, turning one into a strawberry planter. We cut a plastic juice drum in half, attached wheels and handles to make a movable planter perfect for all types of plants. Like I was saying before, the possibilities with container gardening are endless. You only will be limited by your own creativity. So, what are your waiting for? Try it now. Give us a call today and get the low-down on what you’ll need to get started. And please, if you don’t get your container from us just make sure the containers are food-grade. Ask what the previous contents where. If it was something questionable, DO NOT USE IT. If it had food in it before, then its fine. It’s better to ask then to just say “ohhh it’s fine because it was free.” You will be growing and eating food from that container. Plastic absorbs some of its previous contents; there is no way around that, it is in the material’s nature. So any reconditioned or used plastic barrel, is not always safe for growing plants. Hope this information helps get you started container gardening. Here is some photos from our Flickr photoset “Container Gardening”.

[slickr-flickr search=”sets” set=”72157627032002916″ items=”20″ type=”slideshow” delay=”3″ captions=”on”]


“@MaxiContainer: Thank you @…

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

“@MaxiContainer: Thank you @GreeningDet_com for all the support…now you can find us on their website at: http://t.co/9tD4GHU”


#Detroit get your #RainBarrels…

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

#Detroit get your #RainBarrels early this year and save $. Two offers: $5 off ea. http://t.co/tFhaHKG or buy 3 get one free! *plus shipping


Thanx Windsor Barrel for the #…

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Thanx Windsor Barrel for the #DetroitPistons tickets, we’re going to be at the #Palace tonight for sure! Thanx Again! #Detroit #Pistons


#Detriot Check out our latest …

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

#Detriot Check out our latest Blog entry here: http://t.co/oEpMcvz #sustainability #DrewUniversity #Labpacks #EPA #SafetyCabinets


Did you catch the article @Mar…

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Did you catch the article @MarketingSherpa wrote about Maxi? If not, check it out here: http://t.co/5RaMkJI #containers #detroit


Whats going on #twitter We wan…

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Whats going on #twitter We want to know what you are thinking about #sustainability what does it mean to you, your company? #ecofriendly


Check out our new and improved…

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Check out our new and improved January #eNewsletter http://goo.gl/vHCxZ sign up now to receive next months full of exciting industry #news


What have you used a #55gallon…

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

What have you used a #55gallondrum for…submit your entries to joshua@maxicontainer.com and you could be featured in our #eNewsletter !


If you haven’t already please …

Monday, January 10th, 2011

If you haven’t already please check this months #eNewsletter http://t.co/uDSkWOC


Stay warm this winter with a d…

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Stay warm this winter with a drum stove, check out the new flyer: http://t.co/h1zlWYn http://fb.me/Qrkc9Xi3


Today is national clean off yo…

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Today is national clean off your desk day: http://t.co/DoLRdrY


@Detroit Stay Warm this winter…

Monday, January 10th, 2011

@Detroit Stay Warm this winter! Check out our new #DrumStove Kit flyer: http://t.co/h1zlWYn


Check out our new and improved…

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Check out our new and improved January #eNewsletter http://goo.gl/vHCxZ


Heading back home in the morni…

Saturday, January 1st, 2011

Heading back home in the morning…happy new years EVERYONE!!


Working on our new and improve…

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Working on our new and improved January 2010 eNewsletter – Now you can sign up right here on our Facebook page -… http://fb.me/Bid848Il


TweetDeck is pretty sweet on t…

Sunday, December 19th, 2010

TweetDeck is pretty sweet on the original droid


Did you know that Maxi stocks …

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

Did you know that Maxi stocks #HazardousWaste #Bags & #Boxes check it out: http://goo.gl/AhVGS


Rick Rubin, owner of Maxi Container was interviewed by Murray Gula of WDFN 1130 AM. Rick was on the air live at 1pm on Aug. 14, 2010 talking about our new products, our Terra Cotta Rain Barrel Kit, and D.I.Y. Compost Tumbler Kit. Check out these photos, article, and link to a video of the interview.

Monday, August 16th, 2010
Murray Gula, Rick Rubin

Maxi Container was at the Summer Home and Garden Expo on Aug. 14th 2010. Selling our very own Terra Cotta Rain Barrel Kit and D.I.Y. Compost Tumbler Kit. Rick Rubin, Owner of Maxi, was summoned by the home improvement radio celebrity Murray Gula to talk about what we are selling here at the Summer Home and Garden Expo.
Rain barrels are a great way to save money and help the environment. Both of these products are previously used food grade barrels. Being green is easy and the advantages are profound. Check out these photos and video. Please come out this weekend and if you can not make it out later today or tomorrow to the Yack Arena in Wyandotte, MI. then contact us at 1-800-727-MAXI (6294) between 7:30 and 3:30 Monday through Friday.

Here is our tent setup with our new Rain Barrel water cycle.
WDFN 1130 Murray Gula interview Rick Rubin of Maxi Container.
Click here for a video of the interview.

Maxi Container Inc. will be in Birmingham, MI on July, 24th all day for the GREEN BREEZE Street Fair. Come check us out!

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Maxi Container Inc. has recently started to participate in Eco-friendly community based events. We are excited to announce our participation in another event. In two weeks on July 24th tons of different Eco-friendly companies and enthusiasts will grace the streets of old Woodward Ave. in Birmingham, MI. After recently talking to the Community House who is coordinating the event, the fairs ending time has been moved from 7pm to 9pm. This is because of the large amount of attendees estimated to go to the fair. Check out the event page on the Community House’s website for more info by clicking below.


Green Breeze – Birmingham, MI – July 24 

Green Breeze – Article in Oakland Press

We have new redesigned rain barrels and composers going for very affordable prices. (check previous blog entries for pictures) Maxi hope’s to meet other people so excited about helping reduce waste, reuse, and recycling.