For those super-greens who banished disposable plastic water bottles from their lives, only to start stressing about their non-recyclable Brita filters — Fret no more. Today, Brita announced a program with eco-company Preserve to recycle 100% of Brita filters (PDF).
Starting January 2009, you’ll be able to either drop off your old filters at your nearest Whole Foods, or mail them to Preserve. The plastic parts will be recycled into Preserve products like razors, toothbrushes, and cutting boards. As for the stuff inside the plastic? According to Brita, “The filter ingredients – activated carbon for creating great-tasting water and additional ion-exchange resin that reduces lead, mercury, copper, cadmium and zinc that might be found in tap water – will be regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy.”
I’m curious to find out what exactly “regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy” means, as “converted into energy” could simply mean incinerated….
In any case, as a blogger for Brita and Nalgene’s eco initiative FilterForGood, I’m glad that this issue’s gotten resolved — and have to say the program’s even better and more convenient than I’d dared hope. I’d been worried about both the inconvenience and expense — as well as the carbon footprint — of shipping individual used filters back to Brita, but this Whole Foods drop off option will make recycling free, simple (at least for people living near a Whole Foods), and less carbon intensive (since all filters can be shipped in one big bundle from Whole Foods to Preserve).
Full details and instructions won’t be on Brita’s website until early January 2009, so hold on to your old filters until then. In the meantime, congrats to Beth Terry and everyone else who worked on the Take Back the Filter initiative.
Update, 2/13/09: Brita’s filter recycling program’s officially launched!
Update: Whole Foods’ Whole Story blog says “Preserve hopes to expand Gimme 5 to more Whole Foods Market stores in the coming months” and suggests you leave a comment on the post if you want your store to get Gimme 5 bins.
Update, 4/29/09: Film review — Addicted to Plastic: Become a plastic expert in 85 minutes
That’s excellent news! I’ve got a big box of used Brita filters that I haven’t been able to bring myself to just toss in the trash. Nice to know I only have to hold on them from now until January. Stumbled :)
Comment by Foodeater — November 18, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
It’s better than I ever dreamed it would be! Thanks for your congratulations! I give the credit to the Sierra Club who worked with them on it and also to all the supporters who wrote to them asking that they not ship the filters to China, which is what probably would have happened if they went with their original plan of having Waste Management deal with the filters.
I just hope Brita and Preserve will urge people to skip the friggin’ ZipLoc bags. I cannot even begin to describe how gross a wet Brita filter is after it’s been sealed in a ZipLoc bag for several days, and I’m not just saying that to be anti-plastic. Really people. It’s good to let them dry out.
I too want to know what “regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy” means. I assume it means incinerated. Hmm.. another source of carbon-based fuel, right?
So, it’s not perfect. But it’s better than we thought it would be, isn’t it?
I’m drinking champagne right now even though I have the devil’s cold and should be in bed. Wanna trade heads? You look fab as a black chick, by the way.
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — November 18, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
At my work we’ve decided to collect random (small-ish) items that can be recycled, but not in your home recycling bin, such as batteries, light bulbs and printer cartridges. Then one person takes on the responsibility of taking everyone’s batteries, for example, to be recycled. Since most people come into work more often than they go to Whole Foods, the Post Office or the Hazardous Waste drop off centers, getting your recyclables taken care of isn’t as big of a problem - you don’t have to keep track of where to take things, send multiple packages or make special trips. At the same time, it educates people at your workplace of what they can recycle and who they can talk to about recycling. This idea really can be applied with any place you go regularly (I think that is the key). I’ll now add an additional container for Brita filers!
Comment by M — November 19, 2008 @ 6:43 am
Hey, M. That’s a really great idea. May I copy it onto the Take Back The Filter site? Other groups besides work places could do it too. Churches. Clubs. Etc.
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — November 19, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
Cool idea, M. If you have just a workforce of 1 (me), then you don’t even need separate containers! :)
Beth — I got more details re: the “regenerated for alternative use or converted into energy” from the FiterForGood peeps. Bottom line is that Brita and Preserve basically don’t know what that means either, exactly. Exact quote: “the details about the internal carbon and ion exchange resin are a little vague because Brita and Preserve are still working toward an exact solution…. Testing for the best method is in progress and we will have more information to announce early next year.”
Hope you enjoyed the champagne, although I have to say knowing you, you opted for something local, which means you actually drank sparkling wine, not champagne :P
Comment by Siel — November 19, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
You are right. It was Glora Ferrer brut, which my friend Manuel tells me is a California version of Spanish cava.
Thanks for the info on the filter material. I’ll look forward to hearing more about what they come up with as January approaches. If Sierra Club is still working with them, I have hopes they’ll do the most responsible thing.
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — November 19, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
That’s Gloria
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — November 19, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
Just checked out the Gloria Ferrer website — sounds yummy, and says “sparkling wine” right up front :)
Comment by Siel — November 19, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
Sure Beth, please feel free to post it there!
Comment by M — November 24, 2008 @ 6:32 am