Circularity in Practice: How The Home Depot Is Turning Waste Into Opportunity

Rhea-AI Summary

The Home Depot is embracing a circular economy by repurposing waste materials like plastic pots, plastic wrap, and EPS foam into useful products. Product circularity reduces natural resource use, minimizes waste, and appeals to environmentally conscious customers.

Positive

• The Home Depot is reducing waste by repurposing materials like plastic pots, plastic wrap, and EPS foam.
• Product circularity lowers natural resource use in manufacturing.
• Durable, reusable products decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills.
• Circular economy initiatives appeal to customers looking to support sustainability.

Negative

• None.

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 22, 2024 / The Home Depot

Originally published on Built From Scratch

In a circular economy, nothing is wasted. Materials that would be typically thrown away can be reimagined or reinvented into something useful. Everyday items like plastic pots can enjoy a second life as hanging baskets, while plastic wrap can be transformed into deck boards, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam can be revived as insulation.

The benefits of product circularity touch on every part of a product's lifespan. Recycled materials in product design lower the amount of natural resources used in manufacturing. Durable, reusable products lower the amount of waste sent to landfills. In addition, product circularity appeals to customers who want to do their part to help the planet.

Discover our recycling suite: We're generating value from these hard-to-recycle materials:

• METALS
• HARD PLASTICS
• SHRINK WRAP
• STYROFOAM PACKAGING
• CFC'S* FROM RECLAIMED APPLIANCES

What is expanded polystyrene (EPS)? An effective packaging material with a drawback: it takes more than a century to biodegrade.

1. First, the EPS foam is removed from the packaging.
2. Next it's compressed into blocks using a special machine.
3. Finally, it's sold to companies that use it for insulation and other purposes.

Between our market delivery operations and reverse logistic centers, we now recycle not only metal, hard plastics and shrink wrap, but also EPS packaging and the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from reclaimed appliances. Learn more about product circularity in the latest ESG Report.

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*Chlorofluorocarbons

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Home Depot on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: The Home Depot
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/home-depot
Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: The Home Depot

View the original press release on accesswire.com

FAQ

What is The Home Depot doing to embrace a circular economy?

The Home Depot is repurposing waste materials like plastic pots, plastic wrap, and EPS foam into useful products.

How does product circularity benefit manufacturing?

Product circularity reduces the use of natural resources in manufacturing processes.

What are the environmental benefits of The Home Depot's recycling suite?

The recycling suite at The Home Depot generates value from materials like metals, hard plastics, shrink wrap, EPS foam, and CFCs from reclaimed appliances.

Why is expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam a valuable material?

EPS foam is an effective packaging material that can be recycled into insulation and other products, although it takes a long time to biodegrade.

How does The Home Depot recycle EPS foam?

The Home Depot removes EPS foam from packaging, compresses it into blocks, and sells it to companies for insulation and other purposes.

What types of materials does The Home Depot recycle in their market delivery operations?

The Home Depot recycles metals, hard plastics, shrink wrap, EPS packaging, and CFCs from reclaimed appliances in their market delivery operations.