Atlantic Poly Blog

On Other Things that Bubble Wraps Can Do – New England

Joseph Coupal - Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Bubble wraps were originally designed to serve as textured wallpapers. Now, they have been used as packaging materials for shipping to keep fragile items safe. But bubble wraps can do more than just packaging and material handling.

Excellent window insulation
Wide bubble wraps can add insulation to windows, keeping you warm during the winter season. All you have to do is cut them equal to the size of your windows and gaffer-tape them to the inside of the windows.

Protect outdoor plants
Recycling packaging materials like the bubble wraps can have good use to patio plants, acting as their protection against frost damage. Even popped bubble wraps help insulate plants and warm soil during the whole winter.

Cushion hard surfaces
Bubble wraps are perfect for outdoor activities too. They make benches comfortable to sit on and sleeping bags soft to sleep on. A good night's sleep after a tiring outdoor activity like camping can now be even better..

Protect fruits in the fridge
Bubble wraps prevent bruises to fruits in the fridge by lining the crisper drawer. When the lining gets dirty, it will just be easy to clean it as you can simply replace it with new bubble wraps.

Burglar alarms at home
Packaging material for shipping can also add security to your homes, acting as cheap burglar alarm. Easily place large bubble wraps on the floor of your front door and let them pop when unwanted visitors sneak in.

Pop out stress
De-stress with bubble wraps. Do the popping and let it soothe you in those troubled times. There are also games you can come up with that you could use on children parties. The benefits of recycling packaging materials can go a long list. So why shouldn't you?

For more details on bubble wraps and other products for packaging and material handling, contact Atlantic Poly Inc..


Corrugated Boxes for Moving Companies

Joseph Coupal - Monday, April 28, 2014

It is moving season in a large part of the country. Moving companies often offer corrugated boxes and packing materials for professional packing or for self-packing. If you own or manage a moving company, maybe it is time for a new quote on corrugated boxed.

You may not think corrugated boxes when you think about Atlantic Poly but we carry a wide selection of corrugated boxes to ensure safe, secure delivery for all of your residential and commercial moves.

These (RSC) Regular Slotted Cartons and corrugated boxes are made from 200lb. test corrugated and are great for mailing, shipping or storage. They are approved for use with United States Postal Service, UPS, Fed Ex, Truck or Ground shipping. Please check our stock sizes and contact us for quantity discounts or Custom Sizes!!

If you’re a moving company, think of Atlantic Poly. Nothing makes moving easier than corrugated boxes and shipping containers. Need a custom size? No problem. We have stock sized but contact us for discount prizes on custom sized corrugated boxes and shipping containers as well.


Why Plastic Bags Should NOT be Banned in Chicago

Joseph Coupal - Monday, April 14, 2014

Chicago is the 23rd-largest economy in the world. This status was not won by accident — it is the direct result of a responsible and clear-headed approach to economic development policy. The city is a dependable incubator of growth and innovation. At odds with this history of an intelligent and balanced approach to economic development policy, Chicago is considering legislation that would ban plastic retail bags.

Given the scale of the misinformation about the impact that plastic bags have on the environment, Chicago deserves better than the current debate over plastic bags.

The reality is that plastic bags make up less than 0.8 percent of Chicago's waste and typically less than 1% of all litter. Denver looked at a fee but tabled the issue for a year to study the impact. The city's office of sustainability said that restricting plastic bags had no meaningful impact on the environment. We don't think a fee or ban would move Chicago closer to achieving its sustainability goals.

In fact, the unintended consequences of a plastic bag ban contradict the city's green goals. Because the alternatives to plastic bags have far higher carbon footprints, a restriction actually will increase Chicago's collective carbon footprint. The “reusable bags” that advocates of plastic bag restrictions support are so much more energy-intensive to produce that some must be used 131 times before they are as environmentally friendly as a single plastic bag used once.

Economic Concerns

What a bag ban will impact, however, is the job security of 3,000 hardworking Illinois people who depend on our industry to put food on the table. The plastic bag industry, which includes manufacturing and recycling, provides the kinds of jobs that cities throughout the country are seeking to attract. Undermining the very companies that should be growing jobs throughout the state is not how Chicago has led the Midwest and not how it can succeed further in the future.

There has been a noticeable absence of these very real economic concerns in the conversation on this issue thus far. The fact that the economic fate of people who work in our industry is rarely a part of this debate is unacceptable.

Chicago is known for taking centrist, balanced approaches to public policy issues. There is no question that cities need to pay attention to the waste they produce — including, among thousands of other items, plastic bags. But banning a tiny portion of that waste stream should not be taken as meaningful environmental progress, especially when doing so would actually direct people to environmentally inferior options and jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of people in our state.

Keeping up with the coasts has never been Chicago's operating principle, and this great city shouldn't follow others down this misguided path. Chicago should lead with smart, centrist policy that balances economic and environmental goals. A renewed focus on recycling programs and education is the responsible approach, and Chicagoans should encourage their elected leaders to find a way to protect both the environment and working families.

For more information on recycling, biodegradable plastic bags, or on removing plastics from your company's waste stream, contact Atlantic Poly.

Chicago Business


Dust Barriers: Leave Your Work Site Clean

Joseph Coupal - Tuesday, April 01, 2014

A happy client is a client that gives referrals. As a home remodeler, you know that one of your client’s chief concerns is cleanliness. No one likes to come home to a house covered in dust. But, in home remodeling, dust is part of the process. But you can help cut down on dust in your client’s home with plastic dust barriers.

Remodeling magazines and contractors have been saying that home remodeling projects are increasing. Take advantage by getting more referrals from your existing clientele. Plastic dust shields, construction film, and plastic floor protection help keep the house around the remodeling project dust-free.

Dust barriers or construction film are perfect for those contractors who are interested in keeping their customers’ homes as clean and as dust-free as possible. Everyone knows that dust is a problem when remodeling. But keeping your customers happy – and their homes clean - is very important for repeat and referral business. Contain dusty areas as much possible with construction film and dust barriers.

Dust control products include temporary barrier systems, plastic sheeting, and floor coverings. Contractors who use dust control supplies keep their clients happy and cut down on labor costs for cleanup. This is a great way to increase customer satisfaction and referrals. For a competitive quote on construction film and floor coverings, contact Atlantic Poly.


Drum Liners to Dispose of Hazardous Materials

Joseph Coupal - Friday, March 21, 2014

Companies that come into contact with or dispose of hazardous materials that need to be contained, drum liners are the solution.  The possibility of exposure to hazardous chemicals, friable materials, blood and body fluids cannot be ignored if your industry is disposal, demolition or involved in bio waste.

Spilling these materials poses a health risk to the environment, to employees, and to pedestrians. Drum liners give your business an extra level of security against leaks, spills and contamination. Plastic drum liners are necessary to keep chemical contents separated from other materials and waste products.  In many states and situations this is actually mandated by law.

DrumSkin are Poly Plastic Drum Liners from Atlantic Poly that provide an extra level of safety, reliability and protection when used for dense or viscous materials. Keeping your employees and the environment safe requires a high standard of practice. Local, state and federal regulations make it harder and harder to maintain standards of removal and disposal. Drum liners can accommodate those standards.

Even if what you are disposing of is not hazardous, using drum liners ensures additional security against leaks and spills.

As a Polyethylene and Poly Drum Liner supplier, Atlantic Poly Inc provides a sensible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for storing, mixing and processing liquids, pastes and powders. Contact us for a quote.


Plastic Bag Ban not the Solution in RI

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, March 13, 2014

There are many in Rhode Island advocating for a statewide ban on plastic bags. Everyone wants a healthy environment for future generations, but a bag ban is not a silver bullet solution, especially when aluminum cans, paper products and glass bottles riddle the roadsides. As well intentioned as the cause may be, to single out one industry in the name of environmental stewardship is simply misguided.

The EPA reports that plastic retails bags make up less than 0.5% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. Considering that the unemployment rate in the U.S. sits just above 7% and Rhode Island's at 9%, should we really be making it tougher for those who depend on plastic manufacturing and recycling jobs to earn a living? Bag bans - if enacted - would essentially shut down this vibrant American industry.

Plastic bags are also the most environmentally friendly choice at the checkout, as the vast majority of plastic retail bags are made in the United States using high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a byproduct of natural gas, not oil, and are 100% recyclable. This is in stark contrast to their reusable bag counterparts - most of which are manufactured in China with oil and cannot be recycled, cluttering up landfills.

In fact, you may even be depositing your bags and other plastic wraps in the bins outside your local grocery stores, which are then picked up and recycled into new plastic bags.

Dr. David Tyler of the University of Oregon summed up the choice of plastic grocery bags like this: "If the most important environmental impact you wanted to alleviate was global warming, then you would go with plastic."

Those who also claim that a bag ban will reduce the costs for municipalities in their clean up and disposal are selling you a false bill of goods. The National Center for Policy Analysis studied this claim in those localities, like San Francisco, which have bag bans already in effect. The report concludes that there is "no evidence of a reduction in costs attributable to reduced use of plastic bags."

There are very real economic consequences to plastic bag bans with no scientific evidence to back them up.

For more information on recycling and  recyclable plastic bags, contact Atlantic Poly.

valleybreeze.com


Specialty Polyethylene Bags Protect Products from Harsh Environments

Joseph Coupal - Friday, March 07, 2014

Biotech companies, pharmaceutical companies, electronics manufacturers, and companies with government contracts are all businesses that require the use of specialty polyethylene bags. Specialty polyethylene bags are used in businesses or manufacturing facilities where there are stringent requirement to protect products against moisture, salt, static electricity and any other type of contamination.

If your business relies on protecting its products from these harsh items and environments during storage or shipment, Atlantic Poly can supply Mil Spec Bags, Anti Static Bags, Clean Room ISO Certified Bags, and Vapor Inhibitor Bags that are right for your business application. Whether the bags are needed to protect custom ASICs in expensive high end electronics, for military applications, or to protect people from hazardous waste we have the specialty polyethylene bags that you need.

Industries that use specialty poly bags include agriculture, biomedical, semiconductor electronics, manufacturing, medical, military and defense programs, pharmaceutical, and hazardous waste.

For more information on our Specialty Polyethylene Bags, contact Atlantic Poly.


Plastic Bags For American Jobs

Joseph Coupal - Friday, February 28, 2014

Plastic bags are 100% recyclable, reusable, made from natural gas, not oil, and a sustainable choice for consumers, communities and businesses. What’s more the plastic bag manufacturing and recycling industry is a uniquely American industry that employs more than 30,000 Americans in 349 plants across the country.

Bans and taxes on plastic bags are misguided policies that don’t make sense. They don’t help the environment, force less sustainable options, threaten local manufacturing jobs and raise grocery costs for consumers.

Instead of banning a reusable, 100% recyclable, American-made product, recycling solutions can help reduce litter, give consumers a choice, and protect American jobs.

Plastic grocery bags are the best checkout option for our environment

  • On a per bag basis, plastic bags are more resource efficient, reduce landfill waste and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
    • They take up a lot less space in a landfill: 1,000 plastic bags weigh 13 pounds; 1,000 paper bags weigh 114 pounds.
    • They generate 80 % less waste than paper bags.
  • American plastic bags are made from natural gas, NOT oil. In the U.S., 85 percent of the raw material used to make plastic bags is produced from natural gas.
  • Recycled plastic bags are used to make new plastic bags and building products, such as backyard decks, playground equipment, and fences

For more information, contact Atlantic Poly.

http://www.co.thurston.wa.us


Floor and Surface Protection Film for Home Remodels

Joseph Coupal - Thursday, February 20, 2014

The home remodeling market is rebounding. As business picks up and demand increases, competition becomes more intense.  As a result, your home remodeling and construction company needs to set itself apart. Referral business can be a big part of your bottom line. Keeping customers happy and homes clean can increase that referral business. You can accomplish this, in part, with surface and floor protection film.

Carpet and floor protection film keep homes clean and floors safe from damage. Dust shields protect the other rooms in the home from the dust that is created in the work area. Surface protection film and dust shields are for use during construction, remodeling and painting.

For information on construction film, surface protection film, and dust shields, contact Atlantic Poly. Some of the surface protection products we offer are below:

Carpet protection film – for use with all types of carpeting, this is a clear, self-adhering protective film that is highly resistant to tears or punctures.

Hardwood Floor protection film - Self-adhering film that protects all hard floors such as tile, vinyl, laminates, marble, granite and hardwood. It can also be used to prevent damage to tubs and counter tops.

Dust control barrier / Dust Pro Shield - Temporary walls that control dust and heat loss. This is a state –of-the-art system that is quick, simple and affordable. The plastic screening material is locked firmly against the floor and ceiling, up to 12 ft high.


ID Badges Add Security to All Businesses and Trade Shows

Joseph Coupal - Friday, February 14, 2014

Unfortunately that state of the world is such that additional security in many businesses and venues is necessary. Not only does staff need identification, but visitors do as well. ID badges are a great solution for meeting and maintaining security measures.

In manufacturing, bio-tech and engineering, as well as companies that have military and government contracts, security is a must. Not only are there restricted sections within the workplace, but the workplace needs to be kept secure from visitors.  In these industries ID badges are a must. When your companies security relies on the vinyl ID badge, it must be a reliable and well-made badge.

ID badges are vinyl pouches that hold name badges along with security clearances. They can be made with pins or clips to attach to apparel, or used with a lanyard to hang around your employees necks.

Secure ID cards and ID badges can ensure enhanced security and integrity of a work place or school, identify employees and bring sense of community among the organization members.

For the highest quality vinyl name badges and ID badge holders, contact Atlantic Poly.