SAVING OUR PLANET ONE BLADDER AT A TIME…
GEORGIA AQUARIUM INC. (GAI) partners with Lisa Levison (aka the Queen of Clean) through a 36-month certified facility hygiene program known as AQUAGREEN CLEAN. Georgia Aquarium’s commitment to be environmentally conscious is real, attainable, and not impossible to achieve when conservation efforts are an essential step in maintaining core values and veracity.
Plastic recycling facts:
Single-use plastic remains a massive issue despite increasing awareness of the damage it causes. Consumers and producers are looking at ways to move away from our reliance on these materials. However, the statistics surrounding plastic disposal and recycling paint a worrying picture.
Around 5 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the US every hour, putting the figure at about 35 billion plastic bottles annually.
Plastic bladders and bottles may take up to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill, leading to microplastics entering the ocean.
Plastic in the ocean is a huge problem, with estimates suggesting that 8 million metric tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans annually.
One study suggests that plastic pollution affects at least 700 marine species, which is likely much higher.
The plastic bottle recycling rate for PET bottles in the US is around 30%.
Multi-material plastic packaging is among the most challenging types of waste to recycle.
The AQUAGREEN CLEAN 36-MONTH PROGRAM hits the halfway point and has exciting news to share!
In 18 months, Georgia Aquarium has single-handedly prevented over 45,000 pounds of used dispensing bladders manufactured, produced, and recycled by DERMAGLOVE from being disposed after single use.
Program’s Usage, Recycling, and Repair Surplus Numbers:
37,150 plastic bladders circulated
7,392 plastic PET wipe canisters repurposed
15,690 plastic PET bottles recycled
106 plastic dispensing stations maintained
This type of commitment requires used bladders, plastic bottles, plastic wipe canisters, and/or plastic dispensing stations to be placed in RECYCLING BINS located within Georgia Aquarium. These bins are managed, emptied, and returned to DERMAGLOVE by TeamDRS for disinfecting and recycling purposes twice a week. In conjunction with this process, dispenser inspections are conducted to ensure that all units are maintained within Georgia Aquarium. Dispensing Stations are inspected for functionality and broken parts are replaced.
In addition to the bladders, AQUAGREEN CLEAN reuses and recycles the 32oz plastic bottles and wipes canisters, thereby continuously maintaining the lifespan of all dispensing units. All products and hardware within this program have been developed specifically for Georgia Aquarium by iBio Solutions and are enviro-safe, non-toxic, and 100% aquatic safe.
How it started, and how OVER 100,000 POUNDS of plastic have stayed out of the LANDFILL by working together for one shared mission.
“I am extremely proud of this program’s results,” says Levison. “During the pandemic, we were one of the only sanitizing and disinfection companies able to deliver sanitizing products into Georgia Aquarium regularly. This was happening when no other business could deliver these goods. We had not entered into the Hygiene Program just yet; instead, I began working hand in hand with my client during this time to develop a program that we both knew would be beneficial for both businesses and the environment in the long run.”
Levison continues with a bit of history, “My commitment to developing environmentally safe products for Georgia Aquarium began long before 2020”. Levison clearly understood from the first moment she agreed to remediate the galleries inside Georgia Aquarium that her mission required research to deliver the right products for this fantastic and unique aquarium. She quickly learned that these products were not readily available in the marketplace and did not fit into typical janitorial standards. To keep this aquarium clean, safe, and healthy, many of the products used by Levison have been produced, tested, and applied through extensive research and development efforts and expense.
Consequently, when the Georgia Aquarium remained open during the pandemic, her commitment to safety never wavered. From her first project in 2013 and well into the pandemic, she understood that guest safety was paramount to Georgia Aquarium Leadership. This was a time when many businesses in the world could not secure PPE products due to the restraints of the pandemic. Levison took the necessary steps to ensure Georgia Aquarium would not be unprotected.
Regardless of the shortages and transportation limitations, Levison delivered not only sanitizers, disinfectants, and cleaning supplies during this time, but she was able to secure a truckload of 60,000 disinfecting and cleaning wipes with the promise of “if you get them for us, we’ll use them.” This purchase was completed when these products were impossible to find, and negations often led to disappointment. Nevertheless, Levison accepted the challenge and eventually delivered the goods, making it possible, during a global pandemic, for Georgia Aquarium to stay safe, clean, and healthy during uncertain times while the entire world was navigating an uncharted environmental climate.
Levison shares the background, “To date, Georgia Aquarium has used approximately 16,000 of the 60,000 biodegradable wipes originally purchased for them in 2020. I maintain their inventory and produce these wipes every week. The wipes are combined with the other products offered, produced, recycled, and delivered as part of the entire 36-month Facility Program we developed together after the pandemic”. Levison continues, “This undoubtedly was an investment for me to take on as a small disadvantaged woman-owned business, but that is what being a good partner is all about” Levison concludes the interview, “more importantly, by working together we both share in the successes of this amazing program, proving that recycling and reusing plastics might be more time-consuming and difficult. Still, the results are more rewarding than the struggles and tribulations of hard work”. Levison stated, “I love what I do for Georgia Aquarium. I know we believe in one mission by working together to make a difference towards conservation efforts, regardless of how small it might seem in the bigger picture. It is a start! And this is how we can stand strong together to demonstrate the impact one single commitment can do to change and improve the life of our planet.”
If you would like to purchase any of the products that we have formulated for Georgia Aquarium, you can do so here. Half of the proceeds are sent to the Georgia Aquarium to support their conservation efforts.
The interviewer and Author is C.D. Hardy