Eaton Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., announced it has enhanced its return and recycling program for plastic reels used to ship various hose products from its plants to Eaton distributors in the United States and Canada.
As part of a company-wide effort to support environmental sustainability, distributors can return empty hose reels to a central location where they will be evaluated for re-use or recycling, depending on their condition. Reusable reel assemblies are then returned to Eaton facilities in the United States and Canada.
“Plastic hose reels are both safer and lighter than the wooden reels they replace,” said Jason Bricker, manager, materials planning for Eaton's Hydraulics Operations. “Many localities will not accept wooden reels for recycling. In addition, they splinter easily and the metal banding used to secure the hose on them can present a safety hazard if handled improperly.” Bricker adds that plastic reels eliminate these issues and reduce shipping costs while opening the door for enhanced re-use and recycling opportunities that aren't feasible with the wooden reels.
Eaton's Hydraulics Operations has contracted with Roadway Reverse Logistics, Grove City, Ohio, to pick up pallets of used hose reels from its distributors and take them to Roadway's facility for reassembly, cleaning, and inspection prior to re-use or re-cycling. Distributors are requested to disassemble and palletize 22- or 28-inch reels prior to calling for a pick up and encouraged to re-use original packaging to further reduce environmental impact.
Distributors can obtain a detailed program instruction sheet from Eaton's Hydraulics Operations' customer connect secure eBusiness website. There is no cost to distributors for this service.
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