Cascade Engineering Inc., has been awarded the Design for Recycling® award from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) for their EcoCart®.
The EcoCart is a roll to curb cart for recycling and refuse collection. The EcoCart is manufactured with up to 10% Post Consumer Curbside Recycled material (PCCR). PCCR is bulky rigid, hard to recycle residential items that are taken out of the waste stream and repurposed into new carts. Early predictions indicate that through the manufacture of these carts 2.2 Million pounds of the PCCR materials will be removed from the waste stream this year.

“As ISRI’s highest honor, the Design for Recycling Award recognizes those who put recycling and sustainability at the forefront of their product design,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “Through the development of its EcoCart from the initial concept stages all the way to end of life, Cascade has worked to design with recycling and sustainability in mind, incorporating the design for recycling principles into every element. ISRI is proud to recognize Cascade Engineering as the 2021 Design for Recycling Award recipient, and we look forward to their continued work towards a circular economy.”

“The EcoCart is a recent manifestation of our 40 year old core philosophy of triple bottom line and sustainability,” said President and CEO of Cascade Engineering Christina Keller. “We are extremely humbled to receive the Design for Recycling Award, the previous winners are in an elite class and we are excited for Cascade Engineering to join that group.”

To be eligible for ISRI’s Design for Recycling® Award, a product must be designed/redesigned and manufactured to:
• Contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable;
• Be easily recycled through current or newly designed recycling processes and procedures;
• Be cost effective to recycle whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials;
• Be free of hazardous materials that are not recyclable or impede the recycling process;
• Minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product;
• Reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components; and
• Have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.