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Another of Wander's challenges is raising people's awareness that when it comes to recycling, every little <br />bit is important. "The bales that are received at LPI for processing are the cumulative effect of many individuals' <br />efforts, it's not just the big - volume guys," she said. LPI began single stream recycling within its own mill on <br />America Recycles Day in 2012, November 15. "We live by people recycling," Swanson said, "so here on site, we <br />ought to have single stream recycling for our employees. We even looked at which kinds of bins would best en- <br />courage recycling. We found that if you put a garbage can with a lid next to an open top recycling bin, people <br />are going to toss garbage into the recycling bin. We have learned from that let's close both bins." <br />LPI recently embarked on a partnership with Dem -Con Companies, a Shakopee construction and dem- <br />olition debris recovery company, on a new state -of -the -art MRF. When the 60,000- square -foot facility opens in <br />December 2013, it will have the ability to process in one hour 60 tons of fiber and 20 tons of mixed recyclables <br />obtained from residential and commercial operations. The goal is to provide a steady stream of recyclable mate- <br />rials to the local marketplace, reducing the amount of materials sent to area landfills. "We are moving along with <br />recycling life -cycle technology to stay current with the industry," Newell said of the partnership. <br />Product and process innovation <br />LPI is constantly looking for new ways to do things that make business and environmental sense for all. <br />"At this mill, we want to tackle new challenges," Wander said. "We thrive on change, diversity, caring and giv- <br />ing. We are very fortunate to have that environment and culture." In 1998, LPI received its first major award, <br />the Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention, for recycling rubber mats, pallets, <br />plastic totes and starch bags, and for a program that reduces power usage from idling machines. <br />A satisfying challenge involves finding uses for the 10 percent of material that gets mixed in the waste <br />bales and can't be used by LPI: wire that the bales are tied with, plastic (milk jugs, six -pack holders), and cellulo- <br />sic fiber. "One of our goals over our history is, rather than that stuff going into the landfill— remember we kept <br />90 percent out—is to find a better use for this material," Newell said. <br />The wire can be chopped up and used for scrap metal. The plastic is purchased by a Minnesota power - <br />generating cooperative for BTU value. And the cellulosic fiber? In fall 2011, LPI joined forces with two other <br />companies to collect, dry, and convert it to bedding for cattle, turkeys, and other livestock. The paper fiber ani- <br />mal bedding can supplement or replace the mix of wood shavings and sunflower seed hulls typically used in <br />commercial agricultural operations. After material has been used on the farm it can be used to fertilize farm <br />fields or be used as fuel at a biomass facility. It's also used for mulch. "It's a win - win," Newell said. <br />LPI created its Dreamworks Coating Solutions division as another avenue for innovation and profitabil- <br />ity. One of its products is the eco- friendly Freezer Release Coating, introduced in 2010, which eliminates the <br />petroleum -based wax coating customarily required for meat packaging used in sub -zero environments. Because <br />of the product's formulation, linerboard coated with this product can be recycled. <br />