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Gaston Cantens, who serves as Vice President of Corporate Relations for Florida Crystals Corporation, says his company produces enough renewable energy in its South Florida biomass power plant to power is sugar factories and tens of thousands of homes. But, he claims the company could make even more clean energy than it currently does through its New Hope Power Company.

Why doesn’t Florida Crystals produce more renewable energy? Gaston Cantens, a former majority leader in the Florida House of Representatives, recently told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper that Florida Crystals does not run its biomass power plant at full capacity because the company is only being paid between 4.5 cents to 5 cents per kilowatt hour for the renewable electricity it generates and sends to the Florida electrical grid. Because of the regulatory system in Florida, the company cannot sell directly to consumers and they are at the mercy of what the large utilities will pay them. In order to make a profit, Florida Crystals would like to sell its renewable electricity for 10 cents to 13 cents per kilowatt hour. Cantens asserts that price is less than what most utilities charge their consumers for it.

Along with the greater amount of clean electricity that would be produced, Gaston Cantens says the advantage of his company’s brand of power is that biomass power also produces more jobs than other types of power generation. According to Cantens, electricity generated by biomass power produces ten times more economic activity than electricity produced using fossil fuels. He contends that figure equates to more jobs in Florida at a time when the state’s leaders are trying to find ways to boost the economy. Those jobs, Cantens says, are permanent and sustainable, and not just short-term jobs like in the construction of new power plants.

Our society is becoming increasingly modern, and as we focus on contemporary aspects of life, we also become more aware of our environment and ways in which we can preserve it. There are simple ways to maximize our efforts towards going green, and recycling paint is just one small way to make a difference. Let’s face it, the majority of us have excess paint sitting around from one time or another. Although touch up paint is a good thing to keep stowed away, often times when people move or choose a different color, old, left over paint colors become useless and it often gets disposed of. With our health and safety and the well being of our environment being held in high regards, it is wise to look into other options as far as paint goes. There are solutions that give you the option to recycle paint, and there are also ways you can make use of it for other projects or donate it to charity.

The main concern with paint is that certain types tend to include hazardous chemicals and materials such as lead or mercury. If you are looking to take a load of paint off your hands that you fear contains contaminants such as these, you should look into taking it to a hazardous waste center that will ensure it is disposed of properly. All in all, there is a lot to learn about paint and ways in which is can be handled. Different states have different regulations, and certain states such as California, Washington, and Minnesota deem water based paint as hazardous and require that it be dealt with at a hazardous waste center.

Whether you plan to recycle paint on your own or look into recycling programs through your city, there are a few things to consider in order to make sure that everything is handled properly. Firstly, you are going to want to use up the old paint by painting large areas of cardboard or poster board with the various paint colors you plan to eliminate. Once these are thoroughly dry and the cans are empty, you can dispose of the cardboard or poster board and proceed with elimination of the cans. Regardless of paint colors, many cities and counties offer programs for paint can disposal, and some areas actually take care of paint disposal for you as well. Latex paint is particularly desirable for recycling because it can be turned into new paint or even be used towards the creation of other products, like cement. Recycling oil based paint is slightly more complex and can be recycled for fuel bending purposes. No matter what type of paint you have in store, the elimination process is simple, and you can help to preserve your environment with just a few simple steps when you recycle paint.