SPI Supplies Recycling Programs
Play a role in helping to conserve nonrenewable resources and preserve our environment
The SPI Supplies recycling program is based on our long held belief that is it the moral
responsibility of a responsible supplier of laboratory products to help encourage our
customers (and even those of our competitors) to conserve nonrenewable resources and
to encourage practices that would make recycling practical and popular as well as
economical. We consider any practice that permits the reuse of an already
fabricated item (e.g. retipping of filaments, re-sharpening of diamond knives)
to be consistent with our program.
To understand the concept behind the SPI program, one must understand why such programs do
not work if attempted on the part of individual users. Simply put, the reason is economics.
Some might say it is the result of the "third law of thermodynamics" at play. For example,
a customer with one or two or even ten "spent" gold cathodes, if sent to a refiner for
recycling, the assay costs and minimum fabrication (e. g. melt down) costs would be more
than the intrinsic value of the metal. So recycling does not generally occur at the
customer level.
But if through our program, SPI Supplies can gather up spent cathodes from many users,
and send them into a refiner for assay and reprocessing all at one time, then the
nonrenewable resource can be processed economically, and the refined gold can once
again be put back into the gold "stream" to await processing into new cathodes for
future purchasers. In the case of precious metal cathodes, the economic incentive
to the customer is a 10% discount on a new cathode when a used one is returned at
the time of order placement.
Presently, the SPI recycling program covers the following products
(or product families):
To Ask a Question or Make a Comment
To Place an Order or Request a Quote
Return to:
Wednesday May 14, 2008
© Copyright 1998 - 2008. By Structure Probe, Inc.
Contacting SPI Supplies and Structure Probe, Inc.
All rights reserved.
All trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy
Worldwide Distributors, Representatives, and Agents
