This program aims to solve an environmental challenge facing Yellowstone: Many of the park's millions of annual visitors use propane cylinders to light camping stoves and grills during their stay, but often don't know how to properly dispose of the cylinders. Visitors tend to leave them near campsites or in the incorrect recycling containers, rather than properly disposing of them in designated propane recycling bins.
"Proper recycling of all camping materials – including the fuel cylinders used each season – has always been a focus in Yellowstone; however, the park's original infrastructure could not keep up with the number of cylinders used," said Karen Kress, president of Yellowstone Park Foundation. "We are grateful for Bernzomatic's partnership in uncovering a long-term cylinder recycling solution that also makes the process simpler for park visitors."
As part of the program, Bernzomatic invested significant resources to overhaul Yellowstone's existing cylinder reclaim vehicle. The company's engineering, product development, safety and regulatory teams collaborated to create this first-of-its-kind design with enhanced safety features. The new vehicle now removes residual propane from discarded fuel cylinders and processes them for recycling 20 times faster than the original vehicle.
"We are proud to partner with Yellowstone Park Foundation on a sustainability initiative that not only educates park visitors on safe cylinder disposal, but also enhances the beauty of this iconic national park," said Mike Verne, general manager of consumer products for Worthington Industries, parent company to Bernzomatic. "This partnership is a natural extension of our Bernzomatic CylinderSafeTM program, the first and only public education program on non-refillable fuel cylinder safety. Through this initiative with Yellowstone, we want to make it as simple as possible for park visitors to access important cylinder safety and disposal information and reduce waste in the parks."
To make the recycling process simpler, Yellowstone and Bernzomatic are also renovating the park's propane recycling bin infrastructure by making the bins more easily identifiable, distinguishable and uniform in color. The recycling bins will have updated signage that clearly communicates the type of cylinders that are acceptable to discard in the bins. The organizations are also working to educate park visitors about cylinder recycling by sharing program information on their websites and social channels and across park lodges, visitor centers and local convenience stores.
About Bernzomatic
Bernzomatic, a Worthington Industries brand, has been the leader in the blowtorch category since 1876. With a passion for craftsmanship and creation, Bernzomatic believes in providing the right tools and inspiration to take on projects and redefine what you can achieve. Bernzomatic products set the standard in safety, durability and performance, and include handheld torches, fuel cylinders, butane lighters and project accessories that can be used on the job site, in the home and in the hands of those with a desire to create. Find your fire at www.bernzomatic.com.
About the Yellowstone Park Foundation
The Yellowstone Park Foundation (YPF) has served as Yellowstone National Park's official fundraising partner since 1996. Its mission is to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources, and the visitor experience of the Park. YPF has raised more than $100 million, and funded more than 325 important projects and initiatives since 1996 that include wildlife research, cutthroat trout restoration, trail maintenance, and youth education. For more information, please go to www.ypf.org.
Media contact:
Aliza Gross
312-222-1758
[email protected]
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SOURCE Bernzomatic
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