Recycling network sends container of supplies to Haiti

Feb. 8 -- The Institution Recycling Network has sent its first container of relief supplies to Haiti. The 15,000-pound load included 120 mattresses from Brown University, medical supplies from New England Baptist Hospital, and more than 2,500 liters of bottled water from Max´s Blues Café in Brockton, Mass. The supplies were shipped from IRN´s Massachusetts warehouse through the Port of Newark and will arrive in Haiti by Feb. 12.

The shipment is being handled by longtime IRN partner Food for the Poor which has been on the ground in Haiti for many years.

Mark Berry, IRN´s surplus program manager, said recovery efforts follow stages.

"In the first weeks the recovery focuses on supplies for survival and stabilization: food, water, shelter, medicine and medical supplies," he said. "Then gradually there will be a shift to supplies for reconstruction, including building materials, furnishings, school and medical equipment. IRN´s role is to help both contributors and our relief partners match the flow into Haiti with the immediate needs on the ground."

The Institution Recycling Network is a cooperative recycling organization that works with colleges and universities, hospitals, K-12 schools and private companies to improve the performance and economics of recycling. IRN negotiates transportation, processing, and marketing of recycled commodities, provides a single point of contact to recycle dozens of different materials, and manages the logistics to get materials to market.

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com