Recycling & Energy Saving

• Collect eye glasses for the Lions Club World Vision Program. If you would like to donate eyeglasses, they may be dropped off at one of our Cress locations.
• Collect hearing aids for reuse. If you would like to donate hearing aids, they may be dropped off at one of our Cress locations.
• Pacemakers, which must be removed before cremation, are collected and can be refurbished, then reused in third world countries through Heart Too Heart. The pacemakers and the medical teams are provided at no charge to the recipients.
• Replacement artificial joints and prosthetic supports which are left after cremation are collected and sent to a company to be sorted and melted down so the metal can be reused. Many of these are specialized metals such as titanium and surgical stainless steel, in this way the metals can be recycled rather than going to the land fill. This will insure that serial numbers and other identifying marks are destroyed. Cress does not receive any compensation for the metal.
• Cress is first to offer Green Funerals to the communities we serve and are teaching other funeral professionals about these options through professional programming.
• Cress also supports organ and tissue donation. Cress actively works with the tissue procurement organizations and we make our facility on University Avenue available for use by the procurement agencies. This should give you a good indication of our standards for sanitation and hygiene.
• After funeral services, if the family wishes, we will deliver funeral flowers to area nursing homes and care centers. Often volunteers then make individual bouquets for residences.
• We use our own courier system for timely delivery of documents which reduces multiple trips to the same location; for example to the Dane County Register of Deeds Office to file death certificates.
• Use of compact fluorescent bulbs where possible for energy conservation.
• Lights off when not in use and turning off electronic devises, computers, printers, etc. at the end of the day.
• Use of programmable thermostats for heating and cooling.
• We are a Licensed Crematory Authority staffed by experienced, competent Crematory Operators who have completed specialized training. Our crematory operators are also licensed funeral directors. We take pride in the clean operation of our crematories, meeting or exceeding all EPA air standards.
• We use a professional medical waste disposal company to properly dispose of medical waste; it does not go to the landfill.
• Cress also uses a professional laundry service that operates under OSHA guidelines for sanitation purposes. Water soluble liners are used for staff protection and to contain soiled linens.



These are some of the ways that Cress supports recycling. We are continuing to search for other meaningful ways to contribute to the natural cycle of life.