Most businesses operate under the assumption that it’s simply more efficient to dispose of all waste than to manage recyclables—but did you know that’s a surefire way to leave money on the table? In fact, many recyclers value recyclable waste so much that they offer rebates. When you can recycle a product, it may seem like trash to you. To recyclers, each of those waste products has a value since it already reflects a lot of the raw material investment that went into making the product in the first place. Recyclers will pay for that raw material that can be remanufactured back into more plastic drums, cardboard boxes, fiber board, or something brand new(ish).
The simple fact is that on average, only about 30% of all recyclable material actually ends up getting recycled. A lot of that is due to a lack of knowledge as to what can be recycled and what can’t, especially in the industrial world. Some waste products, namely paper and cardboard, get recycled at a much higher rate than plastics. While paper recycling is relatively straightforward, plastic recycling comes with loads of complications like mixed materials that may impact recyclability. There are many nuances that might make recycling seem like more trouble than it’s worth, but that’s not the case.
Given these kinds of challenges, the key to a successful recycling program is recycling commodity knowledge and relationships: two things that we pride ourselves on here at Evergreen.
Having the focus on recycling and waste management means that we are the experts on what is possible. With a passion for the environment and for helping businesses like yours, our team works hard to make sure that as little of the waste stream as possible ends up in a landfill. We have extensive experience in the three main areas of waste management: recycling of paper and paper products, recycling of plastics, and waste hauling and management. We also have the equipment (various trucks, baling machinery, compacting machinery, sorting bins, among others) needed to execute a waste recycling program of any kind, whether that’s recycling, trash management, or both. When you sit down with Evergreen and talk through the options you’ll come away with a better understanding of what is possible. Our team will listen to your challenges, objectives, and goals, and will inform you of what is possible to do. With that knowledge, you can decide how far you want to go with your waste management plan– and however far that is, we can take you there.
When you work with Evergreen, your waste recycling program will be driven by our goals-based approach. In the first meeting with Evergreen, our experts will perform an audit of all of your waste streams. Generally speaking, the results of those audits will give you options for increased recycling streams that will decrease your trash costs and increase recycling revenues. From there, we can determine how to best handle your waste for max effectiveness and savings. Let’s take a look at an example.
You could have, as a goal, to increase your recycling rates to a certain percentage. Our recycling professionals would come in and detail every possible recycling stream and discuss the practicality of recovering that stream without disrupting your company’s processes. We will give you options that will allow you to separate commodities or mix them together. Whichever works best for you. In the end, either way, we will increase your recycling rates and decrease your trash flow.
As mentioned before, the recyclable portion of waste has value for you. Our thorough analysis identifies every source of trash and recyclable waste, so that we can capture as many recyclables as possible to maximize your rebates. The value of this type of waste is dependent on supply, demand, hauling costs, and other factors. From month to month, we break down these driving factors to give you valuable insights on the market trends that impact your rebates and waste recycling program as a whole.
Another objective could just be to reduce the hauling costs for trash. It might be possible to accumulate your trash so that there are fewer trips per month taken, or trash might be combined with other sources to see a more favorable overall monthly cost for hauling trash. Each case is unique and presents different ways to save. With our expertise, Evergreen can find the answers to let you know more about what these savings opportunities look like for your particular facility. In almost all cases, Evergreen can at least help save you some costs on trash and recycling management. In most cases, our team can also generate a new revenue stream for your business as well. It just depends on the makeup of your trash and what it takes to realize that value.
One of the best things about working with Evergreen on waste management is that we listen. Our team is your team, meaning that we share your goals and are flexible enough that if those goals need to be adjusted, we will always be ready to help with that in a timely manner. Even when things don’t go according to plan, you can still rely on Evergreen to lend a helping hand with services like our 24-hour waste pickup. We value clarity and delivering real value to your business, which is why we produce a monthly report with all charges and returns included. We are totally transparent about what you were able to earn through recycling and/or how much you were able to save with an improved haulage program. If charges change ($/ton at the landfill for example) we will let you know that, and if the commodity pricing for recycled cardboard, paper or plastics changes, we will let you know about that as well. These changes may make it more economical to follow a different plan than you originally set-up. Evergreen is flexible and will work with you to make that happen to deliver the best results for your business.
The easiest way to get started is just give Evergreen a call. Let our service team know what you’re thinking as far as programs that you may be interested in, and we will work with you to set up a convenient time for the initial audit. Our waste management professionals will listen to your needs, let you know your options, and get you set up to start reducing your environmental impact and work towards earning recyclable rebates right away.
To learn more about Evergreen Recycling and our recycling and waste management programs, visit our web site at https://evergreen-recycling.com/plastics-recycling/
Ready to speak with our team? You can reach out to our personnel directly through this contact link: https://evergreen-recycling.com/contact/ or give us a call at (817) 293-4400
