It is one of the industry’s best-kept secrets – effective waste and recycling management can dramatically lower waste costs by as much as 50%.
David Troust, Great Forest’s director of sustainability for the Mid-Atlantic region, recently pulled together two case studies to illustrate this point. He presented the data to over 100 industry and local government representatives, haulers and facilities managers at the Virginia Recycling Association. Here is a summary:
Case Study 1: 231,116 square foot building
Previous Equipment Setup
Trash/Recycling: (1) 20-yard compactor (1x/week)
Monthly Cost: $1476
New Equipment Setup
Trash: (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)
*Single Stream: (2) 4-yard container (3x/week)
Monthly Cost: $797
Monthly Savings: $679 (53.9%)
Case Study 2: 604,495 square foot building
Previous Equipment Setup
Trash: (1) 34-yard compactor (2x/week)
Cardboard: (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)
Monthly Cost: $4385
New Equipment Setup
Trash: (1) 34-yard compactor (1x/week)
*Single Stream: (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)
Monthly Cost: $2433
Monthly Savings: $1952 (55.5%)
[*Single Stream system here refers to recyclables (MP, OCC, GMP) stored together in one container, but bagged separately to reduce contamination.
“Many in the audience had no idea that waste and recycling management could make such a big impact,” says David. “It is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to make your buildings greener and more cost-effective.”