Waste to Oil
There’s a lot of good in so called waste to energy initiatives. Good for the planet. Good for the economy. Good for jobs and value creation.
Waste to energy typically entails building a small processing plant that serves a small area, one project we’ve proposed is meant to serve just one plant – and save $10,000,000 annually plus avoid $5,000,000 in planned capital replacement expenditures.
Contrary to most people’s understanding, waste to energy does not mean incineration. Rather it entails gasification or other chemistry to create the desired product whether that be steam to power a turbine or in this example, $10 a barrel oil.
How can waste to energy benefit your organization?
Watch it Shred
SSI is a company that has embraced Web 2.0 and social media by posting videos of it’s shredders in action.
Check them out at http://www.watchitshred.com/
Alternative to Compactors
There are advantages to compacting open-top roll-offs as opposed to conventional compactors.
You pay for the compactor’s “box” to be taken and brought back after it’s emptied. Open-top roll-offs are interchangeable and exchanged during pick up.
Mammoth Roll-Pack has such a solution and has made in roads in Europe. The business end of the equipment is pretty intimidating.
Backhaul recycling: the gold recycling standard for chain retailers
There is no doubt that backhauling is the gold standard for recycling for chain retailers.
Simply put, backhaul recycling is sending the truck back tothe distribution center full of recyclable materials. Scrap paper, cardboard, plastic bags, stretch film (shrink wrap), pallets, etc.
This technique is a economy of scale play. Each store’s volumes may be too low to encourage store level recycling or individual market areas may or may not viable recycling programs for a given material. By backhauling the recyclables, chain retailers amass enough volume of each material to be able to get preferred pricing and make a lower investment in compactors and balers and otehr recycling equipment.
Retailers may even backhaul sufficient volumes of recyling materials that the recycler will “spot a truck” at the loading lock or the retailer may be able to deal “mill direct,” where they can negotiate directly with the paper mill or what have you.
The United States Postal Service has a Zero Waste Initiative which involves backhauling. Check out a presentation called Implementing Backhaul Recycling here.
Commercial food scrap composting
San Francisco, long time metropolitan recycling leader in this country, let alone the globe recently passed a mandatory recycling ordinance. Residential and commercial building owners must sign up for recycling and composting services. San Francisco has already attained a 72% recycling rate and they’re going to go higher now – to 75%.
Essentially about one-third of landfilled material is recyclable. Tenants, both residential and commercial want to recycle, but the owners have been lagging.
Logistically, buildings have to supply three waste and recycling bins. One each for trash, recyclables and composting.
