Ultimately Gazelle Disappoints
OK, got the scoop from Gazelle today. Rather then paraphrase, here’s the note I received from customer service:
Hello Tim,
I have researched your order, unfortunately at this time we do not provide free shipping for items that are eligible for recycling only. If you would like to send your items please send them to:
Gazelle
61 North Beacon St.
Suite 3000
Boston Ma, 02134
If you would rather not send in your item here is a link to a page on our site that can help you locate a local recycle center so you can responsibly recycle these items.
Thank you,
Nicole
Customer Care
This is just a bit of a snafu don’t you think? No where is this policy mentioned on the site, or in the order fulfillment process. In fact, I was instructed to print up a packing slip and the FAQ says an envelope will arrive shortly.
At a minimum, this policy should be revealed during the order fulfillment process, prior to the step where one prints up the packing slip.
I venture to say that the envelope should be sent anyway in order to “buy a customer.” Everyone knows that customer acquisition is much more costly than repeat business, so Gazelle would do well to suffer a small loss in order to acquire a customer who will experience a smooth process from the get go, gain confidence from the experience and then continue to do (profitable) business with them.
As it is, I’m grumpy with Gazelle, doubtful that I’ll do business with them in the future and I now have to source a local cell phone recycler – after having old junk clutter my desktop for two weeks.
Foam Densifiers
Polystyrene foam. Fun stuff. Ubiquitous. Most often landfilled.
Foam densification is a fancy term for compacting polystyrene foam into tiny little blocks. Foam by definition is full of air, so smushing it anyway you can saves a lot of space, which reduces waste disposal pick ups and thus, costs.
For example, Dart Container Corp makes a densifier that can compact a foam mound the size of a Prius into the volume of a five-gallon bucket.
Foam densifiers are great fits for distribution center recycling and food service foam is very common too. The equipment isn’t cheap, so sourcing it requires great care. Leasing is a good option, especially if you are selling the densified foam to an organization who uses it as a raw material.
Starbucks and Packaging Recycling
Starbucks wants its cups to be 100% recyclable by 2012. That’s a great goal for a company that uses three billion cups annually.
So Starbucks has begun to gathered stakeholders from every step in their supply chain and beyond to discuss the matter. Cup Summit included suppliers, paperboard companies, municipalities, recyclers, waste haulers, manufacturers, and environmental NGOs.
While cross-channel discussions were reportedly a big eye opener, many are skeptical, which is typical of any ambitious undertaking.
Sourcing 100% recycled paperboard is relatively easy. The key issue is related to the recycling the used cups.
Regulations are the first obstacle. Starbucks must be able to get their cups as old corrugated cardboard (OCC) so they can be recycled in the first place. That’s the basic regulatory hurdle.
Then the next obstacle is that the cups must be recyclable at the local level. The communities must first recycle, and not all do. Understand that recycling has always been a numbers game. That is, is there enough of the used material to sell it in bulk to someone who will use the material as a raw material. So even if there is a market for a material, there may not be a market near enough to make the transaction economically viable. In simple terms, low volume of a material and transportation costs (both economic and for sustainablity-minded companies, carbon footprint) may be deal breakers.
Recycling old corrugated cardboard is widespread, so getting the cups to qualify is important. But keep in mind they are contaminated by the contents. For example, you can’t recycle pizza boxes because of the grease and cheese residue. On disposal, Starbucks’ cups held or still hold, coffee, tea, milk, sugar and other toppings which could preclude recycling.
This segues to the real elephant in the room (pardon my mixing of metaphors throughout), Starbucks’ customers. Most cups leave by the front door or the drive through and how do you control them? Influencing guest actions has been a real bugbear for amusement parks and hotels because even if these organizations provide recycling containers, they aren’t often used properly and often the recyclable material is tossed in the trash receptacle anyway.
So it’s very tough for organizations whose guests operate within their boundaries, but like I said, most Starbucks cups leave the premises and end up far from Starbucks’ control.
From where I sit, the initiative deserves credit. It’s ambitious, it’s worthwhile and to succeed it must be a game changer. Like Gazelle, this is one project I’ll be following going forward.
What do you think? Is the project feasible? What would have to change? Let me know!
Sell Your Gadgets On Gazelle
Now that consumers are swarming the malls, it may not surprise you learn the average US consumer spends $1,500 every year on electronic gadgets. So we Americans are churning and burning through our electronics really fast. That’s where Gazelle comes in.
Gazelle enables recycling through a neat business model that’s akin to Netflix, another favorite of mine. View how Gazelle works here, but suffice it to say you notify Gazelle of the items you want to dispose of, they make you an offer and, if accepted, send you the box. When you send it back, you get paid!
Not a bad way to close the end of life loop for consumer electronics!
What’s more, businesses, non-profits and schools can sell to Gazelle in bulk too!
I hope Gazelle pans out. It’s a novel idea and a needed one. I am going to try it out soon and I’ll post my experience when I do. Why not try Gazelle yourself and let me know how it goes?
Recycling for Manufacturing
Creative recycling can go a long way towards minimizing waste disposal costs. Recently we got creative with recyling recommendations for a manufacturer. Two waste streams in particular were bulky and hard to compact.
The first was literally acres of tarps. These are the blue tarps you can buy at any home improvement or hardware store. Thing is, they were huge since they’re meant to wrap trains during transit. We sourced a local home improvement non-profit who was willing to accept the tarps and cut them down to (re)salable sizes. A win-win, but also one with strong local PR and media potential.
How to recycle tarps
The second waste stream was small spools. Purchasing sourced the material at lower cost, but the spools were not recylable nor were they returnable to the supplier. Nor was the disposal cost part of Purchasing’s math. This item made the case for a sustainable or green purchasing practices.
It's smart to source recyclable or returnable spools
What materials at your plant or shop can you recycle with just a little effort and creativity?
