The Bagster is bought at retail outlets like Home Depot and when full, the user schedules and pays for a pick up with a credit card by phone.

Convenient because there is no dumpster to drop off and left to sit around until you start your project. You just buy the Bagster and open it up when you begin work.

It takes Waste Management’s trucks off the road. Which is a big deal for them in terms of reducing their carbon footprint and reducing fuel costs and extending vehicle lifespans because they are in the transportation business as much as as they are in the waste and recycling business.

Not yet available in every market, we sure hope Bagster catches on and proves itself. Kudos to Waste Management for thinking out of the box!

If you have used a Bagster, I’d love to hear about your experience. Would you please share it with me here?

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 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.

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!

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?

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?

Initially, I had some reservations as to how you were going to achieve any substantial or worthwhile waste and recycling savings.

However, the results of your work exceeded my expectations and the expectations of my facilities director.

Please feel free to use me for a reference. I wish you continued success.

Kalman Wenig
CEO
Premier Care Centers, LLC

As promised, your process was very independent of our busy day-to-day operations. The results of your work are also excellent: 46% on recycling, 39% on trash at one location, and 17% at our other!

We also appreciate that your first initiative was to effectively handle building repairs resulting from waste
hauler damage, prior to collecting any fees.

I would be happy to recommend your organization to any prospective client. Thank you!

Pam McCloud Smith
Executive Director
Dane County Humane Society

Eight Steps You Can Take to Keep Your Waste Disposal Costs Under Control

Waste management is entrenched as the least exciting aspect of the lodging industry. Aside from the obvious unpleasantness, waste disposal is a comparatively small expense and is often thought of as, “out of sight, out of mind.” Even so, the nascent green lodging movement has taken trash and recycling from the loading dock and parking lot and into the executive offices. There, the movement has quickly established itself as a viable way to control costs, enhance guest satisfaction and improve occupancy.

While the economic benefits of going green are straightforward, the difficulty in executing a green lodging waste initiative boils down to the fact that it can be time consuming. While there are many resources advising hotel operators what to do, there are few resources who can actually step in and do it, saving managers time and money and helping them avoid missteps along the way. Consequently, this low hanging fruit is often ignored or abandoned after a couple of false starts.

To help stay on top of waste disposal costs, you need to do the following:

Remove Automatic Renewal Language In Your Contract

Standard waste vendor contracts include language that automatically extends existing rates and terms if certain notices aren’t properly given within a stated window of opportunity. Failing to give the proper notice means you forfeit your opportunity to improve rates and terms. To combat this, immediately send your vendor notice that you are canceling this language by certified letter, return receipt.

Don’t Rely on Competitive Bidding As Your Primary Cost Control

While competitive bidding may get you a decent price, it doesn’t guarantee you the exact service that you need. Haulers will ask what you have now and bid on that. Rarely will they spend the time to conduct a customized needs analysis for you. If you have an eight-yard dumpster, but really need a four-yard dumpster, getting a good price is meaningless because you’d still pay twice as much as you should.

Periodically Monitor the Waste Industry

Ask an administrative assistant to do an Internet search periodically. If a hotel operator had searched earlier this year, he’d be forewarned that the largest companies in the waste industry, like Waste Management Inc., and Allied Waste Systems, are focusing on return on capital, much of which is coming from price increases.

Don’t Buy Into the Myth Of ‘National Purchasing Leverage’

Waste disposal pricing, and the vendor’s costs, are largely a function of the distance from a property’s dumpster to the vendor’s nearest landfill. So while “purchasing leverage” does entail some discounting, it is really a misnomer for administrative simplification, where the hotel operator leaves money on the table in exchange for time. In particular, hotel operators who work with waste brokers sacrifice transparency and control because they no longer see the actual waste and recycling vendor invoices. This gives the waste broker the opportunity to operate with, and profit from, an additional margin.

Don’t Accept Price Increases Without Question

Waste vendors prepare for a percentage of their customers to refuse their price increases using actuarial techniques. Also, the sales managers instruct their staff not to lose any business over a price hike. So the next time you’re notified of a price increase, be sure to call them up and challenge it.

Be Clear on How Waste Bans and Laws Impact Your Costs and Liability

The bulk of a standard waste hauler agreement is language that limits their liability. Your vendor will not advise you nor guide you with respect to waste recycling requirements and regulations. You alone are responsible to ensure compliance and know that your hauler may provide services that expose your organization to financial risk and other penalties simply because it’s cheaper for them to operate that way.

Capture and Recycle All Valuable Commodities

There’s big money in selling cardboard, cans and plastic, so recycling service costs should be lower than those for solid waste. Managers should verify that the lower cost structure is passed along to them, not pocketed by the hauler. If there is space for one or more recycling containers, separating recyclables from waste should be carefully considered. Composting should also be considered for larger properties. Operators can reap community service and publicity benefits by considering local options for recycling like nonprofits and small businesses.

Identify and Correct Problems With Waste Collection Equipment

At larger properties, compactors are the equipment of choice. Like everything else, they require periodic maintenance, but it’s most often up to the hotel operator to ask for a checkup. Compactors should have working, accurate pressure gauges so staff can accurately monitor capacity. If you don’t have a pressure gauge, demand one from your vendor. In either case, it’s advisable to have an independent third party verify that the compactor’s pressure limit switches meet the manufacturer’s specifications. If they are lower than spec, you’ll pay for more frequent pickups, which makes your hauler more money.

Tim Johnson is president of Madison, Wisc.-based Midas Management Consulting LLC. Midas is a cost recovery and containment firm that specializes in no risk, performance-based expense reduction services for small and mid-sized businesses. Go to Midas Management Consulting or write to timjohnson@midasmanagementconsulting.com.

If the naysayers need more evidence that businesses can be both environmentally and economically friendly, Pineapple Hospitality has offered it. The environmental hospitality consulting company is now promoting a company that audits a facility’s waste disposal and recycling habits, as a firm with which hotels should do business.

The company, Midas Management Consulting, guarantees its clients that if after the audit they don’t save money, they don’t pay for the service. The company says it saves its clients an average of 37 percent on waste disposal expenses, and it asks little extra work from the client themselves.

Meeting planners can increase environmental stewardship by demanding that their event facility recycle, and Pineapple and Midas have made that request easier for a hotel to accommodate.

The meetings industry as a whole certainly plays a major role in resource use and waste production in this country. According to Pineapple president and founder Ray Burger, the approximately 4,700,000 hotel rooms in the U.S. generate about .2 cubic yards of waste per guest room, per week.  That’s 48,880,000 cubic yards of waste per year.

It’s time for planners and hotels to step up and take responsibility for their impact on the planet, and save some cash too.