It Works: Smart Business Recycling Success Stories
Bausch & Lomb
Bausch & Lomb recycles nearly 60 percent of the waste that is generated at its facility in Greenville County. The list of recycled items includes cardboard, mixed paper, plastic, scrap metal and pallets as well as fiber and plastic drums. Not only did they see a reduction in their disposal costs, but they also managed to yield a net profit of $75,000.Bausch & Lomb created a recycling team with representatives from all departments. The team continuously looks for new recycling opportunities and educates fellow employees by sending e-mails and placing posters throughout the facility. The team is also responsible for planning the America Recycles Day event.
Cooper Standard Automotive
Cooper Standard Automotive in Spartanburg recently increased their recycling rate from 40 percent to more than 50 percent. With the help of Smart Business, Cooper Standard Automotive was able to find a vendor for most of their plastic waste that had previously been sent to a landfill. This diversion has resulted in a $15,600 per year cost savings and also has prevented 200,000 pounds of material from going to a landfill.Cooper Standard Automotive also recycles scrap metal, paper, cardboard and pallets.
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) in Gaffney, South Carolina has made a strong commitment to reducing waste and recycling. They are the pilot plant for Daimler Trucks North America’s Zero Waste to Landfill by 2010 initiative. This past year they reduced their waste by 62.3 percent per chassis generated and were nearly 90 percent landfill waste free - well on their way to meeting the zero waste goal.
FCCC increased its recycling rate to more than 95 percent by the end of 2008 - recycling everything from plastic bottles and cardboard to plastic tie bands and nylon hoses. This effort keeps more than 4 million pounds of material out of the landfill.
Their efforts have produced a 37 percent decrease in waste disposal costs and the company was recently accepted as a partner of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WasteWise program and was recently accepted into the South Carolina Environmental Excellence Program. FCCC educates and motivates employees with the help of their Environmental Green Team and Web page.
Lexington Medical Center
Lexington Medical Center (LMC) in West Columbia has found a way to recycle just about everything: cardboard, paper, pallets, furniture, shrink wrap, plastic, electronic waste, aluminum cans, even water and used cooking oil. The hospital’s out-of-date medical supplies are donated to a local animal shelter.Just by recycling cardboard, LMC not only keeps 100 tons of this bulky material out of the landfill but they also manage to save more than $7,100 a year in avoided disposal costs.LMC also educates staff about the recycling program’s successes and positive environmental impacts through an employee newsletter.
About the Recognition and Awards Program ...
For more information about the S.C. Smart Business Recycling Program Recognition and Awards Program and to apply, click here.
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The S.C. Smart Business Recycling Program is a partnership of DHEC and the S.C. Department of Commerce.
This Web page was last modified on July 13, 2009.