Don't Throw Your Profits Out With The Trash!

When you get right down to it, making a profit is the driving force behind almost all businesses. Successful businesses maximize their income and minimize expenses. Why then, are so many potential profits going out with the trash?

By practicing waste prevention, reusing products, recycling whenever possible, and making environmentally conscious purchases, your business can cut costs and increase profits.

Here are a few examples of small and large businesses that have impacted their bottom line. (If you are a local business, and would like to share your success stories, please e-mail or call the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority at 906-1801).

CalFed Bank, Lafayette, CA
Cal Fed Bank in Lafayette is a role model for waste reduction in the workplace. To recycle the majority of their paper waste, Cal Fed contracts with a shredding company that collects, shreds and recycles their sensitive documents. Since they do not generate enough bottles, cans and newspapers to hire a collection service, the bank employees collect their recyclables in bags and gives them to a bank customer who takes them to a buyback center. Cardboard is collected by their janitor for recycling. To reduce waste, Cal Fed reuses one-sided paper (from non-sensitive documents) in their copy machine. By employing these practices, Cal Fed has reduced its purchase of new paper to two cases per year.

Hyatt Hotel, San Francisco, CA
The Hyatt Hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf has an active employee and client education program, consisting of bulletin board notices in employee areas and informational door hangers on guests’ doors. The Hyatt has donated used linen and uniforms to the Salvation Army and building materials to the City’s Homeless Task Force. The Hyatt has recycled more than 40,000 pounds of cardboard and mixed paper, and has saved more than $26,000 on disposal fees.

Dura-Metrics, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA
Dura-Metrics, a dental laboratory, has reduced its landfill waste by more than 50 percent over the last 12 months by recycling office paper, cardboard, newspaper, plastic, fluorescent tubes, and aluminum cans. Surplus plastic buckets are donated for reuse to schools, and other businesses. Dura-Metrics’ waste reduction program has enabled the company to cut its weekly trash pickups in half, saving over $3,000 a year.

Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Silicon Graphics, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-performance visual computing systems. Their newest products are shipped in recycled kraft boxes printed with water-based inks. Silicon Graphics recycles glass, aluminum, computer paper, white paper, cardboard, polystyrene foam, wood pallets, computer components, toner cartridges, compact disks, landscape waste, fluorescent bulbs, plastic food containers, tin cans, and cooling oil and grease. In fiscal year 1994, Silicon Graphics received over $10,000 from the sale of materials.

Valin Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA
Valin Corporation distributes products and provides engineering support for controlling gases, liquids, and processes found in manufacturing environments. In just two years, with the cooperation of management and employees, they are recycling all white paper, aluminum cans, packing materials, and cardboard, and ordering recyclable packaging materials. They have reduced their weekly trash pickup from three times a week to two times a week, with a goal of once a week, for an annual savings of $1,353.

Broderbund Software, Novato, CA
Broderbund Software, Inc., a diversified consumer software company with a broad selection of products for homes, schools, and small businesses, has implemented a comprehensive recycling and waste reduction program targeting aluminum, paper, glass, cardboard packaging, and printer cartridges. With recycling bins at every desk, each employee recycled over 170 pounds of paper in 1994, doubling their 1993 efforts! Broderbund has saved over $20,000 in disposal fees annually.

Marketing Response Systems, Santa Clara, CA
Marketing Response Systems (MRS) is a direct mail firm, offering data and mail processing services to the Bay Area since 1978. MRS annually donates 25 tons of cardboard to a local nonprofit organization, while also recycling wood pallets and excess paper stocks with local companies. MRS is committed to the purchase of recycled products (towels, tissues, paper stocks, and envelopes) as well as the reuse of toner cartridges and line printer ribbons. Marketing Response Systems’ recycling and reuse programs have cut trash pickups in half and saves close to $1,000 annually.

Target, Walnut Creek, CA
Target is a quality discount department store chain dedicated to improving the quality of life for its team members and guests in 34 states. Through recycling and waste reduction, Target stores have reduced the weight of their garbage by 75%. By eliminating pins, tissue, clips, tape, and individual bags Target reduced its packaging waste, in its clothing lines, by 80% in one year.

Kaiser Permanente, Walnut Creek, CA
Kaiser Permanente is committed not just to the health care of individuals, but also to the planet they live on. Kaiser’s policy promotes conserving natural resources, reducing waste through recycling and reuse, and buying recycled-content products. Kaiser recycles white and colored paper, newspaper, cardboard, glass, plastic, cans, phone books, magazines, scrap metal, aluminum, batteries, blankets, toner cartridges, envelopes and anything else they can think of. Kaiser’s Green Team sponsors an Earth Day Fair every year, so that the spirit of waste prevention and recycling is alive and visible to each employee. Through these programs, in 1995 Kaiser reduced its waste by 40%, decreasing its garbage bill significantly.