Symons Valley Ranch
The work we are doing with the Symons Valley Farmers Market has been very exciting. Here is a business that is on track to divert 85% of their waste from the landfills by the end of the year. If that isn’t enough, they will also be saving over $10,000 each year (that is enough to buy like… 12 iPads) with some simple changes to their waste management programs. Here is how it all started:
The Waste Audit
We love what we do so much that we are willing to dig through your garbage to find little treasures that can be recycled instead of sent to the landfills. We call it a “waste audit”. For Symons Valley Ranch we sorted through an entire day’s worth of garbage and set aside everything that could be recycled. We found that 38% of waste was being recycled… not bad. We also found that there was potential to recycle up to 88% of their waste. Wow, who knew so much could be recycled (we secretly knew the whole time)? Here are the results of their waste audit:
- Mixed Recycling Items Found= 58%
- Organic Material Found = 30%
- Actual Garbage Found = 12%
Setting Goals
With a better idea of their potential to reduce waste, the Farmer’s Market set some serious goals. By summer 2016 the goal is to recycle 75% of waste (huge recycling skills!). The goal for the end of the year is to be recycling 85% of waste (recycling super-heroes!). A customized program with mixed recycling and organic waste bins was initiated to help each piece of waste end up in the right place. They are well on their way to achieving their goals!
Cost Savings
Before March, 2016 Symons Valley Farmers Market was spending about $2,500 each month on garbage and cardboard removal. With a full-service recycling program in place their garbage removal expenses dropped to $1,000. The cost of the recycling program is roughly $600, which means that they are already saving somewhere around $900 each month. That is where the annual savings of $10,000 is coming from (enough to buy a Nissan Micra…).
Environment Savings
One of the technical key-indicator terms in the recycling industry is “Waste Diversion Rate”. It is the percentage of waste that is being recycled and “diverted” away from the landfills. The Farmers Market started at 38% and is well on their way to 75% by summertime and 85% by the end of the year. They have taken control of their environmental impact to become recycling super-heroes. Awesome job guys!
