Northeast Ohio businesses adopt zero waste plans
Check out the story in Waste & Recycling News on the Zero Waste Best Practices and First Steps event.
Northeast Ohio businesses adopt zero waste plans
By: Amanda Smith-Teutsch
March 01, 2010
Businesses in Northeast Ohio are adopting zero waste plans to save money and the environment, a panel of CEOs and corporate leaders told zero waste Best Practices and First Steps conference attendees in Cleveland Feb. 9.
“We don’t have Green Teams,” said Jeffrey Baldassari, CEO of the Taylor Companies, a Bedford, Ohio, company that manufactures office furniture. “We don’t make it special. It’s part of your job, part of the company.”
The panel discussion was sponsored by the Entrepreneurs of Sustainability network in Northeast Ohio.
Over a three-year period, the company began mapping out its waste streams and looking at what it was throwing away each year: sawdust, wood scraps, leather scraps, bits of fabric left over from special orders.
“Sustainable practices and waste diversion is a business opportunity,” he said. The company has gone from paying to dispose of sawdust, lumber and leather scraps and other items to being paid for many of the materials once regarded as waste.
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Baldassari said. “Why would I pay anyone a dime to come pick up free raw materials?”
Sawdust goes to local horse farms; leather scraps are made into wallets and purses. Wood waste is saved to see if it can be used in future projects. Fabric scraps from orders are saved and sometimes used as interior lining and backing when patterns and colors don’t matter. The company diverts 90% of its construction waste and recycles packaging and beverage containers brought onsite by workers.
Also speaking at event were Jeffrey Bowen, executive director of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, and Jeff Millis, inventory control manager for Talan Products.
While recycling at a metals stamping plant may seem intuitive, Millis said his company took it a step further and began asking its vendors to look at waste reduction. “We began poking through our Dumpsters and saw that much of what we were throwing away was packaging,” he said. “We contacted our vendors and told them we wanted to reduce our waste, and asked them to help us make that happen.”
That meant moving from materials that couldn’t be easily recycled, like wax-coated paper, and moving toward materials like cardboards and plastic films.
The E4S network began in 2000 and now has more than 7,000 members. The organization is an economic development body aimed at helping businesses develop sustainable businesses, said Annabel Khouri, a network entrepreneur for E4S. The ZeroWaste Northeast Ohio Network began in 2008, she said.
“People are interested in this topic,” she said. “I think hearing stories from [other company executives] begins to shift mindsets.”
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Northeast Ohio businesses adopt zero waste plans
By: Amanda Smith-Teutsch
March 01, 2010
Businesses in Northeast Ohio are adopting zero waste plans to save money and the environment, a panel of CEOs and corporate leaders told zero waste Best Practices and First Steps conference attendees in Cleveland Feb. 9.
“We don’t have Green Teams,” said Jeffrey Baldassari, CEO of the Taylor Companies, a Bedford, Ohio, company that manufactures office furniture. “We don’t make it special. It’s part of your job, part of the company.”
The panel discussion was sponsored by the Entrepreneurs of Sustainability network in Northeast Ohio.
Over a three-year period, the company began mapping out its waste streams and looking at what it was throwing away each year: sawdust, wood scraps, leather scraps, bits of fabric left over from special orders.
“Sustainable practices and waste diversion is a business opportunity,” he said. The company has gone from paying to dispose of sawdust, lumber and leather scraps and other items to being paid for many of the materials once regarded as waste.
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Baldassari said. “Why would I pay anyone a dime to come pick up free raw materials?”
Sawdust goes to local horse farms; leather scraps are made into wallets and purses. Wood waste is saved to see if it can be used in future projects. Fabric scraps from orders are saved and sometimes used as interior lining and backing when patterns and colors don’t matter. The company diverts 90% of its construction waste and recycles packaging and beverage containers brought onsite by workers.
Also speaking at event were Jeffrey Bowen, executive director of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, and Jeff Millis, inventory control manager for Talan Products.
While recycling at a metals stamping plant may seem intuitive, Millis said his company took it a step further and began asking its vendors to look at waste reduction. “We began poking through our Dumpsters and saw that much of what we were throwing away was packaging,” he said. “We contacted our vendors and told them we wanted to reduce our waste, and asked them to help us make that happen.”
That meant moving from materials that couldn’t be easily recycled, like wax-coated paper, and moving toward materials like cardboards and plastic films.
The E4S network began in 2000 and now has more than 7,000 members. The organization is an economic development body aimed at helping businesses develop sustainable businesses, said Annabel Khouri, a network entrepreneur for E4S. The ZeroWaste Northeast Ohio Network began in 2008, she said.
“People are interested in this topic,” she said. “I think hearing stories from [other company executives] begins to shift mindsets.”
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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