Recycling in commercial enterprises is important because commercial waste makes up about 40 percent of total municipal solid waste.
Working with recycling companies that specialize in the regrinding and processing of various plastics, steel, aluminum, paper, glass and electronics, ACT Green is able to properly dispose of recyclable commercial packaging and waste that other programs may not handle.
When Act Green proposes a collection program, each program is designed to meet the specific characteristics of your company and the types of recyclables collected.
Your company can recycle with Act Green these items and much more:
To best determine a price, space availablity, amount of recyclables and needs,
Act Green requires an onsite visit to discuss your companys recycling goals.
Often custom bins or containers are needed to fit spacing limitations, or to match the decor of the company.
Act Green is your solution provider to meet these challenges.
We can order bins/containers that you choose or that we recommend as a good fit for your company's environment.
Or if possible, keep it simple and inexpensive and go with standard style bins/containers
For large warehouse collection we can offer Super Sacks or Roll off containers
Once your business commits to recycling with Act Green, you will be assigned a day of the week for weekly collection or if bi-weekly or monthly is preferred.
Act Green is happy to accommodate your companys schedule and set a collection day that works for you.
The key to the success of implementing a recycle program at your business, are the employees. Act Green will provide your company with materials to educate staff on recycling practices and benefit for your company. Convenience is also another key to a successful recycling program. A convenient collection system will encourage employees to carefully sort recyclables by material type and to eliminate contaminants. Once your staff starts the recycle process, it will become effortless and rewarding.
Act Green also offers free waste assessments for your business. When your recyclable items are collected, Act Green will weigh and report on waste collected. This information is useful for not only motivation of employees, but your companys waste assessment, if you desire, can be turned into the EPA Waste Wise program which issues annual awards. Please let Act Green know if you would like to participate in this program.
Thank you for this opportunity to present to your company how you can start recycling the Act Green way!
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What is a green business?
A green business can be defined as an organization that uses renewable resources (environmentally sustainable) and holds itself accountable for the human resource aspect of their activities (socially responsible).
Being green requires developing an attitude toward sustainability and practices that can be incorporated into our everyday lives. Being a green business means changing the way a business purchases, develops, produces, and provides products and services so it has a positive impact on the environment. Think of the planet as a warehouse of goods. When you use the goods, you have to pay for them with money or fair trade. When you use the environment’s resources, you have to pay the environment back to offset your consumption.
Shades of green
There is a misconception that becoming a green business means being a radical “environmentalist” from the green movement of the past. This is NOT the case. Think of the old green movement as dark green and becoming a green business as a bright green. There are many shades of green in between. You will have to decide what shade of green you want your business to be.
To help you decide what shade you want to be, ask yourself these ten questions.
What are my reasons for becoming green?
Are there any market factors involved?
How does being green integrate with my business plan?
How does being green give me a competitive edge?
Am I starting a new green business or am I running an existing business that wants to slowly move toward being green?
Do I want to be 100% green or are there areas I will not be green?
In any area where I cannot go green, how can I offset my consumption?
Do I want to have my business certified as being green?
Are there any green groups in my area, or should I start one?
When choosing to purchase products and services, how do I qualify them as green?
Choosing which shade of green, a practical example of picking a green product Recently, many companies have chosen to make reusable shopping bags available to their customers. Each has chosen a different approach. Company A chose to provide large bags made of a thick blue plastic material with cloth handles imprinted with their logo. Company B chose to go with black cloth bags with their logo imprinted on the side, and Company C went with small cloth bags made of hemp and had their logo imprinted using soy-based inks. Each company thinks they made a good green choice. As you can see from this example, Company C chose the most environmentally friendly product, but is it really the greenest if it is too small to hold enough products? Will people continue to use it or just throw it away?
What terms do I need to learn?
There are a number of new green terms you will need to familiarize yourself with.
Sustainable / Sustainability
Sustainability refers to three areas, environmental, economic, and social. It is about making choices that meet your needs without compromising the needs of future generations.
Environmental Sustainability refers to maintaining the quality and longevity of environmental resources used by the business. This can include energy, water, waste management, emissions, etc. If a business puts back 100% of the natural resources it consumes, it is considered an environmentally sustainable business. This is because it replenishes the very resources it depends on. If a business consumes more resources than nature can replenish, uses too much energy, or causes excess waste / pollution, it is not considered sustainable.
Economic Sustainability includes the overall financial model and productivity of a company. The income and expenses must provide for a financially sustainable business. If a business is constantly going deeper into debt, it is not financially sustainable. In our context it also refers to evaluating the products and services you purchase to determine if they are more sustainable or less sustainable. For example, purchasing energy-saving Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs) is considered a more sustainable choice.
Social Responsibility refers to social impact of a business. It includes ethical principles, giving back to society, health & safety, respect for human rights, equal opportunities, fair compensation, and ensuring a high quality of life. It involves eliminating unethical and corrupt behavior. It involves thoroughly investigating your sources to ensure they provide fair compensation for work performed, provide a safe work environment, and do not violate human rights in the treatment of their workers. It may also include doing things for the local community, educating / helping others, participating in community groups or your local city and chamber of commerce.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint refers to your impact on the environment. It refers to measuring how much carbon dioxide does a particular activity, purchase, or product produces. For example, driving a car to the store produces a much larger carbon footprint than does walking to the store, as it produces much more carbon dioxide.
Carbon Offsets or Carbon Credits
Carbon Offsets” or Carbon Credits refers to offsetting your carbon footprint instead of reducing your own carbon footprint. This used to mean planting a lot of trees to offset your carbon output. Today, this means purchasing carbon credits from a company that offsets carbon emissions. This is commonly used to compensate for air travel or use of an automobile. For example, if you take a plane to travel somewhere, you can buy carbon offsets to compensate the environment for your production of carbon dioxide. Be careful and thoroughly research a company before buying carbon credits.
VOC
VOC refers to Volatile Organic Compounds. These include paints/thinners, dry cleaning chemicals, petroleum products, and tobacco. Sources can also include copy machines, carpets and products containing formaldehyde, such as particle-board-based furniture and cabinets.
Why do businesses become green?
Some people have heard of global warming and want to learn what they can do about helping to slow the process. Some see other businesses going green and aspire to be as successful. Some simply see it as a market trend while others realize the actual benefits to the planet and future generations. Whatever your motivations are, the planet will appreciate your efforts to not only reduce your overall impact on the environment, but your efforts to restore it. Your business will benefit from it.
How do businesses become green?
Becoming a green business involves a learning curve where business owners learn how other businesses have changed their business practices, then make changes to their own practices that are appropriate to their line of business. It can involve a certification process.
Becoming a certified green business can be difficult and confusing, as there are no commonly defined standards. Each organization has its own requirements to qualify. They all require you to go beyond achieving basic regulatory compliance and take additional measures to become sustainable. Some organizations have a standard that they apply to everyone, while others are more flexible and adapt their requirements to your line of business. They all seem to have some common areas for which they judge your business.
Compliance with all environmental regulations
Pollution prevention
Conserving energy, water and other natural resources
Reducing waste
Controlling chemicals & hazardous materials
Tracking resource use
Educating employees and customers
Introducing green practices to other businesses
Don't forget that you will need a tagline....Become Green, Be Green, Stay Green
Some organizations require you to integrate additional practices such as verifying the fair treatment of the human resources used to produce products you buy, use and sell.
When you first encounter Green Businesses, you may run into logos and terminology that are somewhat foreign to you. You have likely seen the recycling logo on cans, bottles, and recycle bins. But do you understand the meaning behind it?
Understand the Three R's
The Three R's are not the old Reading writing and Rithmetic we were taught years ago. They stand for the Three R's of the waste hierarchy, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The commonly used symbol of the three R's is a logo with three rotating arrows. To eliminate your carbon footprint, you must Reduce your Consumption and Waste, Reuse what you have, and Recycle everything you can.