Do the Right Thing: Commercial-Sector Recycling

Since Armstrong World Industries introduced its ceiling tile recycling program eight years ago, the company has diverted more than 4 million pounds of material from landfills.

Steven Baer, senior principal scientist for the Lancaster, Pa., based Armstrong addressed attendees at the National Recycling Coalition Annual Congress in Austin. Joining him were Jim Bosch of Target, Minneapolis, and Clay Wilson of Balcones, Dallas.

Baer said that while it takes slightly more in terms of man-hours to recycle the ceiling tiles than to dispose of them (1.3 man-hours versus 1.2 man-hours, respectively, for a 1,000-square foot job), the cost savings are significant. Baer said it cost $2,369 to dump the tiles from a 30,000-square foot job. To recycle the same amount of tiles cost $1,026.

Armstrong’s goals include building with renewable resources, diversion, incorporating recycled materials in its manufacturing process, reducing energy used in lighting and complying with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, Baer said.

Bosch, environmental department director, said that Target began its recycling program by analyzing waste sources and developing programs and measures that each store is expected to follow. The cardboard recycling program, for example, is administered nationally, tracking each store’s participation.

Salvage, Bosh said, is a component of Target’s system. The company donates returned and clearance merchandise to a non-profit partner, such as Goodwill. The non-profit than refurbishes the items for sale in its own stores, he says. Additionally, Target gives food items to a donation bank. This year, Bosh expects that Target will donate 40,000 pounds of food.   

Target also has a very successful shopping cart program. Carts that are no longer deemed acceptable by Target’s standards are refurbished and de-branded, Bosch says. The carts are then sold to competing stores. Target recycles those carts that are beyond refurbishment, he says.

Balcones’ Senior Vice President Wilson said that recycling has become an economic reality for companies, as it represents a way to control disposal costs, a means of environmental risk management and a chance to minimize resource costs. However, many companies find it difficult to think beyond the “perceived costs” of recycling, namely the capital investment and operational complexity involved in establishing programs, Wilson said. However, he encouraged companies to look beyond these initial hurdles.

“Doing the right thing benefits everyone,” he said.

Wilson cited Dell as an example of a company doing the right thing.

“Dell is recycling by necessity. It [waste disposal] would cost too much to manage traditionally,” he said.

The program Dell established is designed to maximize diversion for its level of production and includes materials such as cardboard, plastics and foam. Wilson said Dell’s program includes continuous process improvements as well as extensive statistics on all its efforts. These statistics are analyzed on a month-to-month basis to optimize cost savings.