2018 Annual Awards
Each year, the Carolina Recycling Association honors top performers that advance waste reduction and recycling in the Carolinas. Award recipients were honored at the 28th Annual Conference. Continuing this year, the award categories were consolidated into a general pool and a panel of judges selected outstanding people, projects, and/or programs to recognize. There were eight nominees that rose to the top with creative and new ways to approach recycling and help improve the way recycling and waste reduction happens in the Carolinas!
Carolinas Healthcare System-Pineville
Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) has been recycling cardboard and shredded paper since at least 2000. At the end of 2016, a 206-bed hospital, CHS-Pineville initiated the first comprehensive hospital recycling program for metal cans, plastic bottles, boxboard, and milk and juice cartons in the Charlotte area. In 2016, the recycling rate for cans, bottles, and cardboard was 7% having recycled 108 tons of material. For 2017, the recycling rate is 9%, having recycled 134 tons of material. CHS-Pineville is the model of a standardized recycling program for all of Carolinas HealthCare System. The 2017 cost savings for CHS-Pineville was $40,399 with its recycling. The strategy for the pilot program at CHS-Pineville has been mirrored at six other hospitals and several medical office buildings.
City of Rock Hill (SC)
In July 2017 the City of Rock Hill hosted the 2017 UCI BMX World Championships with 50,000 people from over 40 countries attending the week-long sporting event. The City of Rock Hill put together a comprehensive Community Appearance/ Sustainability Planning Committee. The committee was able to focus on the following programs before and during the event: litter prevention and beautification, recycling, food waste recycling, cigarette butt litter reduction, water bottle waste reduction, and recycling and litter prevention education. The City used $42,250 in grant funding from SC DHEC, PalmettoPride, Keep America Beautiful, and Lowes Home Improvement to implement the innovative programs that promoted litter prevention, recycling and reduced waste.
Hager Rand – Durham Coca Cola Bottling Company
Gas Stations have been a notoriously difficult industry to gain momentum in with regards to adding recycling programs. Yet, they generate so many recyclables that are currently being thrown away and there is a real opportunity for diversion. Hager sought to understand barriers from a convenience store owner perspective, then systematically prove this can be done. Through diligent stewardship of the project, as well as careful documentation of the progress and results, Hager and the team he was leading was able to demonstrate that a pump-side recycling program is a model that should and can be easily replicated. This project serves as a great model for other programs to replicate- not only with how it was set up and BMPs for bins/signs/placement, but also a new dynamic of business-to-business recruitment of new programs.
Horry County (SC)
Horry County administers the Talkin’ Trash (TT) program, a school recycling and waste diversion competition that encourages elementary schools to engage in waste reduction, recycling, composting, and waste management practices. It is emphasized that it is not just about recycling more but producing and disposing of less. In this way each school will be rewarded when it employs strategies to reduce total waste generated at each school site. This new Talkin’ Trash competition is unlike anything that has been seen before and it requires the efforts of the entire school to perform well. Students learn the importance of taking care of the environment and it leaves a lasting impression on each student.
Leggett and Platt
Leggett and Platt Branch 0548 started to take part in the EFEC (Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture) program in 2010. At the start of 2010 they did not recycle anything. After educating themselves about the ways you can recycle they took the program plant wide and trained all the employees. They had a contest in the plant for employees to come up with ideas for their recycling mascot. Ronnie the Robot was created by an employee using primarily material found in the plant. Through these efforts, the company has reduced electricity use, water consumption, propane use, and enjoyed substantial waste reduction and recycling. In 2010 they averaged 22 compactor pulls per year averaging out to 143 tons of trash. In 2017 they had 10 pulls averaging out to 65 tons that year. In 2015-present, funds from recycling program savings were donated to people in need in the community. Even though they are a small plant in a small community, they will continue to better recycling efforts to not only better themselves but also better planet for future generations.
NC State University
NC State University has implemented a Zero Waste Workplace (ZWW). ZWW is a strategic operational and educational program that strives for zero waste within the academic/administrative buildings at NC State University. From its launch in 2016 at the Administrative Services Bldgs. I, II, & III, ZWW has demonstrated effectiveness by increased monthly recycling rates by 32% and diverting over 5,600 lbs. in its first year! By focusing on operational efficiencies, integrating composting into breakrooms & restrooms, and providing a blended approach to engagement and education, ZWW provides a replicable sustainability program that addresses one of society’s grand challenges- waste. More than 20 additional buildings are waiting installation. Looking at academic and administrative buildings alone, composting restroom paper towels and food waste would result in an estimated 215,000 pounds diverted from the landfill in one year!
Town of Cary (NC)
Faced with the wonders and successes of growth and development, Cary took on three challenges that turned into strategies for success: the challenge of re-routing all routes; a huge operational shift from Tuesday thru Friday collections to Monday thru Thursday collections affecting approximately half our customers (approximately 27,000 households ) – a feat in itself, it also included 16 variations of trash day and/or recycling collection week changes; and lastly the need to customize communications for all those affected with a multi-layered communications plan that would directly reach out to every affected customer in a personalized manner. Cary now has the experience and communications pieces to help other municipalities going through similar changes, and welcome that opportunity to collaborate.
WSOC-TV
In 2016 WSOC-TV implemented a plan to transition to single stream recycling. Bins were distributed to every office and they encouraged staff of 200 employees to reduce paper consumption and waste. Through redesigning the waste and recycling program, they have reduced trash pickup down to 2 times per week and have almost doubled recycling production. This was done through employee education and engagement, assessing and optimizing bin placement, partnering with housekeeping and working with vendors on recycling reporting. WSOC-TV has transitioned to tapeless workflow in the newsroom. The tapes we do receive are all recycled. Additionally, WSOC-TV initiated a rechargeable battery program rarely seen in the industry to significantly reduce the amount of alkaline batteries purchased. Through these efforts they have transitioned from 46% to 70% diversion rate in our zero-waste landfill effort. They have made great strides with efforts to be more environmentally friendly and will continue to improve and reduce energy consumption.