Recycling Case Studies

The following case studies describe the benefits of recycling.

Visit recycling for more information on NYC recycling regulations. See materials exchanges for case studies on ways to reduce distribution packaging. Find recyclers and vendors for non-mandated materials.

expanding recycling on campus
recycling reduces manufacturer's disposal costs
recycling impacts brewery's bottom line
generating revenues from recycling rubber foam
re-bidding a carting contract to get a better deal on recyclables
establishing multi-tenant recycling in a shopping center
multi-tenant recycling in a high-rise office building

Expanding recycling on campus

Columbia University meets all city, state, and federal recycling guidelines in its recycling program. The university has implemented procedures for recycling the following materials: paper and cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic containers, computers and other electronic equipment, fluorescent lamps and other mercury-containing devices, batteries, laboratory chemicals, laboratory containers, printer and copies cartridges, and more.  Read about their various projects to reduce waste.

Recycling reduces manufacturer's disposal costs

Cooper Wiring Devices (formally Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, Inc.) is one of the largest manufacturing employers in New York City, and the second largest producer of residential wiring devices in the world. Facilities in Long Island City contain the company’s metal forming, plating, plastic molding, and packaging operations, as well as warehousing and administrative offices.

Through participation in the NYC WasteLe$$ Business Project, Cooper Wiring realized opportunities to reduce their waste removal expenses by establishing new or enhancing existing programs for corrugated cardboard, pallets, and office paper.

• Pallets. Cooper Wiring generates more than 9,000 wooden pallets annually. The company sold over 5,000 pallets to a pallet recycler during the course of one year, avoiding ten tons of waste and generating more than $5,000 in revenue. Additional savings were generated when 3,900 broken pallets were segregated and chipped for use as mulch at a slightly lower price than what Cooper would have paid to discard the pallets as waste.

• Corrugated cardboard. Cooper Wiring diverts, flattens, and consolidates approximately 50 tons of corrugated cardboard for recycling every year. The company’s carter collects the cardboard at no cost, allowing Cooper Wiring to avoid disposal costs of approximately $12,250 per year.

• Paper. High-grade white paper from administrative offices is diverted to recycling containers near each printer. At the end of the workday, porters empty the containers into canvas hampers, which are collected by the waste carter about every two weeks. In one year, Cooper Wiring recycled more than 21.5 tons of high-grade white paper. In addition, Cooper Wiring estimates that its 150-plus office workers annually generate an additional 23 tons of mixed paper. Soon after this observation, management launched a desk-side, mixed-paper recycling program. White and mixed paper are collected at no charge, saving Cooper Wiring approximately $3,900 per year in disposal costs.

Source: NYC WasteLe$$ Summary Report, Spring 2000, p. 63

back to top

Recycling impacts brewery's bottom line

Brooklyn Brewery, a beer brewer and distributor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, annually generates approximately 510 tons of waste, composed largely of corrugated cardboard and stretch-film plastic (LDPE). Before implementing recycling, the company spent $3,290 per month for waste disposal.

Through a recycling program established by New York WasteMatch, the brewery now diverts 22.7 tons of material per month from its waste stream. A local paper recycler collects the company’s corrugated cardboard, and Brooklyn Brewery transports the plastic film to a neighborhood polymer recycling company. Brooklyn Brewery is projected to save more than $25,000 annually through the program.

Source: New York WasteMatch, Spring 2003

back to top

Generating revenues from recycling rubber foam

Premier Brands of America, a manufacturer of foot and shoe-care products in the Bronx, generates approximately 150 tons of waste materials every year. The company was spending anywhere from $100 to $1,500 a month for waste collection and disposal. The company’s waste stream consists primarily of natural and synthetic rubber and latex foam with cloth fiber and felt backing (85%), as well as cork and other mixed-fabric materials (15%). The waste stream also contains much of the company’s general trash, such as office paper and cafeteria waste.

With the assistance of New York WasteMatch, Premier Brands found a recycler interested in collecting clean rubber foam for $0.02 per pound. The recycler picked up the first load of material in May 2002, and collects the material once every eight to twelve weeks. From this effort, Premier Brands expects to save $1,200 in disposal costs and earn more than $4,000 in revenue each year.

Source: New York WasteMatch, Spring 2003

back to top

Re-bidding a carting contract to get a better deal on recyclables

Kruysman, a 240-employee manufacturer of envelopes, folders, and binders in Long Island City, re-bid its carting contract in 2002. As a result, the company will now recycle approximately 80 to 85 percent of its waste stream with a new carter.

Through the segregation and recycling of mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, and wooden pallets, Kruysman will save an estimated $9,000 to $10,000 per year in disposal costs and divert more than 400 tons of material from the waste stream. In addition, the new carter offered to pay Kruysman 15 to 20 percent more than they were previously getting for their high-grade, baled Bristol, Manila, and Red Wallet paper.

Source: New York WasteMatch, Spring 2003

back to top

Establishing multi-tenant recycling in a shopping center

Roosevelt Court, a small shopping center in Seattle, began recycling cardboard in early 1991. Tenants now have the opportunity to recycle mixed paper, tin and aluminum cans, and number 1 and 2 plastic bottles as well. Each tenant has access to recycling containers located along the side of the building, and several small businesses near the center have “piggy-backed” onto the program. Tenants share the cost of collection, which is added annually “pro rata” to their leases. As a result, the shopping center saves roughly $250 a month on its waste disposal bill. The net savings is divided between tenants, based on the square footage that they lease.

To set up and keep the program running, the center’s owner took the following steps:

• The owner talked individually with each tenant to gauge their enthusiasm and to determine their willingness to participate in the recycling program.

• The owner worked closely with the recycler and put together a letter about the program that was sent to all tenants. About a month later, the owner visited each tenant with additional “how to” letters.

• The owner discussed problems with tenants on an ongoing basis.

Source: The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Business and Industry Resource Venture

back to top

Multi-tenant recycling in a high-rise office building

Located in Manhattan’s Financial District and managed by Cushman & Wakefield, 75 Wall Street contains 36 floors, 650,000 square feet of office space, and houses three tenants. In the mid 1990s the building reduced its carting costs to approximately $2,800 a month by segregating and recycling white paper and cardboard.

Cushman & Wakefield informed tenants of the change through memos and meetings with facilities management and cleaning staff. They also posted signs describing the program in tenant spaces and on loading docks. The management company communicates nightly with the cleaning supervisor, allowing recycling problems that arise to be addressed immediately.

During the second half of 2003, the building reduced its carting costs to $1,600 per month through re-bidding its carting contract and switching to a commingled, rather than a segregated, paper-recycling program. All types of paper, including white, mixed, newspaper, and cardboard, are now collected together.

In addition to the disposal savings, the building receives a credit for the mixed paper tenants generate. The monthly credit is based on the market rate for mixed paper and how contaminant-free the material is when it comes out of the building.

Source: Cushman and Wakefield’s 75 Wall Street building manager, Summer 2003

back to top