Recycling For Business

Recycling for Business...

Business Support
At Lewis Clark Recyclers, we focus on providing state-of-the-art recycling services to all types of businesses in an 80 mile radius. For confidentiality reasons, in most cases we are not at liberty to share the names of our customers. However, no business is too big or too small to benefit from our services. Here is a large business example: 20% of a big retail distribution warehouse’s inflow is typically all packaging (pallets, crate material, shrink wrap, boxes, carton liners, packing materials and cardboard). By recycling these materials for such a customer, we can often cut their waste processes in half, thereby saving them as much as $15,000 per year! We can generally find ways to cut disposal costs for small businesses and even individuals as well. From (the) curbside pickup program (provided by) the City of Lewiston to providing containers for special events at the local Gun Club or Fair building, we offer a full range of site-specific services, and we will discount for annual payment plans. At Lewis Clark Recyclers, our goal is to save you up to double what we charge you for our service.

Information Destruction
LCRI’s waste paper collection program now addresses the growing public demand for privacy and identity theft protection. We offer enhanced security measures and document destruction services that can greatly benefit your business. This locally based service offers sustainable flexibility to meet your changing needs at very competitive rates (this includes mobile equipment that can arrive at your site any time of the day or night and shred as you observe). For more detail, see: (Information Destruction).

Onsite Recycling
LCRI currently provides recycling services for over 445 local businesses right at their place of business. Collection containers range in size from 30 gallons to 40 cubic yards, and thus are able to fit the specific needs of each business application, whether on-going or for one time special occasions.

Waste Reduction Assessment
Lewis Clark Recyclers will come to your facility specifically to assess your waste generating processes, and help you to determine the exact service we can provide to meet your unique requirements. Our services offer an ever-increasing cost cutting resource for the growing number of businesses we serve. With local commercial waste disposal rates at $.10 to $.20 per pound (based upon a converted per weight/volume ratio), LCRI can guarantee that its recycling services will save its new customers substantial disposal costs month after month.

Click here to schedule a FREE Waste Management Audit!

Local Cost Comparison:
Before recycling efforts, one 2-yard commercial garbage container emptied three times a week costs about $200.66 per month (based on Lewiston rates). A well developed recycling effort can reduce garbage by 45 to 60%, thus reducing a multiple times-per-week disposal service to once a week! This represents a $120.49 per month reduction in city-charged sanitation costs. In some cases, a single customer’s city garbage disposal costs can be reduced by hundreds of dollars per month! It all starts with an onsite assessment of what is going into your trash and how it ends up there.

The local rate for garbage disposal (material collected by the City contractor) now costs $145.02 per ton. Garbage when collected is measured by the yard and converted to represent tons using a rate of $21.85 per cubic yard (for non-compacted volumes).

LCRI’s rates for recyclables collected (when a charge applies) are as follows:

By the ton, LCRI service averages around $26.00 per ton. By the cubic yard, LCRI service averages less than $4.00 per yard.

The simple difference is an 82% savings for those using LCRI’s services. Thus, the collective annual savings of LCRI’s local customers (based on the above rate comparison) is over $1,262,600.00.

Fact: On a national basis, over 65% of landfill trash is made up of recyclable material.

Question: What material in your trash is recyclable? Let LCRI give you the answer!

When you should call: If your trash is costing over $80.27 per month, you should call LCRI for a waste reduction assessment.

How much time is required for an onsite assessment: From 30 minutes to two hours.

How much does it cost: LCRI does not charge a cent for local onsite waste reduction assessments (up to the first two hours is FREE). It is only when an assessment takes more than two hours that LCRI traditionally charges for this service and in most of such cases it is for large industrial sites where travel and extended time considerations are involved.

Broad-based Assessments and Consulting
LCRI travels across 7 states to consult on the issue of waste management and recycling. Our 15+ years experience in the waste reduction, waste handling and recycling industry gives us the edge we need to point out all types of sustainable cost reduction opportunities. In most cases, a proactive “client” and just a bit of guidance from an outsider that knows what to look for, and profit leaks associated with a waste stream start drying up. We thoroughly understand most businesses focus on the details that make up the course of running their successful or core business. Far too often businesses view waste disposal costs as just a part of doing business regardless of how much it is really costing! Generally very few businesses truly grasp the complete concept of sustainable waste reduction without relying on an outside source to help reach their fullest potential.

During an assessment LCRI will look at all aspects of your waste, how it is generated and from where, how it gets from its source to point of disposal and how many times it is handled in between. Solutions can be as simple as the size and location of containment inside or outside, or how it is conveyed from one location to another. In some cases, what is being tossed away as waste by one business is the same material a totally unrelated business can use in their operation. LCRI has seen this scenario countless times; the good news is that we can put the two together and they both save on operation costs.

Once the assessment is complete and the various wastes are categorized and in some cases analyzed. LCRI will start looking for the best place or method to dispose of them. It may go into a secondary application, be put to reuse through other means or serviced by a different hauler. These are all common cost cutting alternatives. If your waste has value we will make sure you are fairly compensated for it in one form or another.

LCRI does not sell or endorse equipment of any kind so there is no pressure to buy any from us. Yes, we may make some suggestions based on our findings, but as part of our service to you, all such suggestions will include options and their return on investment. Should you buy equipment it needs to be serviceable by a firm close to you! We do our homework as part of our recommendations!

Finally, if the geographical distance is too great to be able to service your facility from our location we will find a local experienced contractor and help negotiate the terms and conditions of any service agreement you may need to assure that you get the service you rely on, expect, or pay for.

BUSINESS PROFILE (Example)

Type of Business: Corner Store, service station & Deli (operating 24/7)

Contact: John D. (owner)

Assessment Request: John, “I just bought this place and I could use all the advice I can get to help reduce my costs.”

Business History: John recently retired from a local utility company and bought the business which had been in operation for over 15 years. Several of the other staff had 3 to 4 years history with the previous owners.

Number of Staff: 3 full time and 6 part-time. Including owner & manager

Building Features: Fuel pump islands on two sides of the 1550 sq. ft. structure, 850 sq. ft. of retail area, including cooler space and small snack bar. 1 office w/ 2 desks, 200 sq. ft. receiving/storage room, three rest rooms, and 90 sq. ft. behind the deli / register counter. Employee parking adjoins the rear of the bldg with alley access for deliveries through a rear entrance, which is poorly lighted.

WDS in use: Historically, 2 separate two-yd dumpsters are used to accommodate all waste generated by the operation, one dumpster is emptied 6 times a week, the other is emptied three times a week (M/W/F). Neither dumpster is kept inside an enclosed area. The cost for this level of service being $731.00 per month / $8,772 annually, plus regular extra volume charges.

Waste Assessment Findings:

Empty cardboard boxes (from staff & vendors stocking) were not being broken down before disposal, thus appearing to represent up to 45% of actual waste (by volume) on days freight is received.
Trash can liners (24 per day) were tied off retaining air in 25 to 50% of their capacity.
Paper towels from rest rooms, fuel islands, the deli and housekeeping activities represented 20% of actual waste (by volume).
The office is flooded daily with trade and product journals, catalogs and other related mailings, representing 3 to 5% (by weight) of all generated waste paper.
Food waste from the deli and snack bar appeared to represent less than 15% of actual waste (by volume).
The 2 dumpsters appeared to be commonly used by neighboring businesses, vendors and/or the general public, due to easy access. This represented up to 25% of the actual waste (by volume).

Accompanying Observations:

Staff empties 8 trash cans, replacing plastic liners each time, on each of the three daily shifts.
No effort is made to reduce air mass before placing trash can liners in dumpsters.
The two public rest rooms are accessible from only the exterior of the building.
Paper towels in the two public rest rooms have a history of being used to plug the commodes, used at the fuel islands and/or just disappearing (especially on weekends).
Management is making plans to expand deli items and increase sales. The sink in the deli area is not equipped with a disposal.
The night and early morning shifts are responsible for food prep, stocking coolers, the retail area and general housekeeping duties between sales.
Individual boxes of merchandise are shuffled between the storage and retail areas to manage inventory.
After dark, staff are afraid to get close to the rear entrance, or to go outside.
There appears to be no recycling effort as part of the operation.

Recommendations:

Install an enclosure around the dumpster area to restrict public access. Perhaps install motion detecting lights for the area.

Replace one trash dumpster with a cardboard recycling container ($25.00 per month fee, for multiple times a week collection service).

Purchase a 2 shelf push cart ($119.00) for shuttling inventory and broken down boxes to and from retail and storage areas.

Have all empty boxes broken down prior to disposal. Box knives used to open boxes can be used to break down the empty ones as generated.

Replace paper towel dispensers in the two public rest rooms with cloth recycling type from local vendor ($24.00 per mo.) or purchase and install electric blower type dryers ($456.00).

Change trash can liners at ¾ full, stuff smaller or partial full liners into one another and/or larger ones from the fuel islands. Always remove any excess air from the liners before tying them closed.

Recycle all waste paper and junk mail from the office and register areas, (one time refundable fee of $42.00 for system - collection is a FREE service).

Include a sink disposal as part of upgrade to deli expansion ($725.00).

Target Objectives:

Reduce dependency of waste disposal services to a single dumpster, serviced only twice a week. Reduce basic waste related costs from $731 to $212 per month including additional cardboard collection service.
Eliminate staff time and/or plumber service costs associated with plugged toilets, by removing paper towels from public restrooms.