Do you know how your company’s waste and recyclable materials are being handled? Whether you are a new or an established business, a waste audit from Quincy Recycle can help you gain valuable insight into your company’s waste stream. Read on to learn about how a waste stream analysis can help position your business to achieve your waste reduction and sustainability goals.
What is a Waste Audit?
Our comprehensive waste stream analysis looks at your business operations to discover and identify opportunities to improve your waste reduction efforts. We look to find ways to help your business meet your sustainability goals by reducing waste and your landfill costs. Together these efforts help improve your bottom line while creating a positive impact on the environment.
Quincy Recycle uses a 3-step waste evaluation process, otherwise known as the three “M’s.” Measure. Mobilize. Maximize.
We’ll measure your business setup and current recycling needs and goals. Then we’ll mobilize and implement a plan designed to help your business in achieving your waste reduction goals. Finally, we’ll maximize your results through on-going monthly reporting and analysis to ensure the improvements are working as intended.
Let’s take a closer look at each step of the process.
Step 1 – Measure
To kick things off, our team will do an in-person evaluation of your business operation. Throughout this evaluation, we’ll spend time getting to know your business and your current processes. We’ll review reporting available from your current providers. This could include things like receiving reports, waste hauler statements, and trash reports. We’ll also look closely at the types of materials you are recycling, such as metals, paper, plastics, etc., as well as the items being sent to the landfill.
Is your facility set up in the best way to maximize the stream or flow of your waste while on-site? Our team will look at that, too! This could include analyzing the layout of current equipment and workstations, as well as evaluating whether additional recycling equipment would add value and create efficiencies in how you manage your waste at your facility.
The overarching goal of the Measure step of the process is to help us gain a holistic view of how your waste stream is currently managed from start to finish. With this information, we can provide you with actionable recommendations that will lower your costs while diverting materials from landfills.
Step 2 – Mobilize
The audit is complete and we’ve delivered a comprehensive and customized proposal with specific steps to minimize your waste and improve your bottom line. The next step is to mobilize and implement these process improvements.
Are you throwing something away that could otherwise be used? We’ll use our national network to find someone who can reuse and re-purpose your waste in the creation of new consumer goods. Could your facility benefit from new or different recycling equipment? Our equipment division can set you up with the right tools for the job. Don’t have the time to deal with recycling logistics? Our in-house logistics and fleet teams make it easy and take the guesswork out of managing your waste stream.
Every business is different so our recommendations are never a one-size-fits-all solution. We customize our recommendations for your business and design plans to help you reduce costs and waste simultaneously.
Step 3 – Maximize
The final step! By now you should expect to see tangible improvements in how your waste stream is being managed. But, how can you be sure? To help ensure we are maximizing your results, your business will receive on-going monthly reporting from Quincy Recycle. That reporting will include metrics around cost savings, revenue gains, landfill diversion amounts, and material management.
This on-going reporting will show you two main things. First, the environmental impact. We’ll show you how your material is being managed, and you will learn just how much of your waste has been kept out of landfills as a result of the waste stream improvements that have been put in place.
Second is the impact on your business’ bottom line. The environmental impact from an efficiently managed waste stream is awesome, but it often translates to cost savings for your business as well. Sending waste to the landfill costs money. By diverting your waste from the landfill, you’ll avoid disposal costs, helping your company’s bottom line. As you can see, it’s a win-win.
Long-Lasting Partnerships
At Quincy Recycle we make it a priority to help every one of our partners achieve their sustainability and waste reduction goals. The waste audit is the first step to making that happen, but it doesn’t stop there.
Is something not working right? Or maybe you’ve added a waste stream to your business. Whatever the case, we’re here for you. Change happens. The needs of your business may be different five years from now. The market may very well be different five years from now as well. When you partner with Quincy Recycle, you’ll have someone you can rely on to navigate changes down the road.
Recycling is what we do here at Quincy Recycle. So, if you’re looking for a long-term partner to help your business maximize its waste stream output and results, give us a call. We’d love to discuss how we can help your business take the first step towards a more sustainable future.
About Quincy Recycle
We solve waste stream problems for manufacturers and other industrial suppliers. With over 45 years in the business, we handle paper, plastic, and metal recycling, and help clients build sustainable waste reduction processes within their business.
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Influence, Impact, and Accountability. That’s Josh Hall in a nutshell. Influence because he is persistent in finishing difficult jobs. Impact because he consistently performs at a high level. Accountability because he acknowledges when he doesn’t have the answer, & seeks to find it. When you ask Brian Lansing, GM of Quincy Exact Solutions, you can hear the excitement as he says, “I have challenged Josh for the last couple of months on a difficult production line build. It has been a project where if it could go wrong, it did. When it seemed like there was no end to the project insight, he would continue to push and seek solutions to the problems that arose. He has always been committed to his work and a person the rest of the QES team can rely on.”
When did you start with Quincy Recycle?
2020
What was your job title when you started?
Maintenance Technician
What is your current title?
Maintenance Technician
If you had to pick one, which Core Value is your favorite?
What was the most challenging thing to learn in your roles?
The most challenging thing to learn as a Tech is troubleshooting complex machinery issues, this involves identifying and diagnosing problems, understanding the root causes, and finding effective solutions to get the machinery back up and running quickly but can be very rewarding.
What was the most surprising or fun thing to learn?
I was surprised with the training and level of automation. Training in automation can be a lot fun.
What’s your favorite part about working at Quincy Recycle?
My favorite part about working at Quincy recycle is the large network of support we have from our surrounding plants.
What would you like prospective employees to know about Quincy Recycle?
Safety is a top priority at Quincy recycle, we have high level of teamwork and collaboration in a fast paced environment.
What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
I enjoy activities with my family, 3d printing and flying drones.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or received?
Never sacrifice quality for speed, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have both.
If you had to pick a song to portray the culture of Quincy Recycle, what would it be and why?
Your Partner in Recycling Commingled Plastic Loads
November 1, 2023
The waste and recycling industry is constantly evolving and innovating new ways to recycle materials. One area that has been gaining more attention in recent years is the handling of commingled plastic loads.
But what exactly are commingled plastic loads, and how can we properly recycle them?
In this blog post, we’ll answer those questions and explain how Quincy Recycle can help you properly dispose of your commingled plastic waste.
What is Commingled Plastic?
A commingled plastic load is when two or more types of plastic are mixed together in one bale. Bales can contain different types of plastic, such as HDPE, PET, PVC, or polypropylene.
Mixed plastic waste can be difficult to recycle because it is an unsorted bundle of different types of plastics, making it hard to separate and process. However, it is important to recycle commingled plastic waste as it keeps the material out of landfills and reduces our impact on the environment.
How Quincy Recycles Handles Commingled Plastic Loads
At Quincy Recycle, we accept commingled plastic loads that are within industry specs. Our state-of-the-art plant can handle hundreds of tons of commingled plastic waste every month and has the technology and processes in place to properly recycle them. We take these processes seriously. We are dedicated to sustainability and minimizing waste through proper recycling procedures.
Our recycling process begins with sorting the plastic into different types of plastics. Our trained staff oversees the process, ensuring that we get the best quality materials for recycling. Once the sorting process is complete, we then grind or shred the plastic into smaller pieces and prepare it for sale to manufacturers.
One key benefit of recycling commingled plastic loads through Quincy Recycle is that it allows customers to dispose of their waste in a cost-effective and efficient way.
Rather than having to sort through their waste themselves, customers can simply dispose of their commingled plastic loads and trust that we will handle the rest. We also offer pickup services to make the process even more convenient for our customers.
Our customers can make the process easier for us, too. While we offer top market value for loads, there are a few things that can cause loads to be downgraded. These include:
Contaminated loads with too many plastic bags, paper, or mixed rigid plastics
Contaminated loads with other prohibitives, like tin and aluminum cans
Cherry-picked loads with valuable plastics removed, such as #2 HDPE
In short, the more “hands-on” we have to be to manually sort through the loads, the less valuable they will be. Commingled loads with solely post-consumer, #1 to #7 plastic containers will usually yield the most value.
Industries We Commonly Work With
A considerable number of industries produce commingled plastic loads that need recycling.
The food and beverage industry, for example, generates large amounts of commingled plastic waste from bottles and packaging materials. The retail industry produces excess plastic bags, product packaging, and storage materials. The beauty industry produces waste from packaging materials like shampoo and conditioner bottles and containers.
Quincy Recycle understands that large amounts of plastic waste are a problem. We offer recycling services that specifically target commingled plastic loads from various industries.
The End Goal
Quincy Recycle has extensive experience in recycling plastic waste. The recycling process can be complicated for commingled plastic, but we have the expertise, equipment, and resources to make it happen.
Companies that choose to work with us can rest assured that they are working with a partner who cares about the environment and can help them achieve their sustainability goals. By recycling commingled plastic loads, you help reduce landfill pollution, conserve resources, and minimize the impact on the environment.
We are committed to doing our best to help manufacturers reduce their carbon footprint. Reach out to us or call us today at 800.311.6097 to recycle your commingled plastic loads. Let’s help build a brighter future for our planet.
When it comes to being a team player, others may be as good but no one does it better than Nathan Boyer at Quincy Farm Products. According to Operations Manager Stephen Jones, “Nathan is everything great about QFP, an awesome family man and a really hard worker. He cares about all of our people deeply and wants to provide a safe and fun work environment. We are truly lucky to have him on our team.” Jones also added, “Nathan embodies ‘Be Courageous and Try It‘. He’s willing to try anything that makes the business better and is ok if it fails to pick the pieces up and try again. It’s easy to see why Nathan is such a valued member of our team.
When did you start with Quincy Recycle?
October 2016
What was your job title when you started?
Plant Manager
What is your current title?
Plant Manager
If you had to pick one, which Core Value is your favorite?
