Green Machines
Nate LipkaIssue date: 10/29/09 Section: News
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Carrie Galvan, director of Recycling for Waste Management, recently spoke with College Times about these high-tech garbage solutions.
College Times: What are these "Big Belly Solar Powered Compactors" recently installed at Tempe Marketplace?
Galvan: Basically, this is about the size of a 35 gallon trash receptacle. However, it compacts about five times that much, so you can get roughly about 85 gallons of trash into this unit. And what I think is so great about it, it has a light on it that will indicate when the solar compactor is full. So it has a green light, a yellow light and a red light, and when it hits that red light, it means it's time to empty out the receptacle. If it's got a green light, it's good to go, if it's got a yellow light, that means it's getting full, just keep your eye on it. And what's nice is if you deploy several of these throughout a city, a campus, a shopping center, beaches, et cetera, you'll actually be able to go onto the web and look at where those cans are placed and it'll tell you which ones are full, which ones are empty. So, it's really been able to cut down on labor costs.
Where do the majority of the costs lie in the management of trash?
Most people find it's a labor and collection piece. When you're employing people to go around and check and empty trash cans, that can become very expensive. When you've got something that's solar-powered that compacts on its own, that means they're not having to change it. So if they normally have to change it five times in a day, they only have to change it once.
Is this a trial period for the new compactors?
It's beyond the trial period. I think the city of Philadelphia was one of the first to roll out and test these new units, and they have determined that over the next 10 years, they'll save roughly 12 million dollars through labor costs and transportation costs, as well.
What is the "GreenOps Tracking Station Reverse Vending Machine"?
This is just a fun way for people to learn to recycle and continue to recycle. So, basically, it gives everyone an opportunity. It's almost a fun way to recycle your products. So, you put your recyclable can or bottle into this unit, and it basically comes back with a ticket. And on that ticket, it can be anything from a free gift or a discount coupon, it's really up to the person who has installed this at their location. And then it also, on that receipt, has points that are given to every ticketholder, where they can take it to our website, called greenopolis.com - and that's powered by Waste Management - and they can redeem those points for rewards.
What have reactions to these machines been like?
At Jobing.com is where we have our units placed in Arizona, that's the one location I'm aware of, and the reaction has been very positive. People find that it's a fun way to recycle. They're actually getting a reward for recycling, so it's generated some excitement.
What benefit does Waste Management get out of these new programs?
I think it's our commitment to sustainability, number one. And that we partner with our communities to come up with better ideas on how to reduce waste, how to really sustain the environment, really be a good partner to the community.
Where do these ideas come from?
There's a special team dedicated called GreenOps that really focuses on businesses recycling and sustainability and programs that really help the business understand what direction they need, what products do they need, what help do they need from Waste Management to really become a green company.
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