UN-Trimming the Tree at American

Here at American Disposal, we are always looking for new ways to reach out and support our local community, so during the holiday season we do all we can to help those in need....

 

The Un-Trim-A-Tree Gift Program is American’s newest holiday tradition.

The program is hosted by the Volunteer Prince William organization to help bring a brighter holiday season to children and seniors in the community. Although American is active in community outreach in all the counties we service, our headquarters and offices are located in Manassas, and we wanted to reach out to our own neighbors in need, right here in Prince William County. 

Participants of the program are asked to “adopt” local children in need and provide two gifts per child. Senior gift bags are also requested; these include items such as gloves, scarves, games and holiday treats.

The program is simple. We decorate our tree with festive slips. Each slip has a gift or gifts printed on it. The gifts are items taken from wish lists, created by local children, families and seniors listing what they want (or need) for Christmas.

 

American employees pick the gifts they are going to donate then pull the slip off the tree. When they return with the unwrapped gift (or gifts, many of us choose to bring in more), the slip is returned to the tree along with a “Donated By” slip, placed on top, with the employee’s name.

 

We literally UN-trim the tree and replace it with unwrapped gifts to be dropped off with Volunteer Prince William, where they are wrapped and distributed to the community.

  

This year, just like every other year we have taken part in the Un-Trim a Tree program, we are proud to say that the American Disposal family bought every item from our tree, and then some!

 

In the spirit of giving, we wanted to share this treasured tradition with our customers and blog readers and perhaps inspire you to start your own Un-Trim a Tree program.  

All local businesses, churches, clubs etc. are welcome to participate, so if your organization is looking to spread some holiday cheer, join us in this charitable tradition to ensure that local children awaken to gifts and seniors enjoy a merry holiday season. For more information visit volunteerprincewilliam.org.

 

 

  From our family to yours,

  Happy Holidays!  

American....Behind the (Green) Scenes

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes here at American?.......

If so, you have come to the right place! American is a family and this blog is our way of sharing our family with yours.

Don't get me wrong-we love to tell you about our community events and educate you on all things recycling and disposal...but what about us?

That's right: me, my associates in the office, the drivers, the helpers, our managers and supervisors, outgoing salesmen and women; all of our committed employees that make up the ADS family. Letting you get to know us is one of the most important reasons we started The Green Scene, after all.

Well, today's blog lets you read the November issue of our internal monthly news letter, the Daily Dumpster.

For over 5 years American has been writing and designing this vibrant publication for all our employees. It covers recent events (both in the office and in the community), as well as safety tips, anniversaries, employee of the month articles and much more.

Printed and digital copies are available to all of us, and now, by clicking the link below, the digital copy is available to you to you too!

The Daily Dumpster-November 2013

We truly hope it lets you see the American family through our own eyes.


From our family to yours, thanks for reading!

6th (1/2!) Annual Customer Appreciation Classic Golf Tournament

 If at first you don’t succeed…..GOLF, GOLF again!

 

…at least that was the mantra of golfers in American’s 6 (1/2!) Annual Customer Appreciation Classic Golf Tournament.

 

A little rain never hurt anyone right? Well if you were playing in American’s 6^th annual Customer Appreciation Classic Golf Tournament, you might disagree (at least when it comes to hurting your golf game!).

American has been hosting our Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament for the last six years to raise money for charity, and celebrate our valued customers. This year, American Disposal held its tournament at the Country Club of Fairfax, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

 

 

The original tournament was held on October 7th, but it didn’t take long for the tropical storm that was making its way up the coast to find us teeing off.

Though we braced for the weather; both American Disposal Services and the golf course thought we could still hold the tournament without the storms interfering…however we were proven wrong (and moreover) powerless by Mother Nature and the storms. 

District Sales Manager, Robyn Harter makes rainproof use of one of our recycling box liner bags



 

After playing just two holes, our golfers experienced torrential rain and blustering winds. Tournament coordinators and the staff at the Country Club of Fairfax were forced to call the game on account of the weather.

But you can’t keep American and our customers down! With so much golf left to play, we jumped at the opportunity to hold a make-up date for the tournament!

 

On October 28th, over 90% of the golfers who had come to the original game, returned for a beautiful day (perfect golf weather, filled with sunshine) to play in the 6 (and a half!) Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament. 

Denise Swinsky shows off her acrobatic skills



It was a true testament to the relationship American Disposal has with our customers and sponsors that most of our attendees came back and joined us for the make-up date.

 

Fun was had by all as we golfed, enjoyed some games, enjoyed the company, and after a long day; relaxed together for a delicious dinner in the lovely Country Club of Fairfax’s banquet room.

 

Although our raffle prizes were announced at the initial (rather soggy) tournament, we were still able to award prizes to our longest drive and closest to the pin winners, as well as winners of the tournament itself.

At the end of the day we were all dry and happy; and American is proud to announce that together we raised $1,857.00 for the American Cancer Society!

We want to take one more opportunity to thank all our sponsors and customers for making this event possible by being such great sports and such wonderful company in both rain AND shine….until next year!

 

A Brief History of Recycling

 

For those of you who think recycling is something that just came about within the last few decades, think again!

 

Check out our Brief History of Recycling....

Ancient Recycling:
The first recorded use of recycled paper was in 9^th century Japan . Ancient Japanese people began recycling paper almost as soon as they learned how to produce it and recycling became part of paper production and consumption.  Japanese culture generally treats recycled paper as being more precious than new and the recycled paper was often used in paintings and poetry. In the 12 century, a case was recorded of an emperor’s wife: after the emperor died, she recycled all the poems and letters she received from him and wrote a sutra on the recycled paper to wish peace upon his soul.

US Recycling Start:
 Finally, in 1690, recycling reaches the New World. The Rittenhouse Mill in Philadelphia opens and begins recycling linen and cotton rags. The paper produced from these materials was sold to printers for use in Bibles and newspapers. 

 

World War II

World War II sees massive, universal collection campaigns for tin, rubber, steel, paper and more. More than 400,000 volunteer in the effort and tens of thousands of tons of material are recycled in order to save money for the war efforts. This was a national campaign. Posters and newsreels detailing the materials needed (and why) are abounding.  All Americans were on board, and most were excited to help aid the troops by conserving and recycling.

 

 

1960’s

• The first curbside collections of yard waste, metals, and paper start popping up around the county. Separate waste streams collected at the curb become common place.

 

 

1970’s

• Greater emphasis on green movements through government backed initiatives generates public awareness of conservation efforts.
• Concept of the flower child emerges. Earth Day is celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970. 
• The ‘chasing arrows’ recycling symbol is created by a Southern California architecture student who was trying to win a contest. He has been quoted to say that he never could have imagined the logo he designed would be so widely recognized.
• The first curbside-recycling bin “The Tree Saver” is used in Missouri for the collection of paper in 1974.
• In 1976, Massachusetts secures the first ever EPA recycling grants. With the grant money, they implement weekly multi-material curbside collection programs in two cities and use the first ever residential recycling truck. It costs $20,000.
• By the end of the decade approximately 220 curbside collection programs are under way in the US, about which 60 are multi-material collection

 

1980’s

• In 1987, The Mobro 4000 (nicknamed “The Garbage Barge”) spends months on the ocean, searching for a location to dispose of its garbage cargo. This saga was widely covered in the media and has been credited with awakening Americans in regard to solid waste and the importance of recycling.
• In that same year, New Jersey enacts the nation’s first universal mandatory recycling law, which requires all residents to separate recyclables from their trash.
• By 1985 America is at 10% nationwide recycling participation

 1990’s

• The first ever-statewide ban on landfilling recyclable materials goes into effect, in Wisconsin in 1993. The ban initially prohibits yard wastes in landfills. Later, in 1995, other items (such as tires, aluminum containers, corrugated paper, foam polystyrene, plastic containers and newspapers) are banned as well.

•  By 1995 America is at 20% nationwide recycling participation; double what it had been 10 years ago in 1985 and only 3 years later, in 1998, it tops 30%.

 

2000-Today

• In the early 2000s, organic waste collection at the curb begins on the West Coast (San Francisco)
• Currently, goal setting for ambitious West Coast cities reaches up to 80% recycling participation in some areas
• In 2011, lawmakers in California adopt a goal to get the state’s recycling rate to 75% by 2020.
• In 2012, McDonalds finally replace their Styrofoam cups with paper ones.

 
•  In 2011, the state of California had set the goal for 75% by 2020. Only one year later, in 2012, San Francisco announces it has achieved an 80% diversion rate for it’s waste....This puts San Francisco 8 years ahead of schedule on that goal, and with 5% MORE waste diverted!

 

Although this is a condensed list, you can see how far the recycling process has come and it is only becoming MORE accessible and widespread as time goes on!

Imagine where we could be in 10 years if we all just Think Before We Throw!

 

 

 

 

 

Waste Audits

What's in an Average Waste and Recycling Container?

The Good, the Bad and the 'WHAT'?!

 

Background:

Earlier this summer, several American Disposal employees were asked to conduct a comprehensive waste and recycling audit for one of our commercial customers. Needless to say, American Disposal was up for the challenge and excited to see the results!

But wait… ‘What is a waste and recycling audit and how does a work?’, you might ask.

A waste audit is a comprehensive analysis of the trash or recycling that is ACTUALLY being collected in a particular dumpster.

 

First, the trash (or recycling) dumpster is emptied out and our dedicated ADS employees carefully sift through all the contents… by hand. (This is certainly a job for gloves!)

During this enlightening (albeit messy) survey process, we sort the content into piles based on material type: recyclable items vs. non-recyclable (waste only) items.

 

It is becoming more common for our customers to request these audit services. Offices, in particular, are eager to know exactly what is being disposed of in both their waste and recycling containers. Influences from both government legislation and building operating standards have become sustainably-minded over the past decade, and proper recycling is the first and most important step for a business to achieve and maintain sustainability or to seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

The Recycling Audit:

In order to conduct the audit, the customer's large 8-yard trash dumpster and smaller 2-yard recycling dumpster were removed from the site and brought to our facility with the contents still inside.

The recycling dumpster was dumped on to the open floor. Three ADS employees carefully sifted through the contents of the dumpster and separated it into a series of carts based on material type.

The materials found within were reported as follows:

55% by volume-plastic

30% by volume-paper

10% by volume-mixed metals

(aluminum, steel)

5% by volume-contamination

(mostly plastic bags/films & Styrofoam)

None of these findings were too shocking as ADS anticipated the bulk of the recyclable material used in an office building would be comprised of plastic containers and white paper.

The Waste Audit:

Then our employees went on to sort through the 8 yard trash collection dumpster; the results of THIS survey proved to be quite shocking indeed!

 

Just as with the recycling portion of the audit, ADS employees sorted the contents of multiple bags of trash.

When they were finished, the audit revealed that 60% of the material thrown into the waste dumpster was recyclable!....Yet being disposed of as trash! What a waste!.....Literally! (see below)

Unfortunately, the findings of this audit are common to many office buildings across our area.

Once a recyclable is tossed in with the trash it will NEVER have the opportunity to regenerate new products or save energy and resources: it will instead be doomed for eternity in a landfill or incinerator.

 The Take-Away:

It is clear that TOO MANY recyclables are being thrown away as trash and collected as waste. We hope audits like this one will shed light on the problem and give our customers (and the community) the information they need to understand that we ALL can help.

Simply by taking a moment to Think Before You Throw we can ensure that all recyclable items end up in the correct dumpster so they can be converted into new products and help keep our environment clean, green and sustainable!

 

Plastic Water Bottles

Featuring Guest Blogger: Talia Schmitt

This week, The Green Scene welcomes its first guest blogger; Talia Schmitt.

Talia is a Fairfax County High School Graduate and one of two recent recipients of American Disposal Service's first Environmental Stewardship Scholarship.

She plans to pursue her interest in environmental leadership and education through her upcoming gap year which includes exploring environmental injustices.

During her recent trip to France, Talia conducted extensive research on European recycling practices and has been good enough to share some of her findings with American.

 

Plastic Water Bottles

Talia Schmitt

Plastic, convenient, and refreshing. Guessed it? The Plastic Water Bottle. 

For a culture so aware of the serious environmental threats we face, it is interesting to see how many plastic water bottles the French use. For instance, we were at the IEA (International Energy Agency) discussing environmental sustainability, and what are we offered? Plastic bottles.

Even worse, 15 out of the 16 people drank them. Yes, that one person was me. So what is it- there is clean tap water in the bathroom to fill up reusable bottles? Well, let’s start from the beginning.

Believe it or not, the water bottle industry started in France with the company Perrier in the 1970s. It was for the elite. With the “most natural” of all waters, why would it not be (disclosure: in reality 40% of bottled water is really filtered tap water)? It was brought to America from there where it simply became the convenient norm. Did you know that Americans use enough water bottles to circle around the earth 250 times in just one year! Crazy, anyway, back to France.

It has become such a standard, that no one thinks otherwise. While many Parisians will pass a plastic bag tax in a second, they will not think twice about gulping down a plastic water bottle, and then throwing it in the trash. Trash not recycling.

Granted there are some recycling bins, but for all the bottled drinks that Parisians use, you would think there would be more. I have been playing a little game to see how long it takes me to find a recycling bin after a nice Orangina.

So far my average time is twenty minutes. Twenty minutes- while looking. Remember that convenience is the number one key to recycling, so if there are no recycling cans in sight, most people will not hold on to a bottle 20 minutes, never the less, 1 minute before they toss it. That being said, some of the French bottled water companies do something very interesting...

According to a lead environmental researcher, they pay the plastic bottle tax. This is basically a few cents in advance per bottle that later goes to fund the recycling pick up. This has been encouraged and tried in a few parts of the States (6 states have adopted this method of funding for bottled water).

The company is able to put the label “100% recyclable” (NOTE: Recyclable, not recycled material!), to show their generosity. Unfortunately, in the US many of the bottled water industries such as Pepsi and Nestle have too much power for this ever to happen.

Either way, the French are ahead on their way of funding the bottles, but as for the use of them- that is another story. Like I said before, it is just engrained in the culture. And once something is engrained in a culture, especially the Parisian culture, it is hard to change.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Green Scene!

 

Welcome to the Green Scene, the official blog page for American Disposal Services!  

Maybe you’ve seen our white trucks with the red white and blue logo, or maybe you are already one of our valued customers and you see one of our employees collecting your trash or recyclables each week… but do you really know American?

This blog is our fun way of sharing with YOU who WE really are.

From our dedicated employees, strong family values, and continued community involvement to the innovative and forward thinking projects we are constantly embarking on; the Green Scene lets you see (from the inside out) what American Disposal Services is really all about…well other than your trash and recycling that is!

Although the Green Scene does have a focus on our recycling initiatives such as our Think Before You Throw® Program www.americandisposal.com/recycling and other projects related to the recycling and environmental communities and industries; we will also feature stories and updates about our employees, community outreach and the relationships we strive to build and nurture every day (and keep an eye out for some exciting and informative posts by guest bloggers from our diverse network of recycling and environmental contacts, friends and associates!)

‘How did the Green Scene blog begin?’ you might ask. After all, you have seen our interactive website and perhaps you are friends with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/americandisposal or follow us on twitter (@amdisposal) so, why a blog NOW?

Well in order to answer that, I must first introduce myself.

 

Hello, my name is Anna Wilkinson! I joined the ADS family in early June as the Public Relations Specialist. I was hired to get the word out on all the innovative new projects we are embarking on as well as the community outreach and charity events ADS has always prided ourselves on.

But the Green Scene is so much more than that… as the largest privately owned recycling and waste hauler in the greater Washington metropolitan area, ADS has been an active member of your communities, neighborhoods and lives for over a decade. Now our customers (and anyone who's interested) can check out the Green Scene and get an inside look at who we are and what we do!

So, anytime you want to see what your friendly neighborhood trash and recycling hauler is up to, just click the quick link on our website www.americandisposal.com...

...And come see what’s new on the Green Scene, here at American Disposal!