RecycleMatch: Making the Waste = Resource Connection
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Brooke Farrell of Recyclematch talks about being a matchmaker for businesses who are buying and selling materials on her marketplace and achieving zero waste goals. In the supply chain trade she's enabling through cradle to cradle thinking, one company's trash is another's gold. After all, companies of all kinds are focused on the triple bottom-line of people, planet and profit to create a sustainable business. Finding the competitive edge often means revisiting and challenging “the way it’s always been done”. Focusing on zero waste goals can go a long way to re-setting stakeholders points-of-view while lowering costs and environmental impact.
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RecycleMatch: Making the Waste = Resource Connection
- 1. RecycleMatch: Making the Waste = Resource Connection Brooke Farrell RecycleMatch.com
- 2. Brooke Betts Farrell, Co-founder RecycleMatch.com
- 3. Waste
- 4. 214 Million Tons $22 Billion / Year EPA Estimates
- 5. Waste = Landfill Waste = Risk Waste = Loss
- 6. Zero Waste = Zero Landfill Zero Waste = Zero Risk Zero Waste = Zero Loss
- 7. Manage waste like a product 3 R’s
- 8. Manage Waste 3 R’s Design Manage waste 42 – 68% *EPA Study
- 14. More Efficient Business Ecosystem
- 15. 100% Resource Utilization Zero Waste &
- 18. [email_address] 713-445-6636 @RecycleMatch or @BrookeBF
Editor's Notes
- Hi – thanks for the introduction. I’m Brooke Farrell, co-founder of a company called RecycleMatch. I’m here to talk trash.
- Or, rather waste. What do you think of when you think of waste? How does it look? How does it smell? Does it have a sound? Was your first thought your kitchen trash bag? Of the dumpster behind your company’s building? My personal focus is on the large-scale, commercial waste streams. The materials coming directly out of your companies operations, or your suppliers facilities.
- Most people don’t realize that 45% of the waste in landfills comes not from household waste, but directly from companies. Based on EPA estimates, commercial waste represents 214 Million Tons per year just in the US. Other estimates are even higher, and of course when you take into account international supply chians, it gets mind boggling. Now, I’ve been to some pretty large landfills in my day, but it is really hard for me to imagine what 214 Million Tons looks like! It’s easier for me to wrap my head around the $22 Billion companies are spending just on the tipping fees or charges just to put the materials into landfills. Bulging landfills have come to represent waste to many of us.
- Twenty years ago when I was studying economic theory WASTE was defined as a negative externality – not taken into account by the competitive market. That sounds like Something that could be tucked away in a landfill. But today, especially with the internet, there is more information available. So waste isn’t as much an externality as it used to be. Your company probably now views waste as risk. Regulatory risk. Brand risk. A competitive threat. A potential black eye with shareholders. Especially if shareholders saw wasted resources as lost opportunity. After all, someone in procurement paid for those materials – and now they are paying to landfill them.
- So, let’s tack on the word zero. Zero waste has gotten popular lately. A lot of companies have zero waste goals, or have announced zero waste facilities. But, let’s face it – zero waste is spin. This other side is the subtext – depending on how you think of waste on THIS side of the equation, there can be some real long term strategic implications. To me, landfills are a symptom of the bigger problem. We all see companies proudly announcing that they have achieved zero waste, really meaning zero landfill. Someone figured out they could take those same truck-loads of waste, ship it all two states over to the nearest waste to energy plant, and voila. Check that box. But, does that eliminate risk, or lost value? Are we treating the problem, or just the symptom? Don’t get me wrong, incineration isn’t necessarily bad – but it isn’t always the highest use of the materials.
- So, suddenly we’re back to basics. If you are here, you know the 3R’s. You’ve probably even created a few extra R’s of your own. Reduce, reuse, recycle. No matter how many R’s you throw at it – it requires more work to really manage waste with the care that you would manage a product. Even if you do all of that perfectly, is it possible to achieve zero waste this way?
- Well, the EPA did pilot studies. And they found that between 42 – 68% of commercial waste streams can reasonably be diverted this way. That’s HUGE. But it’s not zero. That leaves the other half of the equation to DESIGN. This is where life cycle analysis comes into play. Selection of better materials.
- This is exactly the cross-roads where I’m focused. RecycleMatch is an online marketplace that connects companies that have waste with companies that can use the materials. Our proprietary process has been called the eHarmony of Waste.
- Users post materials they have or materials that they need. Our system then works to make a match based on description, qty, location and other factors. There is no charge to post, and companies are kept completely confidential. – so there is no risk to give it a try. We only get paid when we make a successful match.
- Let me give you some quick examples. One of the largest companies in the world was retrofitting their downtown Houston office after Hurricane Ike. They had to remove 1,000 double-pane windows – the kind that are specially treated to sustain high winds. The film on the glass meant most recyclers rejected it outright. RecycleMatch found a company that could crush the glass and turn it into counter tops. We saved 180,000 lbs of glass from a landfill, and saved the company $20 grand in the process. But, most importantly for them, we turned a brand risk into a positive, and helped them maintain their LEED certified status.
- A major name in packaged foods was sending 90,000 lbs of food waste per week to a landfill. PER WEEK! RecycleMatch found a nearby company to turn it into biogas! And, it works the other way around too. As soon as we connected with the biogas company, they realized they could use RecycleMatch to fill their pipeline a lot easier than the tedious door-to-door process they were previously using to find materials.
- Another company that manufactures trade show swag bags like this one – used RecycleMatch to find vinyl from outdoor advertising billboards. BTW – I have some of these bags with me if you are interested.
- I LOVE what I do. I love helping companies like this one find good materials cheaper. We help companies on both sides time and money, and the result is something good for the environment. To me, it’s all about enabling a more efficient business ecosystem.
- A more efficient business ecosystem isn’t necessarily about zero waste. It’s about working together to achieve 100% resource utilization.
- So, let’s look at the original ecosystem. Most of the companies in this room represent the top of the food chain. The majestic lions. The leaders that set the tone. Everything trickles down from the decisions of leading companies like Wal-Mart who publically set aggressive goals for the supply chain. So – you guys are a sharp bunch. I’m sure you noticed the birds in the background? These guys – are the innovators!
- If 100% utilization had a mascot it would be the Vulture. They make sure that every last bit of the resource is used. There are some amazingly creative innovators out there right now in the business wolrd. Some are small companies or individuals, some are at large organizations that are taking on COOL opportunities by thinking like Vultures. Figuring out how to be even leaner by using ANOTHER company’s waste as their raw material. Whether you operate as the lion or as the vulture, both are incredibly important to a healthy business ecosystem. Working together, 100% utilization is within reach.
- Thank you for your time today. And thanks for taking RecycleMatch back to your companies and your supply chains. Your participation is what makes the business ecosystem more efficient. Thanks.