Taking Out the Trash
Posted: 1/1/2011 | By: Tim Rosini
To print a newspaper with a daily circulation of 762,362, a large amount of waste is inevitable. At the Chicago Tribune’s printing division, reducing waste also means saving money.
“We have about 1,000 employees who work across all three shifts, 24/7, 365 days a year. To make any significant changes can be a challenge just by the sheer size of the operation. However, just over a year ago we were looking in our waste containers and realizing we were not being very good corporate citizens,” said Roy Carlson, manager of preprint logistics and inventory for the Tribune. “We were mixing a lot of good recyclable material with our garbage and doing very little separation. Sure, we recycled press waste, unsold newspapers, and leftover inserts, and sold our used aluminum press plates to a recycler. But we were falling short in really separating garbage from recyclable materials.”
According to Carlson, the Tribune was producing 720,000 pounds of waste per month, all of which needed to be hauled from the facility by a third-party contractor.
“We’d compact it, then pay a waste hauler over $250 a pull to haul that container from our property nine times a month,” he said. “And the waste hauler would then take that container to their plant, empty and sort the contents, and put all that recycling money right into their pockets.”
For those keeping score, that’s about $27,000 a year just to take out the trash.
In order for the recycling program to be successful, the Tribune implemented some key rules.
“First, you need education and communication. People need to understand what’s garbage and what’s not, and then understand why we’re doing this,” Carlson said. “Second, you need the right amount of labeled containers in the right places. Finally, you need simple processes to handle all the recyclables.”
By following these rules and educating staff members along each step of the process, the Tribune facility has increased its efficiency substantially.
“Thus far, in one year’s time, we’ve been able to reduce our monthly garbage pulls from nine times to three times. We’ve eliminated nearly half a million pounds of waste each month, and converted that material into recyclable revenue,” Carlson said.
The 720,000 pounds of waste has been reduced by about 418,000 pounds per month, leading not only to a greener footprint, but also saving money.
“We have about 1,000 employees who work across all three shifts, 24/7, 365 days a year. To make any significant changes can be a challenge just by the sheer size of the operation. However, just over a year ago we were looking in our waste containers and realizing we were not being very good corporate citizens,” said Roy Carlson, manager of preprint logistics and inventory for the Tribune. “We were mixing a lot of good recyclable material with our garbage and doing very little separation. Sure, we recycled press waste, unsold newspapers, and leftover inserts, and sold our used aluminum press plates to a recycler. But we were falling short in really separating garbage from recyclable materials.”
According to Carlson, the Tribune was producing 720,000 pounds of waste per month, all of which needed to be hauled from the facility by a third-party contractor.
“We’d compact it, then pay a waste hauler over $250 a pull to haul that container from our property nine times a month,” he said. “And the waste hauler would then take that container to their plant, empty and sort the contents, and put all that recycling money right into their pockets.”
For those keeping score, that’s about $27,000 a year just to take out the trash.
In order for the recycling program to be successful, the Tribune implemented some key rules.
“First, you need education and communication. People need to understand what’s garbage and what’s not, and then understand why we’re doing this,” Carlson said. “Second, you need the right amount of labeled containers in the right places. Finally, you need simple processes to handle all the recyclables.”
By following these rules and educating staff members along each step of the process, the Tribune facility has increased its efficiency substantially.
“Thus far, in one year’s time, we’ve been able to reduce our monthly garbage pulls from nine times to three times. We’ve eliminated nearly half a million pounds of waste each month, and converted that material into recyclable revenue,” Carlson said.
The 720,000 pounds of waste has been reduced by about 418,000 pounds per month, leading not only to a greener footprint, but also saving money.