SERVICES
Solar is the heart of the "green" movement. Using clean, renewable energy is one of the best ways to support a clean environment.
BUT HOW GREEN IS THIS INDUSTRY, REALLY? One would hope an environmentally conscious industry does its part to recycle as much as possible. Millions of cardboard boxes full of solar panels make their way to jobsites across the country every year. In California alone, undeniably the capital of Solar Country with its hundreds of utility-scale projects operating or under development, the number of boxes and pallets discarded during installation is staggering. One company is offering a solution for solar project managers. "As far as the greenest way to do a project, we're really helping out with that," said Kasem Cornelius of STJ Corporate Recycling, which just two years ago got involved with recycling at solar project sites. "We got hit up one day to help out on one of these solar projects that was running behind. We got our foot in the door and realized that there is a lot of this to be done." STJ's crew separates abandoned boxes from pallets at solar jobsites, puts the cardboard in bins and stacks pallets to be transported off-site. The company first started as a wrecking yard in 1943 and has since freshened its image to focus on recycling scrap metal and various
We got our foot in the door and realized that there is a lot of this to be done. cardboard jobs. Cornelius said he never expected the business to focus so heavily on solar sites, but STJ is located in the middle of a solar boom. Cardboard boxes now make up 90% of STJ's work flow.
Simple ways to make your jobsite greener • • • • • • •
Ask suppliers to reduce packaging Carpool to jobsites Purchase local Upgrade machinery to proper emission standards Use washable silverware and plates for lunches instead of disposable Set up a recycling bin for items such as aluminum cans and plastic bottles Offer a water cooler instead of plastic water bottles
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