REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
“UPCYCLING” AND RECYCLING IN BIG BUSINESS: WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?
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pcycling is a form of reusing objects destined for the trash, for a higher purpose. At its heart, upcycling is about taking an item with a particular purpose, that may no longer suit that purpose, and renewing it to serve a new and better purpose. It’s a very popular practice amongst do-it-yourselfers, who are finding new and creative ways to recycle furniture and other items they may have previously discarded. An example of this could be converting an old broken dresser or desk into a bathroom vanity. However, upcycling and recycling in this vein isn’t just a domestic pursuit. In fact, some businesses, like Edmonton’s Earth Legacy, a landscaping company, and Greys Paper Recycling, are founded on the principles of upcycling and recycling. These principles have also seeded themselves in the City of Edmonton’s operations through their Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Facility (C&D). The C&D Facility is the destination for a lot of the waste that is produced from commercial or residential construction and demolition projects. While the facility isn’t producing works of modern art out of scrap drywall, it is repurposing materials for a variety of uses. “The materials that come into the C&D Recycling Facility are either sold to recycling processors or used in the City’s operations. An average of 70 per cent of mixed loads are diverted from landfills. The materials recovered at the facility have a variety of uses,” explains Renée Rudy, commercial waste specialist at Waste Management Services. In fact, a lot of the materials are processed and reused in City projects. Untreated wood is chipped and used for composting, drywall is used as a compost amendment, concrete is crushed and used as roadway base and asphalt shingles are used to create new shingles or ground up (by a private company) to become a component of asphalt mix for road paving. There is, however, one nagging question – a question at the heart of any good, or bad, business decision. Is upcycling or recycling in this capacity really cost effective? If you think about the added labour, special equipment, facilities – the whole lot – is anything being saved in the budget at the end of the day? According to Rudy, on the scale the City is upcycling C&D waste, they are on target to save about $1.3 million in commodities, because if they couldn’t get what they needed from recycling, they’d have to go to market and purchase these commodities at retail prices. The City isn’t the only business extolling the costsaving virtues of upcycling and recycling building material. Arinna Grittani, president of Earth Legacy Inc., explains that once you work out the kinks involved in making recycling part of your business, the savings can follow. “Sometimes upcycling requires a lot of extra labour to separate and clean materials, as well as areas for storage. It definitely takes more consideration and planning. Sometimes money can be saved in raw materials, but not always, and it definitely depends on the project and work being done. Once systems and policies are in place for upcycling, it becomes more efficient and thus more cost effective.”
GREYS PAPER RECYCLING DIRECTOR AMIT AHLUWALIA STANDING IN THE PLANT’S VIEWING GALLERY. PHOTO COURTESY OF GREYS PAPER RECYCLING PRODUCTS INC.
EARTH LEGACY PRESIDENT ARINNA GRITTANI IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE COMPANY’S SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS. PHOTO COURTESY OF EARTH LEGACY INC.
Earth Legacy was founded on the value of sustainability, which means that recycling and upcycling where possible have always been an inherent part of the plan and business model. “Finding ways to upcycle is imperative to maintaining our integrity as a truly sustainable company. Reducing our waste during operations is always, has been, and always will be, of high priority.” In this regard, Grittani’s company is light years ahead of the majority of established companies who, if interested in being more sustainable, have to retrofit their business practices to accommodate the change in their fundamental goals. A change, which Grittani believes is becoming more essential if a business wants to remain competitive in a market where consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact they have on the environment. As the consumer grows more concerned for the environment, they begin choosing companies that are, as Grittani puts it, accountable for the waste they produce and the sustainability of the products/materials they source. www.businessinedmonton.com | Business In Edmonton Magazine | May 2015
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