If you answered “They all contain the letter ‘A'”, you would be correct.
If you replied “They have all been around for over 10 years!”, you would also be correct.
They have something else in common though – something a little more subtle. Each of these companies has experienced a brand haircut. What’s a “brand haircut”, you ask?
Great question!
Guest author: Shari Jackson, Director, ACC’s Flexible Film Recycling Group
As recycling professionals, it’s our job to make sure we help our communities recycle as much as possible. One area of recycling that’s growing rapidly (it’s increased 79% since 2005!) is the recycling of polyethylene (PE) plastic bags, wraps and film packaging – collectively referred to as plastic film. However, not everyone knows how to recycle plastic film. When recycled curbside, plastic film ends up at a material recovery facility (MRF) where it can clog the sorting machinery, oftentimes requiring facility shut-downs to remove the material. Communities need fully operational MRFs, and damaged machinery or facility shut-downs can negatively affect a MRF’s bottom line.
Every year, hundreds of colleges and universities across North America compete in the RecycleMania tournament where they are ranked based on per capita recycling, recycling as a percentage of total waste, and least amount of combined trash and recycling generated. Working with RecycleMania, we analyzed the 2015/2016 participant school profile surveys to identify common characteristics among top performing schools. To facilitate our research, we defined “top performing schools” as colleges and universities that ranked in the top ten for at least one category in three consecutive years: 2013, 2014, and 2015. Our analysis compared survey responses from top performing schools to responses from all participants to draw conclusions about what top-ranked schools do differently.
This is your chance to describe how your Re-TRAC Connect experience can be improved. It’s also an opportunity to tell us which Re-TRAC features you value most, share insights about how existing features can be enhanced, and introduce new feature ideas for us to consider in the future.
We understand the impact that software design can have on user experience (UX). Our software should be practical, intuitive, and enjoyable to use. Recognizing these fundamental expectations, we recently kicked off a new project that aims to improve the Re-TRAC Connect experience.
London Drugs is a privately-owned chain of retail stores in Western Canada. Founded in 1945 as a small drugstore in the heart of Vancouver, British Columbia, London Drugs now serves over 45 million customers each year. It continues to operate as a pharmacy but also offers cosmetics, electronics, housewares, grocery items, a photo lab, and a full-service computer department. While the retail chain has been recycling since the 80’s, its sustainability journey really took off in 2008 with the launch of its award-winning ‘What’s the green deal?’ program.
An increasing number of local governments in the U.S. are implementing mandatory recycling ordinances that target commercial and/or multifamily properties, and can also extend to institutions and C&D projects. We researched local government recycling ordinances implemented across the United States since 1989 to look for trends in the data. Since 2005, mandatory recycling ordinances have tripled in the U.S. They are viewed as an effective tool to increase diversion from the Industrial, Commercial, Institutional sector and help municipalities achieve zero waste goals.
We’re counting down the days to the Resource Recycling Conference and always look forward to connecting with Re-TRAC users from across North America. Don’t miss this premier recycling industry event and make sure to visit us at the Re-TRAC Connect booth (#207/209).
