Lord of Life Church
Highlights
What: Implementation of a single stream recycling program.
Why: To save money, increase participation and clean-up the garbage enclosure.
How: Partnered with current hauler to switch from source separated to single stream recycling. Updated bins and signage to reflect changes.
Results: Increased participation, streamlined collection containers and expecting to reduce monthly expenses.
The Lord of Life Church, located in Ramsey, MN, was referred to Waste Wise through Anoka County, seeking assistance on how to increase and improve the church’s recycling program. Having also contacted their current waste and recycling hauler, Walter’s, the church was in the process of switching from a source separated recycling program to single stream, where all recyclables can be placed in the same container. Michelle Anderson, the Director of Operations and Administration, explained “switching to single stream recycling was something that we had wanted to do for a while, but we just didn’t know where to start.”
Waste Wise completed an initial site visit, walking through the entire facility to identify opportunities to further recycling, reduce waste and support the new commingled program. Because the Church has a variety of spaces, many of which are shared with the community, including a kitchen, gymnasium and preschool, Waste Wise’s recommendations were particularly helpful as each area presented different challenges.
One of the main recommendations made by Waste Wise was to consistently pair trash and recycle bins together, particularly in common areas where recyclables and other waste is generated. In addition, hanging posters above them with clear pictures identifying what goes where is extremely important to help encourage proper sorting.
As a result, “the response and participation from our congregation has been great. Waste Wise’s recommendations and follow-up have been very helpful. We hadn’t even thought about bin placement and signage before our meeting with them,” Michelle described. With the new program in place for only a couple months, Lord of Life Church is expecting to see a reduction in disposal costs, and is continuing to track the volumes of waste and recycling with the hope to reduce trash service. To assist with these efforts, Waste Wise has provided a “right-sizing” service level worksheet to track the amount of material disposed of each week.
In the upcoming year, the church has expressed interest in continuing their partnership with Waste Wise to explore organics recycling options, furthering their waste diversion initiatives and potential for additional cost savings.