Six years ago, the compactors at Baxter Healthcare’s Renal Division were
picked up four times a month. Now, they average four pick-ups a year.
The trash disposal cost dropped from $20,000 per employee to $1500 per year!
At this facility, where administration, engineering and R&D activities take
place, virtually no stone is left unturned. In addition to the standard materials recycled (office paper, aluminum, corrugated), there’s a long list of others: transparencies, toner cartridges, fluorescent lamps, computers, and metal scrap.
Employees exchange surplus office supplies, use rechargeable batteries, donate
packaging peanuts to a local shipping store, and magazines and books go to local libraries. Copy machines are set to default for double-sided copying. There’s a
junk mail deletion program.
The Purchasing Department orders recycled materials for all office supplies by
default and to reduce packaging (and shipping costs) they place orders weekly
instead of daily. A 10-person Pollution Prevention Committee, dubbed Trashbusters, oversees Baxter’s recycling and waste reduction activities. Every month, several Trashbusters visit about 30 employees in their offices to inspect wastecans for recyclable materials. Offending employees are “busted,” while employees doing a
good job are rewarded with a token gift, like a box of candy. They encourage
employees to use a mini-bin, a 5.5 inch square wastebasket, which serves as a
visual reminder that the amount of waste should be small.
Contact Candy Fishman: 847-473-6053
FROM Waste Reduction Tips
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