Retail Case Study: Bridge Cleaners & Tailors
The Role of Retail in Sustainability
Retail businesses have two waste streams to address: the waste generated in the store and what they give the consumer to walk out with. Retailers have the opportunity to communicate with customers and include them in green business initiatives, for a shared producer and consumer awareness.
Sending trash to the landfill is the costliest way to handle waste-both monetarily and environmentally. Waste that ends up in a landfill stays there; it is packed in so that it cannot naturally decompose. Instead, the waste sits there, attracting vermin, releasing fumes, risking groundwater contamination and affecting the health, property values and quality of living of surrounding communities.
Waste carters have to pay landfills to store waste, but they can sell recyclables-reducing the collection rate for the customer while diverting waste from the landfills.
Retail businesses are required by law to recycle corrugated cardboard, office paper, magazines, catalogs, phone books, newspapers, and textiles (if they are over 10% of the waste stream). To start recycling for your business, consult your waste hauler or look to our list below for some recycling haulers in the area.
Download a PDF of the CLS Green Business Guidelines for Retail Establishments
The Role of Offices in Sustainability
Offices play a unique role in the waste stream in that the majority of the waste generated is paper. Beyond recycling paper waste, businesses can green their offices by considering more energy efficient lighting and cooling systems. Because offices do not rely on customer traffic the way that restaurants or retail stores do, they enjoy a more controlled environment. Accordingly, offices can maintain and account for all the energy used and waste generated.
Sending trash to the landfill is the costliest way to handle waste-both monetarily and environmentally. Waste that ends up in a landfill stays there; it is packed in so that it cannot naturally decompose. Instead, the waste sits there, attracting vermin, releasing fumes, risking groundwater contamination and affecting the health, property values and quality of living of surrounding communities.
Waste carters have to pay landfills to store waste, but they can sell recyclables-reducing the collection rate for the customer while diverting waste from the landfills.
Offices are required by law to recycle corrugated cardboard, office paper, magazines, catalogs, phone books, newspapers, and textiles (if they are over 10% of the waste stream). To start recycling for your business, consult your waste hauler or look to our list below for some recycling haulers in the area.
Download a PDF of the CLS Green Business Guidelines for Offices
List of haulers
If your business is interested in adding services such as recycling or organics collection, you should first contact your waste carter and see what is available. If you would like to get a new contract, we have a list of carters that do pickups in Downtown Brooklyn and offer environmentally friendly services. All the businesses listed below have trade waste licenses by the Business Integrity Commission. The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn Business Improvement District do not endorse these carters-businesses should consult carters directly and determine if the services provided meet green business needs.
For Paper, Metal, Glass, Plastic Recycling and Organics Collection:
IESI NY Corporation: 1099 Wall Street, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071, (201) 443-3000, Email: cng@iesi.com
Filco Carting Corporation: 111 Gardner Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11237, (718) 456-5000, Email: damon@filcocarting.com
Metropolitan Paper Recycling: 854 Shepherd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11208-5228, (718) 257-0261, Email: info@metropaperrecycling.com
Action Carting Environmental Services Inc.: 451 Frelinghuysen Avenue, Newark, NJ 07114, (973) 623-7600, Email: info@actioncarting.com
Royal Waste Services Inc: 187-40 Hollis Avenue, Hollis, NY 11423, (718) 468-8679, E-mail: info@royalwaste.com
Mr. T Carting Corporation: 73-10 Edsall Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385, (718) 821-9706 ext 125, www.mrtcarting.com
Diag Express Trucking, LLC: 241 E. 115th Street Apt D1, New York, NY 10029, (646) 796-7890, Email: diagsy7@yahoo.com
For Used Grease:
The Doe Fund, Inc.: 232 East 84th Street, New York, NY 10028, Gary Pernick, Resource Recovery Director, (347) 386-4857, Email: gpernick@doe.org
Additional Information
For more information on commercial waste, please visit the Department of Sanitation's WASTELESS website,
For a list of waste carters as provided by the New York Department of Sanitation, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/resources/prod_serv.shtml
For the complete list of waste carters licensed by the Business Integrity Commission, go to http://www.nyc.gov/html/bic/downloads/pdf/pr/licapproved.pdf
For the PDF version of the New York Department of Sanitation commercial recycling brochure, go to http://nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/downloads/pdf/materials/Commercial.pdf
To learn more about the Con Edison's Small Business Direct Installation Program (with free energy surveys provided by Willdan), go to http://coned.com/energyefficiency/businessdirect.asp