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What I'm thinking...by Tiffany Wilmot
It's not very often these days that I find myself feeling like a kid on Christmas morning, and normally it would never happen as a reaction to a new government legislation.  Last month I was thrilled when Nashville's new ordinance took effect that bans cardboard from trash collection for both businesses and homes.

Yeah, yeah, I know that probably doesn't set your toes to tapping, so why am I 

so excited? It's a huge milestone for a sustainable Nashville. Even better, it's 

not just a "green" milestone for the environment, it makes excellent financial sense.

 

For most of us, the new ban on cardboard just means placing it in a separate container. But that small step will contribute to the city in a big way. Paper and cardboard account for nearly 30% of the nation's municipal waste. 

 

That's a huge number and surprising because paper and cardboard are some of the easiest resources to recycle. So here's where the new ordinance will bring a smile to your face, too. Banning cardboard from our waste stream translates into huge cost savings for our city. How much?

 

Each year, Metro spends $32/ton to put material in landfills, ($4.7 million in 2012).  Metro receives $20/ton for cardboard, plastic containers, paper, metal and  aluminum cans. So by cutting 30% of our current waste, the cardboard ban could net Nashville $52/ton or $3 million/year (landfill avoidance plus recycling revenue).  If we recycled everything, we'd save the city $11 million/year.

 

Of course, we can't recycle everything, but the cardboard ban is a great start. We aren't alone in this, many other local and state governments use bans to save money and resources. For example, the state of NC has banned 15 items from their landfills including batteries, electronic waste, motor oil, and beverage containers.

 

Other simple steps would be to expand recycling to businesses in Metro or composting all of our food waste, either of which would save another 30% of landfill space. Recycling paper, cardboard, and food waste would earn the city over $5 million annually, more than we currently spend on landfills. Composting food waste also has other benefits, like providing natural fertilizers and bio-gas. You can see why recycling makes sense, and cents.

 

Money and resources can go to other things, including more initiatives to make our tremendous city even better and to keep taxes low. Think about it...if your neighbors and businesses you frequent aren't recycling, they're taking money out of the city coffers. Encourage them to set out their valuable materials in the recycling Curby rather than trashing them.

 

  

Best,

   
Paper and Cardboard Facts:
  • Making paper from recycled material uses 60% less energy than making virgin paper.
  • Recycling a four-foot stack of newspapers saves the equivalent of one 40-foot fir tree.
  • One ton of recycled paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber and 24,000 gallons of water.
  • Every ton of newspaper recycled saves enough energy to power a TV for 31 hours.
  • Recycling corrugated cardboard cuts the emissions of sulfur dioxide in half and uses about 25% less energy than making cardboard from virgin pulp.
Wilmot Project Showcase
LP Field - Titans Stadium 

In 1997, then Mayor Bredesen had a vision to do the right thing for Metro.  In the process of recycling materials on the construction of LP Field, we saved $500,000. The Wilmot team was brought in to work with the general contractor, the Tennessee Stadium Group, at project commencement and remained through final clean up.  

 

The construction of the new stadium took place at a time when C&D recycling was in its infancy, requiring all recycling plans and site protocols to be created from scratch. At the time of its construction, the project reclaimed more material than any other project in U.S history.

 

See more on our website here.

 


Just a reminder early registration for Greenbuild ends Monday, September 9th. 
 
Please email gogreen@wilmotinc.com if you would like to join us!  
 
Some of the planned stops on our tour this year include:
 

Barnes Foundation - an American educational art and horticultural masterpiece founded in 1922 by Albert C. Barnes, the foundation specializes in Impressionist and Modernist masters. The collection is now in its custom-built LEED Platinum home in Center City.

 

Friends Center - the hub for Quaker activity in Philadelphia and around the world, the campus houses an active Quaker meeting; local, regional, and international Quaker organizations;  and like minded groups working for peace and justice. In 2009, a LEED Platinum renovation created a campus that is fossil-fuel free, produces zero carbon emissions, and protects the watershed from stormwater runoff.

 

Philadelphia Center for Architecture - Hosting several events leading up to Greenbuild, a local AIA chapter member will lead us on a walking tour of Center City. The tour explores Philadelphia's diverse range of architecture from the 1870s to the present, discovering the social, economic, and political forces that shaped the modern cityscape.

Where to find us:
September 3rd, 1:30pm at Ellington Agricultural Center
 

TWIG

September 6th, 8am at Table 3


USGBC-MidTN Chapter Meeting 

Friday, September 27th, at the Adventure Science Center  
At Wilmot Inc. we're experts at helping your company increase productivity while saving energy and resources. Call us for more information on how we can help you with your sustainability goals.
 

Wilmot Inc.
3654 Knollwood Rd
Nashville, TN 37215
615.385.1220