Point of purchase: harvesting a clean grade of OCC often begins at retail locations - Baler Focus

Recycling Today, Feb, 2003 by Brian Taylor

The StockRoom Baler is described by Marathon as "a self-contained vertical baler that is small enough to fit through a standard door." The model is also built on casters, making it moveable in storage areas that may sometimes need to be reconfigured.

Marathon also provides a small wheeled cart to accompany each baler sold. The wheeled cart can be positioned in front of the baling chamber so that the bale tips automatically onto it. Then, the cart can be rolled to a designated area for later pick-up by the recycling company.

Target: Recyclables

Among the national retailers who have made recycling a corporate priority is Target Corp., Minneapolis, Minn:

Jim Bosch of Target was among the panel members who addressed attendees of a 2002 National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Annual Congress session concerning recycling in the commercial sector.

Bosch, environmental department director for the retail chain, said that Target began its recycling program by analyzing waste sources and developing programs and measures that each store is expected to follow. The cardboard recycling program is administered nationally, and each store's participation is tracked.

The company also views the redistribution of returned merchandise and even the refurbishing of shopping carts as part of its overall recycling program. The company donates returned and clearance merchandise to non-profit partners such as Goodwill. The non-profit then refurbishes the items for sale in its own stores.

Target's shopping cart program has carts that are no longer deemed acceptable by the store's standards being refurbished and "de-branded," Bosch said. The carts are then sold to other retailers. Target recycles carts that are beyond refurbishment with a metals recycler, he noted.

The author is editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted via e-mail at btaylor@RecyclingToday.com.