Sustainability Update

Sustainability Sustainability

AND UPDATES

By Lauren Scott

Sustainability Field Trip

As part of BriarPatch’s commitment to Sustainability, we aim to divert 80% of total waste from the landfill by 2025 — by reusing, composting and recycling as many materials as possible. We wanted to know where BriarPatch’s Auburn location’s waste will go, what gets recycled, and how we can implement best practices and staff training to support our waste diversion goals. Western Placer Waste Management Authority uses a one-bin system — which means recycling and trash go together. We visited the Materials Recovery Facility and Landfill in Lincoln to learn more.

The Scoop on Recycling at Rock Creek

Mixed materials are sorted by material type, then baled, binned, or moved to the landfill. Materials with a strong market value — aluminum, glass, cardboard, rigid plastics, and PET #1 and #2 — are readily recyclable. Mixed paper, plastic film and plastics #3-#7 don’t currently have a strong market and are more challenging to divert from the waste stream. Aerosols and batteries do not belong in the trash. All aerosols, including sunscreen and cooking sprays, are considered hazardous waste to be disposed of separately. Bring batteries to BriarPatch where we collect and recycle them. Over the summer, the Facility started operating under FCC Environmental Services, adding several upgrades, including advanced sorting automation to increase recycling and divert more materials from the landfill, especially organic material. It’ll be interesting to participate in this process, as, all in all, it appears to be a better system than we’ve been using for the Grass Valley store.