Case study: office with compost & recycling

Customer: Essity, a global hygiene and health company; North American headquarters
Setting: High rise office, 250 employees, Philadelphia, PA
Waste setup: 3-streams (compost, single-stream recycling, trash), slim-style bins
Results: Successful compost program implementation, “cleaner” recycling

Problem:
Essity’s office manager, Megan Milligan, wanted to roll out a composting program.

Like most modern office environments, there was an abundance of food served and disposed of daily. In Essity’s case, food came from six on-site cafes and myriad catered meetings. Megan had been in her role for a year and was making good progress in improving the office's sustainability and purchasing practices and next wanted to tackle food waste.

“Sustainability is personally important to me. It’s all about making better choices.”

- Megan Milligan, Office Manager

Solution:

Megan reached out to Mother Compost, a local Philadelphia compost hauling company. Mother Compost helped Megan lay the groundwork for a successful compost program implementation and recommended the Dyvert Vue bins and lids for the best user messaging.

Essity had differently shaped trash and recycling bins and while adding a third different style of bin for compost was considered, Megan ultimately chose to replace the prior bins and standardize a uniform receptacle appearance.

The new sets of bins were rolled out in two phases and allowed the office to ease into the transition. Additionally, the staggered rollout conveniently provided additional opportunities for office wide messaging. An officewide memo was sent before the first rollout, after the first rollout, and again at the time of the second rollout.

A set of bins was initially distributed to each of the six on-site cafes. Later in the year, 15 sets of bins were added to conference rooms, large conference rooms or “training rooms”, hallways, and a large community area called “The Commons”.

The Vue lids allowed Essity to go sign-free. As such, the waste bins could be placed in more central, visible locations and did not necessarily need to be located next to a wall or large vertical surface for signage mounting reasons.

“The Vues have been instrumental in guiding employees. They’re so much better than me posting a million tacky and ineffective signs to help guide people when I’m not standing right there to do it myself.”

The addition of compost collection allowed Essity to significantly change their purchasing practices. They now use only compostable plates, coffee cups, and wooden utensils. Nearly all single use-plastics were eliminated from the office and previous stockpiled items were then donated instead of discarded.

Waste from catered events is significantly reduced as well. Megan worked with all of the executive assistants, the primary food orderers for meetings, to change their practices, too.

Previously, caterers brought single-use non-recyclable and non-compostable wares, whether they were needed or not.

Now, Essity instructs caterers to only bring the food and Essity will provide the servicewares. All of the standardized wares are displayed in the Vue lids and make for easy messaging to employees and visitors.

“After making the changes, I heard from several people who said they'd been asking for these types of improvements for years.”

Results:

Employee feedback to the waste system changes has been extremely positive, including praise from upper-level management.

Vue compost bins are emptied daily by housekeeping staff into larger, sealed-lid wheeled carts that are removed weekly. Megan is thrilled that there are zero odors or bugs with the compost system.

Mother Compost provides weekly pickup weights as well as year end numbers that Megan can share with the office and provide yet another messaging touchpoint.

Recycling with the new messaging system has improved too and Megan thinks the Vue lids highlight and create better awareness of the importance of sustainability. Recycling is noticeably “cleaner” and building management wishes more tenants were as diligent as Essity.

“I love the Dyvert bins. They helped our employees navigate through the compost transition process and know what to put in which bin, regardless of signage. Overall, they’ve been a tremendous improvement for my office as we strive to be better to our earth.”