ECONOMY

WASTE MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014 40GROWING RECYCLINGGETTING HIGH-RECYCLED-CONTENTPRODUCTS TO CONSUMERSWhile handling and processing wasteand recyclables remains our primarybusiness, Waste Management hasbranched out in recent years with a fewselect initiatives that help to “close theloop” on the materials life cycle — thatis, developing and marketing productsthat are eco-friendly and contain a highpercentage of recycled content.Waste Management-BrandedRecycling and Trash Bags at WalmartIn 2014, Walmart launched two newWaste Management-branded products:• Paper recycling bags (in two sizes)for residential customers to use forstoring recyclables before transferringthem to a larger recycling bin or cart.The bags, which contain facts andmessages about recycling, are a betterchoice than storing recyclables inplastic bags, which are nonrecyclableand might mistakenly make their wayto our MRFs.• Premium trash bags (in two sizes)that are made with 65 percent recycledplastic.These products will be on the shelves of1,000 Walmart stores through the endof 2014, at which time the effort will beevaluated, with the potential of morestores being added in 2015.Diverting Plastics from Landfillwith MicroGREENEvery year in America, 58 billion papercups and 47 billion water bottlesare used and thrown away. In 2010,we made a strategic investment inMicroGREEN, a company that usestechnology to turn this problem intoan opportunity.MicroGREEN’s InCycle® cups incorporateup to 50 percent recycled contentand are also 100 percent recyclablethemselves. A life cycle analysis byFranklin Associates found that theInCycle technology compared veryfavorably to other disposable cups,requiring the lowest amount of energyto produce while producing the lowestamount of total solid waste.In 2013, InCycle became the official hotcup on all Alaska Airlines flights, providingcost savings, greater stacking efficiencyand lighter-weight loads. Previously, theairline had used double-walled papercups for coffee service. The InCyclecup saves Alaska Airlines 35 percentin cup costs, while conserving naturalresources. MicroGREEN hopes to see thesame results through its recent partnershipswith United and Virgin Airlines.