Earlier this week, Rubicon Strategic Account Associate Santiago Martinez joined retail leaders from across the country at Retail Spaces 2026 in Palm Springs, where conversations focused on the future of physical retail – from store design and construction to facilities, technology and operations.

For Rubicon, those conversations highlighted an important opportunity: making waste, recycling and sustainability part of how retailers think about operating their locations.

“Sustainability and recycling can sometimes be a missing piece of the retail conversation,” said Martinez. “It was great to bring that very perspective to Retail Spaces and discuss how waste and recycling can be part of the broader discussion around building and operating better stores.”

Sustainability Starts at the Store Level

For retailers managing hundreds or thousands of locations, sustainability goals ultimately have to translate into action at the store level. Waste and recycling are a natural place to start.

Every location generates materials – cardboard, plastics, food waste, packaging, pallets, equipment and other waste streams – that have to be collected, managed and ultimately sent somewhere. How those materials are handled can directly affect both operational efficiency and sustainability performance.

Rubicon helps retailers bring greater structure and visibility to that process.

By looking at waste streams, service levels, equipment, recycling opportunities and data across locations, retailers can identify where materials may be diverted from landfill, where programs can be standardized and where services can operate more efficiently.

Turning Sustainability Goals into Everyday Operations

Sustainability doesn’t have to sit separately from facilities and operations. In many cases, the same changes that reduce waste can also create a better-run program.

Right-sizing equipment. Optimizing pickup schedules. Expanding recycling. Recovering valuable materials. Improving visibility across locations. Measuring results.

These are operational decisions that can also move sustainability goals forward.

As retailers continue to rethink the stores of tomorrow, sustainability should be part of the conversation – not as a separate initiative, but as part of how those stores are designed, managed and operated every day.

“Bringing waste, recycling and sustainability into the retail store conversation earlier can lead to smarter decisions today – and more impactful operations in the long run,” Martinez concluded.   

Contact Rubicon at info@rubicon.com to connect with Santiago and members of the Rubicon team to talk about your sustainability solutions.