Welcome to “How I Recycle,” a new series from Rubicon® in which we sit down with a Rubicon employee from across our offices to dive into everything from their recycling best practices, interesting solutions that they have created to make recycling easier, and what they’re doing to live up to Rubicon’s mission to end waste, in all its forms, in their own communities.
Nick McCulloch is Sr. Manager, Sustainability, based out of Rubicon’s Atlanta, Georgia headquarters—though due to the COVID-19 global health emergency, currently working from home with his 13 week-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy for company.
This is how he recycles.
What are your recycling routines at home? What do you tend to focus on?
I’ve learned from my work here at Rubicon that successful recycling programs always try to make the process of recycling and sustainability as a whole as easy as possible. I like to take this same approach at home, keeping a recycling container inside the house that is easily accessible.
Additionally, my wife and I try to only buy items that we know are recyclable with our local recycler. This is not always easy or possible, but it helps to cut down on the thinking time required. Since China’s waste and recycling import ban (otherwise known as China’s “National Sword” policy), margins have been tight for recyclers, so we try to do some of their work for them, making sure that our recycled items are clean and broken down.
Have you discovered any cool solutions to make recycling easier?
Using reusable containers and reusable bags definitely helps to reduce the overall amount of waste you have (and therefore have to sort).
What are your most-recycled items or materials?
Cardboard, PET bottles and jugs, and glass.
How has working from home made you rethink your recycling or sustainability efforts?
The whole process has made me more aware of my own footprint and inspired me to continue to be as environmentally conscientious an individual as possible.
If you could share one nugget of advice on how we can all better recycle, what would it be?
Celebrate when you recycle! It can seem like a trivial activity, but in reality recycling is a core part of a sustainable future. When you recycle, you are part of the solution!
David Rachelson is Vice President of Sustainability at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.
