When we started Momentum Recycling, our goal was to be an agent of change in our community; to help the Salt Lake City business community conserve resources and minimize our collective environmental impact. After a little more than one year of operations, we've been overwhelmed by the response from local businesses. It seems that almost everyone we talk to - from CEOs to facilities managers to office workers - wants to improve the way they handle resources and waste.

What's even more exciting is that our customers are starting to realize financial benefits from these efforts. It's always made sense to us that efforts to conserve resources and reduce waste should result in savings, but it's nice to see it actually happening! The formula that seems to be working is simple: Procuring reusable / recyclable materials + staff education + efficient recycling collection - unnecessary trash collection = savings.

This solid progress towards our mission gets us excited. Salt Lake City businesses are really showing their commitment to change, and we are all reaping the rewards. This spirit of progress is happening in other areas of the local private sector as well, and we'll explore some of those below. It's an exciting time to be in Salt Lake City, and we commend the entire community for the excellent progress.

We remain ready to assist any organization in Salt Lake City that wants to be part of this progress, and realize the financial rewards of resource conservation and recycling.

Sincerely,
Kate, Jeff, John, and Lynn

Many people don't know that organic waste (mostly food waste) typically makes up the second largest source of solid waste in our community. By composting food waste instead of sending it to the landfill, we can have a triple-win for the community. First, we can produce valuable, all-natural compost, mulch, and fertilizer products out of what was once simply trash. Second, we can drastically reduce what goes into the landfill, thus extending the lifespan of the landfill and postponing the significant taxpayer cost of new landfill construction. Third, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by methane (produced as a byproduct of anaerobic digestion when organic waste decomposes). Methane has warming potential 21 times that of carbon dioxide.

Salt Lake City has set a lofty goal of diverting 50% of all municipal waste from the landfill by 2015. To achieve this goal, we're going to to have to divert a lot more food waste than we're doing now. Currently, only about 8,000 residents are participating in the city's green waste recycling efforts (the "brown bins"). While citizen education will have to play a large role in this effort, the first step is to ensure that all types of food waste (including dairy, meat, cooking oil, etc.) can be composted, and in higher volumes.

Currently, the city can only accept yard waste in the brown bins. This is because the composting facility that the city runs (jointly with Salt Lake County) cannot accept the full range of organic waste. In order to meet the goal of 50% diversion by 2015, we will need to establish a means of composting high volumes of all organic waste.

Momentum has been discussing this issue with the dedicated folks at the city's Division of Sustainability and the Environment, exploring ways in which the private sector can help address this need. We're pleased to be involved, and hope that we can help our community reach this goal. We'll be sure to keep you informed as things move forward.

3form's commitment to sustainability is a core company value, driven by top leadership, and permeates the company at every level. 3form's executives believe that businesses, consumers, and citizens, in addition to government, have a responsibility to actively participate in solving the global and local environmental problems we face.

3form is creating a culture of stewardship and sustainability throughout the organization. 3form formalized this commitment in their "Path to Zero" initiative. Path to Zero is comprised of 3 overarching goals: Eliminating landfill waste, becoming carbon neutral, and continually increasing the recycled content of their products. Aside from aggressively recycling and composting, 3form is also working hard to reduce waste, shrink their carbon footprint, and improve the sustainability of their product and processes. Momentum Recycling has been honored to help 3form strive toward these goals for over a year.

"Momentum has been a true partner in our journey toward becoming a zero landfill company," says Erika Brown, 3form's Sustainability Coordinator. "Their services are valuable, of course, but what really sets them apart is their industry and community knowledge and customer service. They are a community resource that helps us find new outlets for our waste, and connects us to other businesses, even when the result does not directly benefit them. And their customer service is unheard of in the industry. The monthly diversion reports they provide ease the task of tracking success toward our zero landfill goal and provide helpful feedback about how full our containers are getting, and whether or not there has been contamination. This saves us time and enhances our ability to manage our waste streams effectively."

Between 2007 and 2008, 3form reduced net energy use, despite expanding production. In 2008, 3form expanded a product line made from 100% post-consumer recycled material (HDPE). Each month 3form invites a speaker for lunch to educate their employees on environmental issues, and every April 3form spends an entire week focusing on environmental performance, goals, successes, and challenges.

End-User Profile
Rocky Mountain Recycling

Rocky Mountain Recycling (RMR) is a Materials Recovery Facility, or MRF, with two locations in Salt Lake City. Rocky Mountain Recycling is where Momentum takes all of the mixed recyclables that we collect from our customers. RMR then sorts and bales that jumble of recyclables into pallets of like materials that are then be sold as raw material input into new product manufacturing. RMR was one of the first facilities of its kind in the Salt Lake valley.

"This is the way of the future," says Larry Gibbons, Rocky Mountain Recycling's Business Development Manager. "Thousands of communities have started this type of program in the last several years; think of what that means to the diverted landfill costs. I have seen more changes in the last two years than the previous fourteen combined."

Momentum chose RMR as our mixed recyclables partner partly for this important reason, but also because RMR is what is known as a "clean MRF". This means that RMR requires recyclables to be separated from true garbage before they will accept it. Being a clean MRF means that the recyclables collected at RMR have lower levels of contamination, and are thus more likely to be used in the manufacturing of new products. In other words, they are very likely to be truly recycled.

"The EPA statistics show that 50% of what we throw out is recyclable," says Gibbons. "We are just trying to keep that recyclable material as clean as possible."

One of the challenges that RMR faces is the high rate of contaminants that are mixed in with the recyclables. While the national average is around 18%, RMR regularly confronts a rate of 30%. To combat this problem, they are launching a new educational campaign, along with other measures to pinpoint the sources of these contaminants. At Momentum Recycling, we're trying to help by making sure that all of our clients are aware of what is and isn't recyclable. We do this through initial and ongoing educational sessions with clients, and through a range of signage.

Momentum is lucky to work with such a committed partner. Without RMR's extra efforts, recycling in our community would be much more difficult for our customers, and therefore much less effective. Our customers are able to divert large percentages of their waste away from the landfill for true re-use, and the wide range of materials RMR accepts means that our customers can achieve high participation rates among their staff.

For more on Rocky Mountain Recycling, check out their website at: www.rockymountainrecycling.com.

The Numbers
Measuring Our Collective Impact

At Momentum, we measure success in terms of diversion rates. Here are our total diversion numbers for the second and third quarters of 2009:

Material:	Total Weight (Q1):	Total Weight (Q2):	Growth (Q1 to Q2):	Total Weight (Q3):	Growth (Q2 to Q3):
Mixed Recyclables	52,100 lbs.	69,700 lbs.	33.7%	85,440 lbs.	22.6%
Glass	24,600 lbs.	35,100 lbs.	42.6%	62,750 lbs.	78.9%
Green Waste	100,360 lbs.	143,340 lbs.	42.7%	202,465 lbs.	41.2%
TOTAL	177,060 lbs.	248,140 lbs.	40.1%	350,655 lbs.	41.3%

Local News
Local Info for Businesses

We're always on the lookout for ways to help Salt Lake area businesses reduce their impact on the environment. Here we some recent happenings that will do just that:

• Salt Lake City Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund: We learned about this program at a recent meeting of the Mayor's Green Team, and subsequent research indicated that information on this great program was hard to find. Hopefully this helps. The Salt Lake City Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund exists to encourage and enable for-profit businesses in Salt Lake City to upgrade the energy efficiency of their facilities. Both building owners and tenants can apply for a low-interest loan to cover the costs (minus utility company rebates) of upgrading facilities to be more energy efficient. The city is confident that businesses will profit on these investments through energy savings achieved by the upgrades. For more information, contact:
  Mike Akerlow, SLC Office of Economic Development: 801-535-7941
  Renee Zollinger, SLC Division of Sustainability: 801-535-7215
• U Car Share Now Available in Salt Lake: This innovative service, owned by U-Haul, allows you to access vehicles by the hour. Some businesses may want to consider this service as an alternative to owning and operating a fleet of cars. You may be able to save money while reducing your impact on the environment. Reduce parking demand, improve air quality, and take a few vehicles off the road. Hybrids and pick-ups available 24/7, starting at $4.95 per hour. Learn more at www.ucarshare.com.
• Momentum Recycling Helps Clients Earn Utah Green Business Awards: Utah Business magazine recently named the recipients of the 2009 Utah Green Business Awards, and several Momentum Recycling clients received awards:
  • Rico Brand was recognized as a small business taking outstanding strides toward improving the earth. A large part of their success in this area was due to the impressive diversion rate that Rico has achieved, due to their unwavering commitment (and to partnership with Momentum Recycling!).
  • Harmons Grocery Store was recognized as a green food purveyor. In particular, their new sustainable practices program was heralded for progress towards "zero waste." Partnership with Momentum Recycling was credited as one key to this success.

Momentum in the Community
Recent Outreach and Involvement

As a mission-driven company, one of our founding principles has been to build awareness of, and commitment to, recycling and other sustainability measures among clients and the greater community. Below you’ll find some recent examples of our work in this area:

• Momentum Principal named Assistant Chair of the Mayor's Green Team: As Elise Lazar resigned as Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Green Team, Momentum Recycling Principal Kate Whitbeck was invited to act as Assistant Chair to Greta deJong. The Green Team provides input to the Mayor on environmental needs, assists with community outreach, and hosts guest speakers on environmental issues in our community. Meetings the 2nd Friday of every month: 12:00pm-1:00pm, 451 S. State Street, Room 126.
• Recycling Services Donated to Utah Arts Festival: For the second year in a row, Momentum Recycling sponsored glass and green waste recycling at the Utah Arts Festival, in order to help the festival move towards zero waste. During the three day event, the UAF diverted over 3,200 lbs of glass and 900 lbs of green waste from the landfill.
• Consulting for CB Richard Ellis: CB Richard Ellis recently engaged Momentum Recycling to conduct waste audits at four of its properties in the Salt Lake Valley: Civic Corporate Center, 257 East 200 South, 136 East South Temple, and Edgewater Corporate Park. The resulting reports showed the impact of current recycling programs and provided recommendations for improvements.
• Recycling Services Donated to District 3 Glass Recycling Initiative: Momentum partnered with Jennifer Johnson (District 3 City Council Candidate), District 3 businesses and the Greek Council of the U of U to provide glass recycling to local residents. Momentum also provided a free educational session on “Greening your Business” at Jennifer Johnson’s booth at the Avenues Neighborhood Fair.
• Whole Foods Local Vendor Fair: Momentum donated recycling services to Whole Foods' local Vendor Fair and manned a community recycling education booth at the fair.
• Momentum Principal Appointed to USEE Board: Jeff Whitbeck, Momentum Recycling Principal and Co-founder, has been named to the Utah Society for Environmental Education Board (USEE). USEE promotes high-quality environmental education in Utah. For more on USEE, visit www.usee.org.
• Educational Programs for Clients: As part of our basic customer service, Momentum conducts free "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Educational Seminars" for all new clients. In the past quarter, we've conducted over a dozen of these seminars, helping businesses and their employees understand more clearly how to maximize their diversion rates.
• Cross Fertilization between Clients and End-Users: As part of our mission, Momentum Recycling works to "close the loop" on recycling in our community. We organize events to bring all the recycling stakeholders in our community together for an on-going dialogue about zero waste in our community, and the local initiatives that support this goal.
  
  • During the second quarter, Momentum conducted a site visit to the Composting Facility at the Salt Lake Valley Landfill (www.slvlandfill.slco.org). Ashlee Yoder, Recycling Coordinator for the SLV Landfill, talked about their county-wide recycling initiatives with particular attention given to the operation of the Composting Facility.
  • In July, Momentum teamed up with Metech, formerly known as Glass Recycling Xperts or GRX (www.metechrecycling.com) to conduct a site visit for our clients at their facility in North Salt Lake. Eric Anderson, Metech Regional Manager, gave a tour and discussed his company’s approach to e-waste recycling.
  • During the next quarter, Momentum Recycling will be offering more tours of other end users’ facilities, as well as tours of client facilities. Stay tuned for more information on places & dates!