Speakers in Northwest Arkansas forum say information drives recycling – Arkansas Online

FAYETTEVILLE -- Growing recycling in the local business community depends in part on marketing and motivation, according to panelists in an online forum Tuesday.

The Northwest Arkansas Council created the Onward Ozarks speaker series to provide organizations, companies and individuals a platform to share news, events and other information with a regional audience, according to the council's website. Randy Wilburn, host of the "I Am Northwest Arkansas" podcast, hosts the series.

Tuesday's event, held via Zoom, featured Joe Tucker, vice president for business development with eSCO Processing and Recycling in Rogers, a company that processes electronic devices for reuse and recycling. Also on the panel were Faebyan Whittle, director of sustainability with the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville; Heather Ellzey, environmental educator with the city of Fayetteville; and Tom Rohr, CEO of Food Loops, a Rogers firm that works with businesses to compost food waste and other products.

Each panelist explained what he does and how it relates to the Northwest Arkansas business recycling effort. The Northwest Arkansas Council is spearheading a project to encourage recycling and the growth of a circular economy.

A circular economy is one in which materials are recycled and reused, as opposed to a linear economy where materials are used once and discarded, according to a study done as part of the council's effort. One example of a circular economy is food waste recycling in which the original food products are used and the food waste recycled and used to grow more food.

Fayetteville is working in food waste recycling as well as more traditional home and business recycling programs, Ellzey said. Much of her work involves education about how those programs work. She gave an example from the recycling program, saying the market for plastics right now is such that the city can recycle only No. 1 and No. 2 plastic bottles.

Ellzey said the bales of material can't include different types of plastics, for example, because they have different melting temperatures. The material can be rejected if there is too much contamination, she said.

"Our buyers are very picky," Ellzey said.

Whittle said the recycling effort at the Pack Rat center is less formal. The business makes information about recycling available to people based on the experience the employees gain through their work, she said.

"It's about gathering information and making it available," she said.

Whittle said the business makes the information available at the center and through social media. She said it's a very informal process.

"Usually people are just there to shop in the store, and we have these conversations," she said. "It's a very organic experience."

Tucker said the electronics recycling business has several layers that may not exist in more traditional recycling. Businesses want to be sure their company's data will be removed from the devices, he said. After that, the devices may be refurbished for reuse or taken apart to recover the materials that can be recycled, he said.

"Electronics are not aluminum cans," he said. "It's not a clean piece of cardboard. We're turning a difficult material into a raw material that's valuable."

The panelists agreed recycling stems from different motivations and what resonates with one person or group may not move others.

Ellzey said she often focuses on resource conservation, sustainability and on preserving the planet for future generations while making her presentations. She added it helps when she can show a business that recycling can benefit them financially.

Tucker agreed that showing how recycling fits into a business model works. He said he tries to show how his company makes money and how his clients save money.

Rohr said while money is important, it's also important to build a culture that values recycling, something he said hasn't happened across Northwest Arkansas.

"Maybe you can save money in Fayetteville, but in the rest of Northwest Arkansas, it's very inexpensive to throw something away," he said.

Regional recycling

More information about recycling resources in Northwest Arkansas can be found through the nwarecycles.org website, a joint effort of the Northwest Arkansas Council and the Benton County and Boston Mountain solid waste districts.

Source: Staff report

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Speakers in Northwest Arkansas forum say information drives recycling - Arkansas Online