Ferndale

Ferndale businesses take part in SOCRRA recycling program

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by David Schreiber SOCRRA recently launched a free commercial recycling program in Ferndale, and 35 businesses have already signed up to participate. Pictured, Rosie O’Grady’s employee Jeren Carter empties recyclable materials into one of the many carts behind the restaurant. Photo by David Schreiber SOCRRA recently launched a free commercial recycling program in Ferndale, and 35 businesses have already signed up to participate. Pictured, Rosie O’Grady’s employee Jeren Carter empties recyclable materials into one of the many carts behind the restaurant.

FERNDALE — Nearly three dozen city businesses have started recycling over the last few months, and there could be many more on the way.

Ferndale was selected last fall as the next SOCRRA community to receive an additional push to encourage greater commercial recycling. SOCRRA officials hope to replicate the success that they experienced with a grant-funded business recycling program in Berkley two years ago, in which over 150 new businesses signed up to recycle over the span of just six months.

“We felt like with the Berkley program, the results were so positive that we wanted to try to bring this program to some of our other communities,” said Colette Farris, commercial recycling coordinator for SOCRRA. “Ferndale is a pretty progressive city that already recycles a little bit, so this seemed like a good fit for us.”

The Berkley commercial recycling program was part of a $79,000 Michigan energy efficiency and conservation block grant (EECBG) package that the City Council approved in June 2010, $64,000 of which was allocated for recycling. While there was no grant funding available this time around, for a limited time, SOCRRA is offering free recycling bins for Ferndale businesses and delivering them at no extra charge.

“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for businesses to recycle so they don’t have to put very much effort into it,” Farris explained. “We’re coming straight to them, so all they have to do to participate is call us and sign up.”

The Ferndale program began in November and is expected to continue for a period of about six months. During that time, businesses can request two types of recycling containers: either the small, 18-gallon curbside bins or the large, 95-gallon carts on wheels.

SOCRRA officials will also consult with Ferndale businesses to assess their recycling needs and determine the size, number and type of receptacles that they need to contain their recyclable materials. In addition, businesses will receive information and support about how to create and sustain a successful recycling program in the workplace.

“What we found in Berkley,” Farris said, “was that a lot of businesses weren’t even aware that this recycling program was available to them. That was the biggest reason why they hadn’t been (recycling). The other problem was that the bigger the business, the harder and more complicated it was for them to get their staff on board with it and develop the habit of recycling.”

So far, though, this has not been an issue at Rosie O’Grady’s, 279 W. Nine Mile Road, which, with about 150 employees, is one of the city’s largest businesses. According to general manager Jennifer Hatcher, Rosie’s employees quickly adapted to the new policy when it was put in place at the start of the new year, and the restaurant currently has eight recycling carts that SOCRRA picks up three days a week.

“I was pleasantly surprised and excited by how many people were really on board with this idea,” Hatcher said. “We had a lot of recyclables before that were just being thrown in the Dumpsters out back, so this is definitely a great alternative to that. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do because I’m a big advocate of recycling.”

Hatcher noted that because Rosie’s has so much room in its rear loading dock area, she has also offered to provide space for other downtown businesses to store their recyclables each week.

“This is all about raising awareness, so we want to do whatever we can to help more businesses recycle,” she said. “What’s good for the planet is good for everyone, right? I want my kids’ kids to have somewhere to live other than landfills when they grow up.”

According to Farris, 35 Ferndale businesses have already signed up to be part of the recycling program, including Torino Espresso Bar, Assaggi Bistro, Danny’s Irish Pub, Chazzano Coffee, Blumz by JRDesigns, John K. King Books and State of the Art. In addition, 19 other establishments that were already recycling — such as the Rust Belt Market, Flip Salon, Naka and the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop — have made requests for extra recycling carts or bins. Farris estimated that she has been contacted by 15 to 20 businesses per month since the program was first implemented.

Anita’s Kitchen, 22651 Woodward Ave., is one of the businesses that most recently jumped on board. Co-owner Joe Wegrzyn believes that the recycling program is “a great idea” that will keep a lot of recyclable items out of the city’s trash compactors.

“I would love to see even more businesses participate in this program,” he said. “Recycling is a great endeavor, and if they (SOCRRA) are looking to make it a little easier for us, then I’m all for it. We want to make sure that we’re not filling up our Dumpsters and wasting any resources that we could be saving.”

For the 12 SOCRRA communities, one of the additional benefits of recycling is that it allows them to earn a cash rebate to offset their trash pickup fees based on the amount of recyclables that they collect. The current amount is $37.50 per ton of materials, Farris said. SOCRRA also uses some of the revenue that it accumulates from selling recyclables to help cover its own operating expenses.

Still, Farris stressed that the additional funds that SOCRRA will bring in by getting more Ferndale businesses to recycle is merely the icing on the cake for its commercial recycling program.

“The bigger goal here,” she said, “is to change the attitude of as many businesses as we can to help increase recycling across the whole region. We just want to keep the buzz about recycling going strong and keep it fresh in people’s minds. That’s really the key to getting people to recycle more.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.