Waste Audit Insights with Bill Krafcheck
Bill joined Mid America in 2019 as Business Development Manager. Recycling appealed to Bill. “Finding solutions that work for our clients and making them happy is exciting,” he says. “Recycling is not a one-size-fits-all business; it has changing dynamics and a tremendous upside. Mid America’s team has a positive can-do attitude from the top-down that I really like. It’s infectious. Regardless of the situation or request, our immediate reaction is to see what we can do. We’re family owned, flexible and able to make things happen. And our service really is second to none.”
Uncovering worth, value.
Bill is especially skillful in assisting prospective customers who have completed Mid America’s Waste Audit Survey. He discovered that buyers and sellers do a number of things he can put to good use in the recycling business. For one, the survey provides feedback on the “health” of the current recycling program before Mid America gets involved. Bill is also adept at using the results of the Waste Audit to explore areas of growth for the company and make improvements to their recycling operations. “Mid America’s Audit program forms the foundation of our strategic business partnership with you and helps us determine what you are doing right and where improvements are needed,” Bill adds. “Using our vast industry connections, we use that information to find the right buyers for your recyclable materials and help build your recycling operation into a robust revenue generator that presents the specific value of your waste streams.”
From cash out to cash in
While the audit can be eye opening for those who take it, companies that have completed Mid America’s Waste Audit have been able to increase their revenues from paper recycling by up to 50 percent, Bill points out. After the audit is complete, Bill visits the audit participant’s business site to assess their recycling operation, determine where their waste is being created, how it’s handled, and where it goes.
“The inspection points out many things to the company they may not have considered before. There is such opportunity for improvement today. The chance to educate companies on new avenues and trends is tremendous and very fulfilling,” Bill points out.
During a walk-through of the site, he often finds discarded materials that are valuable, which are “obvious to me as a recycler as well as things would could be changed to make improvements.” Bill can spot items in the trash that should instead be recycled, and points out the high-value materials that should be separated from the rest of the heap. “Once we are in the operation, we find potential bottlenecks and limitations and then explore what’s possible to resolve them and create the best recycling solution.”
Even little things can make a big difference in transforming waste into high-ticket products that can be sold. “Paperboard and corrugated are not waste. They have value,” he notes. “The site visit is really the key,” he adds. “Most locations have multiple waste items that can be repurposed, such as OCC (Old Corrugated Containers), shrink wrap and even cores, plastic buckets, label stock, fabric ― you name it ― it needs to go somewhere. We develop the right solution for all of them. I currently work with a supplier that was ‘happy’ with his recycling processes until he wasn’t, when he couldn’t find anyone to take ‘difficult-to-recycle’ materials like butt roles of paper and fabric and fabric bales. We found a way to take bales he was paying to get rid of and pay him for them. That’s an incredible swing from sending cash out to brining cash in.”
After the visit, Mid America reviews everything with the company that was uncovered, and maps out a custom plan designed specifically for their operation, Bill explains. “This determines how much their waste is truly worth.”
Turning waste into sellable products
Next, Mid America’s exceptional account service team puts the plan into action. “Mid America’s Waste Audit opens doors and gets people thinking,” Bill says. “Every manufacturing business has waste products. Too many companies consider their waste to be just that. Waste. Once we get audit participants to think about their waste differently, the costs associated with its disposal and the chance of getting paid for it as a product start turning the wheels into motion. Questions start to flow: Can we cut our waste volumes if we separate it and get paid for it if it is baled? Can we get more for it if we fill a trailer with bales of it? Does our plastic film have value? What about plastic pallets? And so on.”
The Waste Audit Survey only takes about 10 minutes to fill out, but encourages people to start thinking, Bill says. “Most discover they don’t associate recycling with saving on trash payments. They don’t look at it as a secondary income stream that can grow and increase in value. Once we put our recycling program in place and provide the proper education and system setup, customers see the value of their recyclable waste increase and grows and the company prospers.”
For more details on our Waste Audit program, visit https://www.midamericapaper.com/waste-reduction-audit
