Biz Spotlights
Green Business Spotlight: Rollin' Right Bike Repair
Reuse and repurposing business waste is possible through community partnerships and creativity. Planning to reuse or repurpose materials for your business waste management plan will save money and strengthen community resilience. While recycling and composting are great ways to prevent landfill waste, Clark County Green Business encourages new pathways to reuse or repurpose - like through donation!
Donating waste items from your business might be strange at first, but it saves money. A local small business owner, Edward Eley of Rollin' Right Bike Repair spoke with Clark County Green Business about the benefits of reuse pathways as a waste management strategy. Edward donates used bike tubes to the Clark County Green Schools program to fasten cart liners on school compost bins. For Edward, donating these bike tubes reduces the amount of waste his business produces, requiring fewer garbage drop-offs. A reduction in garbage service is a reduction in maintenance costs.
Edward also enjoys that the reuse process involves a community partnership. Rollin' Right is a proud American business that uses American-made products whenever possible – supporting other communities throughout the United States. Edward believes that people do what's important to them, and this can include a reuse pathway in your business.
To find reuse pathways for your business, connect deeper with your customers and staff. Learn how people spend their time and what groups they support outside of work. Is there a specific item or material filling up your garbage bins over and over? Can you think of a way this item can be reused to better support the community?
A great example of reusable business waste is excess food at restaurants and kitchens. Washington State added an amendment to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act in 2022. This legislation protects businesses from food donation liability, making it easier to bridge the connection between extra food and people facing food insecurity. All food service businesses can investigate the amount of edible food waste they dispose of. Is it possible to donate this food to a local food kitchen instead? Find more information about incentives and how to get involved on the USDA website.
Community resilience in the face of climate change is defined as "the existence, development, and engagement of community resources by community members to thrive in an environment characterized by change, uncertainty, unpredictability, and surprise" (Carmen, 2022). It is important to have intentional community frameworks that connect groups of people to support, resources, and new ideas. As a business owner, it is clear there is a passion for community building - every business brings people together for a shared purpose.
Incorporating reuse and repurpose pathways in business waste management plans saves money and makes the community stronger. Take inspiration from Rollin' Right Bike Repair and consider the ways your business can uplift the community through reuse strategies.
Solid waste regional planning and programs are a cooperative effort of Battle Ground, Camas, Clark County, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Washougal, and Yacolt.
