Executive Summary
In 2007/2008 TD Canada Trust completely changed the way recycling was practiced in the financial industry by launching a new
internal program across Canada. TD introduced Busch recycling bins, strategies and promotional materials into roughly 1,100 retail branch locations nationwide. This case study will look at how the program has shaped recycling efforts in the financial industry and how Busch recycling containers helped to achieve the programs goals.
Background
TD Canada Trust
- Subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank
- More than 11 million Canadian customers
- Over 1,100 branches and 2,600 ATM green machines
- One of the ‘Best Employers in Canada’ according to MediaCorps annual ‘Canada’s Top 100 Employers List’
Busch Systems International
- North American leader of waste, compost and recycling containers for the past 25 years
- Set the industry standard for new annual recycling container designs
- Each container is 100% recyclable and North America made with a minimum of 35% recycled content
Recycling Containers
- 30” Waste Watchers
- Deskside Recycling Bins
- Promotional Mini 28 Quart Recycling Bins
Analysis
In 2007/2008 TD Canada Trust launched a new internal recycling program for their retail branch locations across Canada. The goal of the program was to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills and to increase the diversion rate for recycling. Busch Systems recycling containers were used to create this onsite separation program:
- The Deskside Recycling Bin
- The 30” Waste Watcher
Deskside Recycling Bins were placed conveniently at each teller location and fitted with biodegradable bags. Once full, the bags are emptied into one of the three Waste Watchers which are located in the branch lunchrooms. Together the containers form a centralized recycling station. The bank used custom label, color and shape options on the container openings to assists employees in the material separation process. Brail was also added above each label to assist TD Canada Trust members who are visually impaired. The program collected:
- Cans/Bottles
- Paper
- Fiberboard/Cardboard
- Waste
TD Canada Trust was attracted to the custom label and opening options available from Busch Systems. The bank also liked that the Busch recycling bins didn’t take up a great deal of space yet provided tremendous functionality. Each retail branch location has limited space available to properly run a recycling program. Busch Systems recycling bins helped to create an effective and space efficient recycling program by:
- Being able to slide directly under teller desks and drawers
- Being able to form a sleek recycling station utilizing a small footprint and effective design
- Having concealed bags inside the centralized stations through the use of internal bag hooks. The bags were also able to be 18% smaller to save natural resources and costs
The greatest challenge for TD Canada Trust was what happened to the material after they were transferred into the Waste Watchers recycling bins. TD wanted to make sure that the collection process was simple and ran uniformly. They established three different types of weekly/biweekly pickup methods:
- Community based which relies on curbside municipal collection
- Building based for branches located in malls or plazas which relies on property owners to coordinate collection
- Waste hauler based which relies on TD Canada Trust to arrange for collection
For bank locations which didn’t have access to community or building based programs TD Canada Trust created one. The bank teamed up with local waste hauler service providers and arranged for programs to be setup. This was an entirely new approach to recycling. It required haulers to go directly into the facilities to collect the materials from central locations. Previously, the haulers were largely used to emptying large metal bins located outside of the facilities.
TD Canada Trust relied on their new recycling equipment to simplify the new collection process. The Busch recycling bins offered:
- Internal bag hooks to ensure that no material misses the bag. This eliminates the time waste collecting materials from the bottom of containers
- Easily removable lids which helps haulers get to the bags with ease
- Easy grip handles on the top and bottom of the container which make them easy to transport and empty
Once the strategy for the recycling program was established the equipment was selected and stocked. The bank created communication and promotional tools to launch the program to the retail locations. Each location was given access to recycling products and equipment supplied by Busch. TD Canada Trust also supplied mini recycling bins stamped with the banks logo and environmental slogan. The bins were filled with program instructions and geared toward educating and exciting TD employees to use the new program.
Conclusion
Overall, the program was overwhelming well received by TD employees and customers. The recycling program and products helped to support the environmental brand and culture of the bank. TD is well known for their “Friends of the Environment Foundation” and various other green pursuits.
