McDonald's Restaurants of Canada

Since 1989, Ray Leach and Karl Brown have been instrumental in keeping McDonald's Restaurants of Canada at the leading edge of environmental management. Waste Alternatives has played a pivotal role in McDonald's operations, purchasing and communications. Our work has included:

• Annual waste audits to establish a baseline of waste generation data and measure impacts of 3 R's initiatives.
• Environmental assessments of all corporate activities.
• Developing and implementing polystyrene recycling programs in more than 80 restaurants.
• Developing the multi-material, behind-the-counter recycling program that enabled restaurants to divert more than 50% of solid waste.
• Technical and economic evaluation of recycling and composting systems.
• Conducting tests with private recycling companies, governments and universities to study the feasibility of various processes and to develop viable diversion technologies
• System-wide employee education programs.
• Ongoing analysis of packaging and delivery systems.
• Assisting in developing corporate environmental profile and policies.
• Negotiating contracts for various environmental and waste-related services.
• Directing the implementation of a corporate environmental management system to incorporate environmental decision-making throughout the organization.
• Working with all McDonald's suppliers to reduce environmental impacts within their operations and those they pass on to restaurants.
• Analyzing relevant legislation from all levels of government (and international statutes) and how it will impact the corporation.

McDonald's Corporation (US)

In 1993, Waste Alternatives Inc. began working with McDonald's US operations on the design and implementation of a wide range of waste diversion and reduction initiatives, including:

• Annual waste audits in different US markets to measure effects of waste diversion, packaging reduction, and recycling programs on the waste stream.
• Providing information and resources to McDonald's owner/operators to help them understand their waste stream and the methods of effective diversion programs.
• Advising on key issues related to McDonald's social responsibility index.
• Conducting recycling market research, advising on technologies, and assisting with communication.

Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Association - CPRA

In 1989, WAI principals Ray Leach and Karl Brown were instrumental in the creation of CPRA, the corporation responsible for Ontario's only post-consumer polystyrene recycling operation. Our role in the early days of the Association included:

• Leading the establishment of CPRA's recycling facility in Mississauga: siting, negotiating real estate arrangements, testing and procuring equipment, and working with CPRA members to supply material.
• Creating Ontario's first post-consumer polystyrene recycling programs in schools, restaurants, retail food courts and cafeterias.
• Working with CPRA members to implement polystyrene recycling programs in their establishments, including the North York Board of Education, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Dairy Queen, Beaver Foods, Bell Canada, American Express, and Lily Cups.
• Developing and testing signage, collections containers, education programs and collection and handling systems.
• Conducting seminars for CPRA members on all aspects of creating recycling and waste diversion programs in foodservice establishments.
• Developing first multi-material recycling program in a retail food court, working with the property owner and manager, various franchises, cleaning crew, public and recycling companies.
• Negotiating with waste haulers and recyclers to develop cost effective collection programs.
• Working with catering companies and property managers to implement recycling program in cafeterias.

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Special Olympics, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The first truly international Special Olympics was held in Minneapolis in 1991. Working with the sponsor of the foodservice packaging, WAI principals were integral in developing and co-ordinating all aspects of this special event recycling program:

• Implementing and managing a recycling program for 1,000 athletes, 6,000 family members, and 100,000 spectators in 27 separate venues.
• Procuring collection equipment, signs, and educational material for event.
• Collecting various foodservice items from the Metrodome, athletic fields, cafeterias, residences and entertainment venues.
• Training volunteers, arranging material collection, and finding markets for all materials.
• Communicating with corporate sponsors, event management, local politicians and media.
• By the end of the event, more than 100 tonnes of waste materials were successfully diverted.

Air Canada - Cara Flight Kitchen, Pearson International Airport

Working with the management of both Air Canada and Cara Operations, Ray Leach conducted the first environmental assessment and waste generation profile for aviation-related foodservice in Canada:

• Working with the companies' environmental and operations personnel, Leach reported and advised on environmental issues facing Air Canada.
• Waste audits were conducted at the Cara Flight Kitchen and on Air Canada flights to develop a waste generation profile.
• Recycling programs were implemented throughout the organization.
• Packaging materials were analyzed and changes to more environmentally suitable replacements were recommended.
• Air Canada and Cara were supplied with available recycling and waste management service providers in all major centres across Canada.

Quick Service Restaurant Council (QSRC)

Waste Alternatives Inc. has played a key role in this advisory group for Canadian restaurant owners:

• Advising QSRC Executive on developing strategy for industry initiatives.
• Supporting the organization's government affairs department as they became involved in legislative issues facing the foodservice industry.
• Advising on developing system-wide collection infrastructure for the restaurant sector, marketing of materials, and recycling market analysis for restaurants.
• Researching and drafting restaurant recycling resource manual 'Restaurants and Recycling - How to Comply with Ontario's Environmental Law'.
• Developing Kingston, Ontario-area organic diversion/composting program with local members.

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Lily Cups Inc.

Waste Alternatives worked closely with this foodservice packaging manufacturer to achieve waste diversion totals exceeding 90% from manufacturing operations. Our work has included:

• Annual waste audits of all manufacturing operations, establishing a baseline of waste generation data.
• Implementing 3-R initiatives to help Lily reduce plant waste by more that 90%.
• Conducted employee education sessions within all levels of the operation to inform and educate Lily staff.
• Sat on Environment Committee and advised each department on developing sustainable solutions to environmental issues.
• Helped to develop customer support and education packages for Lily customers.
• Over the four years of WAI's involvement, Lily Cups realized savings of more than $500,000.

Sweetheart Cup Company Inc.

The U.S. parent company of Lily Cups Inc., Sweetheart Cups has worked with Waste Alternatives on a comprehensive waste auditing and recycling program:

• Developing a waste audit of all manufacturing operations in a million square-foot facility. This audit established baseline waste generation data.
• Preparing an economic analysis of costs associated with the handling, recycling, and disposal of waste materials or recyclable commodities.
• Sourcing secondary markets for waste materials and negotiating rates and coordinating logistics for recyclable commodities.
• Implementing comprehensive recycling and waste reduction programs in each separate manufacturing department of the facility.
• Developing and implementing detailed material handling procedures for waste and recyclables for all manufacturing employees.
• Educating employees about waste audit results and new procedures for handling waste and recyclables.
• Negotiating savings with several suppliers of waste related services.
• Implementing a system to track savings from all departments on an ongoing monthly basis.
• By negotiating new contracts with service companies, Sweetheart Cup achieved significant savings and simplified their accounting procedures.

Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) Unsaleables Committee

The ECR Unsaleables Committee is a grocery industry committee made up of representatives from the Canadian Council of Grocer Distributors and the Food and Consumer Products Canada. The Committees’ goal was to establish an effective framework for the management of unsaleables in the Canadian grocery industry. Waste Alternatives was instrumental in creating this framework through an initial study and then a year long pilot project to validate the process:

• Studying existing methods and costs of managing unsaeables for both the vendors and the distributors.
• Studying the leading causes of unsaleables and determining best practices for reducing unsaleables.
• Developing and testing the Store Level Reclamation Pilot Project, the first of its kind reclamation system where products are scanned at stores.
• Operating the pilot for one year to prove the validity.
• Presenting results to the committee at various stages of the process including the 21% reduction in the incidence of unsaleables through this process.

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Procter & Gamble

Since 1999 Waste Alternatives has worked with Procter & Gamble in providing hidden damage auditing services across all product categories throughout the Canadian retail supply chain, including:

• Conducting a comprehensive base line audit of P&G items in all product categories at different points of distribution within the supplying chain: P&G facilities, Canadian Distributors, retail locations.
• Randomly opening and examining thousands of cases of products, inspecting items for different types of damages, recording and photographing the products and tracking the results in a customized data base.
• Examining product-handling systems, packaging systems and the effects on the incidence of damages.
• Reporting the results to Procter and Gamble and providing insight and expertise to help determine causes of damages and possible solutions for prevention of damages for P&G and their customers.

WAI continues to conduct hidden damage audits for P&G in Canada on a biannual basis.