If you are a regular reader on this site, you’ve seen a number of ideas and suggestions for improvement about recycling. 

Here are a few ideas:

Offer recycling of paper cups
Offer composting in all stores
Start using a plastic cup that is recyclable

While we don’t yet have an answer for every store, we’ve started a significant effort to improve--more to come on that in future blogs.  I also thought it would be illustrative to take some time to tell you what we’re doing at the Seattle Support Center—that’s the name for our world headquarters here in Seattle.  This building is 2.3 million square feet (trivia bit:  more square footage than any other single building in Seattle) and about three thousand partners work here.  Recycling is a key component of life at the SSC.

At a glance, here is what we do:

• All kitchens stocked w/ ceramic coffee cups
• All kitchens offer recycling of plastic and aluminum
• Most kitchen offer glass recycling
• Many kitchens offer composting which offers our partners and building visitors the ability to compost coffee grounds, food waste, flowers, used paper towels and used paper plates. 
• Hands free faucets and soap dispensers which help to minimize water waste and excessive soap use.
• Environmentally friendly dish soap so that you can wash your reusable dishes
• Partners are encouraged to use their own re-usable dishes for their meals instead of paper plates and plastic serveware. 
• Desk side recycling so that partners can put their paper in the appropriate bin right at their desk. 
• We’re even piloting no garbage cans desk side on a few floors.
• Lights and the HVAC System are on automatic sensors and are programmed to go on and off as appropriate for the work flow on that floor. 
• Waterless urinals in the men's restrooms that save over 30,000 gallons of water every month

The SSC is one of the largest LEED-EB Gold Certified (Leadership in energy and environmental design) buildings in the world and we are proud of that.  

The step we’re working on now is to find ways to work with you and with your local communities to achieve this level of environmental stewardship in more of our stores around the world.