ProBuild's yard in Meridian, Idaho has reduced the volume of trash it throws away by 98%. The yard uses designated recycling bins as opposed to huge dumpsters. Prior to employing the bins, the yard was filling two to three 20-yard dumpsters each week. Now the yard only empties a three-yard dumpster every other week.
Facility manager Tracy Skidmore estimates that the facility saved more than $13,500 in tipping fees in the year ended last July. The yard even makes money on its trash. For instance, ProBuild gets paid for the cardboard it recycles. Other recycled materials include bins for steel, plastic, wood, commingled trash such as office waste, and food garbage. Wood scraps are ground by the yard's sanitation company and used for horse bedding.
