Goodwill of the Great Plains Boosts Recycling Efforts with the addition of State-of-the-Art Equipment
Goodwill of the Great Plains is boosting their recycling efforts with the addition of custom, state of the art equipment to their operations facility in Sioux City, IA. Annually, Goodwill recycles over 16 million pounds of material, keeping items that do not sell in their 21 retail locations out of the landfill and on to new uses.
Thanks to generous donations from the community, Goodwill sustains its mission through the sale of these donations. Goodwill takes pride in recycling a significant portion of donated goods that do not end up selling in their stores. “Goodwill’s priority is serving our mission while being a good steward to our donors and continue to reduce our environmental footprint” said John Hantla, President and CEO.
This new equipment could potentially bale up to 8 million more pounds of recycled materials annually. The benefits are efficiency, safety, higher output, and automation.
“The new equipment is truly a sight to see. It’s impressive to see how efficiently the equipment can prepare bales of textiles and other material to be ready for the next step in recycling.” said Vilay Keokenchanh, Chief Operating Officer. “What might take a week or longer to process can now be accomplished in one day.”
Goodwill recycles items such as textiles, leather goods, shoes, purses, stuffed animals, cardboard, and paper. “Goodwill is constantly researching new opportunities to recycle and further their positive impact on the local community and the environment” said Angie Washburn, Director of Operations.