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BRAC Business Spotlight The Recycling Foundation

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
The Recycling Foundation
With the construction of a 10,000 square foot Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in 2005,
The Recycling Foundation put south Louisiana “on the cutting edge of recycling
technology,” says Tammy Cheatham, the Foundation’s vice president of commercial
operations. The MRF, the only one of its kind in the Louisiana, is state-of-the-art, taking
commingled recyclables such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and aluminum in a
single stream, and sorting them both mechanically and manually. Sorted materials are
sold on the open market to make new products.
Locally, the Foundation handles curbside collection in East Baton Rouge Parish,
Zachary, and Gonzales, operates drop-off events in Ascension Parish, and offers
collection and processing services to businesses. “Making recycling easy and
inexpensive” is the key to greater participation, Cheatham explains. In fact, EBR’s
residential participation increased significantly when the Parish switched to commingled
collections with the Foundation.
In the short-term, says Cheatham, curbside residential recycling costs a little more than trash collection because landfills
in the area still have considerable capacity. However, as space in local landfills diminishes, it will become less expensive
to recycle. This is already evident in other areas of the country where landfill space is at a premium, and tipping fees are
two to three times higher than recycling fees.
For businesses, the Foundation’s services are generally cost-effective, with most recognizing a savings by taking
materials out of the waste stream. The Foundation is quickly expanding across South Louisiana in an effort to meet an
ever-growing demand. “People want to go green…and our plan is to be at the forefront of this growing green movement.”
An independent family-owned business, the Foundation prides itself on superior customer service, dependability, and a
Christian-based business philosophy, and Cheatham attributes much of the company’s success to “the hard work and
passion of more than 100 employees.”
“We look forward to further involvement with BRAC and working with Chamber partners to help keep Baton Rouge a
progressive city.” For more information, visit www.recyclingfoundation.com.

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