Bridging’s Commitment to our Sustainability Value
Volunteer Bob Faint “STEEL” Leads Bridging’s Metal Recycling Efforts
Bridging volunteer Bob Faint (center) leads an important sustainability effort in the Bloomington warehouse that reduces landfill waste.
Specifically, Bob has been leading the charge in our metal recycling efforts.
While we are primarily in the business of reuse, we also recycle throughout our operations.
Fifteen years ago, Bob noticed that we had significant metal waste from items such as cookware, bakeware, and metal bed frames that couldn’t be donated to our clients but could be recycled.
“Pretty quickly I went to [Founder]Fran Heitzman and Bridging management, and asked, ‘Why can’t we do metal recycling?’”
“As the metal recycling was piling up, I offered to bring a load over to Northern Metal, and they cut me a check for $159 for our trash,” recalled Bob. “I signed the check over to Bridging and brought it over to the Bloomington warehouse.”
With that, Bridging’s metal recycling practice took hold. Bob set up a metal collection area in the Bloomington warehouse, where it has remained a fixture ever since.
Now, Bob, his recycling teammate Ken, and other Bloomington volunteers separate unusable materials according to several metal categories, including steel, aluminum, copper, stainless steel, mixed metal, and wire, each of which yields a different dollar amount per pound.
Trash to Treasure with Environmental Benefits
Once the team has a truckload of scrap metal, they bring it to a local metal recycler. Bob estimates that he has personally recycled $38,000 worth of metal scrap for Bridging over the last 15 years.
Today, Bridging is a proud and founding member of the Reuse Minnesota Association, and regularly partners with local municipal, county, and state efforts focused on waste diversion and sustainability.
“We reduce dumpster expenses, get money in return, and help save the environment through reduced landfill space,” Bob added. “Our process is pretty simple, but the impact is significant.”
17 Years And Counting
Bob has volunteered with Bridging since 2009, bringing creativity and insight into every effort. His ability to see opportunity in metal recycling has played an important role in advancing Bridging’s sustainability goals.
This Volunteer Appreciation Week, Bridging thanks all its volunteers for their dedication to high-quality standards. The metal recycling practices Bob started all those years ago support sustainability in an often-overlooked way and enable us to expand our community impact.
Thank you, Bob, Ken, and team. You’re STEEL, the ones who are leading Bridging’s metal recycling efforts after all these years!
Did you know? Since 1987, Bridging has served more than 120,000 households and reduces landfill space by 15 million pounds each year.
READ MORE about our solar efforts: Bridging’s commitment to sustainability.
JOIN US: You can join Bob and all our other outstanding volunteers and help us achieve our mission of furnishing homes with hope. Join our Volunteer Team today!
