Program Tip: Pick-up Programs. For programs in which haulers conduct “milk-run” pick-ups at multiple businesses, the economics of their routes are enhanced by the participation of large, “anchor” businesses. Anchor businesses may have ten times the number of employees and generate significantly more materials than the vast majority of small businesses involved in the cooperative, and serve to support the hauler’s costs associated with multiple pick-ups from small generators. For small business recycling cooperatives to be economically attractive to service providers, the quantity of materials available must be maximized and the number of pick-ups minimized. Following are tips for ensuring that this occurs:
		Schedule pick-ups once a minimum threshold for the quantity of material generated is reached. For instance, pick-ups can be scheduled on a designated day each week and businesses meeting the threshold can contact the service provider prior to the pick-up day to request service. Coordinate neighboring businesses to consolidate materials. If several small businesses are situated in close proximity to one another, materials can be placed at a central location that is easily accessible to the service provider. Businesses such as print shops and Chambers of Commerce often relish the opportunity to have more visitors coming to their locations, even if they are doing so just to drop off recyclables; it might bring them new business. Work with property managers to sign on entire buildings. Building owners and managers can play an important role in coordinating their tenants into cooperative programs. Such arrangements can translate into significant quantities of materials for service providers at centralized locations.
				Step 4: Check List The Advisory Committee will design the cooperative to meet the needs of the local businesses. The Advisory Committee should determine the type of program they want to create and how that program will be marketed. Have you decided on a type of program (dropoff or pickup)? Do you have a budget for promotion of the cooperative? If you have a budget, what will it be used for? If you do not have a budget, have you recruited volunteers to help with marketing? Has someone donated inkind services or pro bono support for marketing the program?