|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Partnership |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Waltham Recycling Partnership is a cooperative sponsored by the Waltham Rotary Club and the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce. WasteCap of Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization formed to assist businesses reduce and recycle solid waste, assisted the Rotary and the Chamber to create their cooperative. Waltham is a suburban community outside of Boston with a small thriving downtown full of storefront businesses and a number of office buildings and office parks located on the outskirts of the community. The number of small and medium sized businesses provided an ideal setting for a successful recycling cooperative.
The Rotary Club was the initial sponsor of the cooperative. The Rotary was interested in supporting a community service project, providing a recycling service for their members and in potentially raising money for their scholarship fund. Soon after starting the cooperative, however, the Rotary realized that it could only succeed by recruiting more and larger businesses to participate and anchor the program.
The Rotary solicited help from WasteCap of Massachusetts. WasteCap agreed to become the Project Coordinator for the cooperative. The next step WasteCap took was to recruit the local Chamber of Commerce as a partner.
The Chamber of Commerce boasts a larger membership than the Rotary. Once they became a partner, the Chamber released its membership list to the Advisory Committee to solicit potential participants through the mail and over the telephone; their marketing staff assisted the program by submitting press releases to the local newspaper; the membership staff introduced potential Chamber members to the cooperative; and the Advisory committee representative assisted in event planning and inviting the Cooperative to promote itself at Chamber trade shows and expositions.
The Advisory Committee was comprised of two Rotarians, one Chamber staff person and the WasteCap Project Coordinator. The WasteCap Project Coordinator provided technical assistance and program organization. WasteCap was the liaison between the Chamber, the Rotary and the recycling service provider, JetAWay. With suggestions and introductions from the Advisory Committee, WasteCap recruited and educated participating businesses.
The result: In 1997, the Waltham Recycling Partnership recycled over 75 tons of white and colored office paper from 96 businesses. |
|
|
