Best Buy hits zero waste goal at reverse logistics center

Minnesota-based retailer Best Buy says it has earned a Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) certification for zero waste at its Reverse Logistics Center in Chino, California. During the past year, the facility was able to divert more than 99.67 percent of its solid waste from landfills, says the retailer.

“We have long been committed to making a positive impact on the planet and the communities we serve, and that journey has pushed us to continually find new ways to make our business even more sustainable,” states the company’s Ale Valeriano in a blog post.

TRUE is a certification system set up by Washington-based Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). According to that firm, TRUE has been designed to help facilities define, pursue and achieve zero waste goals, which can increase their resource efficiency, cut their carbon footprint and support public health.

Valeriano says part of Best Buy’s commitment is to reduce its carbon footprint and help its customers keep electronic scrap out of landfills. “To continue reducing our impact on the environment, we will work toward building a more sustainable supply chain, expanding our zero-waste efforts to different facilities,” she writes.

The Chino facility achieved its milestone by identifying waste streams and finding ways to make it easier for employees to recycle. “During the process, we used data gathered by Rubicon — a software platform that provides smart waste and recycling solutions — to create a baseline for our waste diversion efforts, then pinpoint opportunities to achieve our goal,” Valeriano says.

The company also credits “a dedicated group of employees [in Chino] that came together to form a ‘green team,’ and led the charge in launching several new waste initiatives, including standardized color-coded containers and labels throughout the office, lunchroom and warehouse to help increase employee recycling.”

Valeriano adds, “As the nation’s largest retail collector of [obsolete electronics], we have collected more than 2 billion pounds (1 million tons) of tech from customers for recycling since 2009. Our recycling program is part of our continued effort to protect the environment and support our customers throughout the life cycle of their products, making it easier for them to give their tech a second life and out of landfills.”

Valeriano says Best Buy has set a goal to achieve 85 percent waste diversion throughout its operations.