Spring Edition 2015 Meet Our New Chair! Kim Brunson Look Who’s Recycling! Welcome New Members … We want to welcome our newest members … Florida Press Association; Florida Retail Federation; CEMEX & Marpan Kim Brunson has held the position of Recycle and Solid Waste Program Manager for Publix Super Markets since 2007. In this capacity, she is responsible for companywide recycling and disposal services for more than 1,076 retail grocery stores in six states, as well as Publix’s manufacturing, distribution centers and support facilities. Brunson began her Publix career in 1981, as a part-time cashier at Publix Store #001 in Winter Haven, Florida. While working on her degree in computer science, she made the transition from the retail environment to Publix’s Data Processing department, where she enjoyed the balance of working with people and systems. Her skills were put into action during the company’s move to consolidated buying. She later built and implemented a company-wide emergency response program and became a champion for business disruption preparedness. That experience led to her transition into the area of regulatory compliance, implementing processes and controls for various regulatory requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payments Card Industry (PCI) and Technical Guidelines 3 (TG3). Her current role as Recycle and Solid Waste Manager has allowed her to reconnect with the retail operations of the company while building and implementing programs for Publix. Her motto is “We turn trash into cash!” Focusing on reusing and recycling, the company’s recycle rate has continued to increase each year. Brunson has a reputation for turning problems into solutions and creating better processes that bring financial value to the bottom line. “I love a challenge, and I have a passion for solving problems,” said Brunson. “I got my start in a Publix store, so my greatest satisfaction is now being in a position to support our retail stores.” Currently, Brunson resides in Lakeland, Fla. with her daughter Laura, also a Publix associate. They enjoy entertaining and spending time with friends and family, attending First Baptist at the Mall, raising orchids and roses. With a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Warner Southern College and more than 30 years of grocery retail experience, one thing has remained the same – her desire to serve her customers and to continue to make Publix a great place to work and shop. FRP membership is growing … Be Sure to Follow us to see who is recycling For membership information, please contact: Keyna Cory - [email protected] - (850) 728-1054 Post Office Box 10683 – Tallahassee, FL 32302 Spring Edition 2015 Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, floating through the wind, wanting to start again? Katie Perry’s song lyric could not be more on point, but what do you do with your plastic bags from the grocery store or retail shop? What about the plastic sleeves from dry cleaning and your newspaper as well as bread bags? Well, hopefully you recycled them, to help avoid them becoming lyrics from hit songs! But many people are not sure where you can proper dispose of these items for recycling purposes. Plastic bags and plastic film should NOT go into your curbside bin or cart to be combined with other household recyclables. Instead, there’s a great way to find a location near you that accepts plastic bags for recycling. There is a great way for you to find a location near you … go to www.abagslife.com and type in your zip code. It will show you locations where you can deposit your plastic bags and what kinds are accepted. For example , Publix Super Markets has a container right at the entrance to all of their stores as a convenient place to discard your plastic bags. And they will take any plastic bag not just Publix bags! In 2013 Publix recycled 8,800 tons of bags and wraps … that equates to 17,600,000 pounds! No matter where you drop off your bags, remember only clean plastic bags and plastic sleeves should be taken to the local recycling center. Food saran wrap, prepackaged food bags, or any food residue should never be left inside a bag headed for recycling! So what will your plastic bag become in its next life? They may reappear as new plastic bags … or maybe building products such as backyard decks, playground equipment and fences. Did you know that the majority of recycled plastic bags are converted into composite lumber? The bags are combined with sawdust and voilà – you have composite lumber that can be used for door frames, window frames and even outdoor decks! Let’s all do our part and make sure that used plastic bags are deposited in recycling bins and don’t end up as litter! It’s not the bag’s fault if it ends up on our streets or beaches. Make sure to recycle your plastic bags. Florida Recycling Partnership members Kim Brunson, Publix Super Markets; John Zapata, Rooms To Go; and Dawn McCormick, Waste Management participated on a panel at the Southeast Recycling Conference & Trade Show in Destin. The title of discussion was “Corporate America’s Recycling Initiatives” and focused on what businesses are doing to increase recycling. There were over 60 exhibitors and the Florida Recycling Partnership was one of them. The conference drew over 500 attendees from across the United States. Be Sure to Follow us on For membership information, please contact: Keyna Cory - [email protected] - (850) 728-1054 Post Office Box 10683 – Tallahassee, FL 32302 Spring Edition 2015 Keyna Cory was a speaker at the International Bottled Water Association Board of Directors and Committee Meetings held in February at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove. Members from across the country as well as internationally attended the three day conference. The IBWA is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters. Founded in 1958, IBWA's member companies include U.S. and international bottlers, distributors, and suppliers. IBWA unifies the bottled water industry and represents uncompromising commitment to the safety and availability of bottled water worldwide. While IBWA represents companies of all sizes, the vast majority of our 640 members are small, locally owned companies, with 60% reporting $2 million in annual gross sales and 90% reporting less than $10 million in annual gross sales. - See more at: http://www.bottledwater.org/ Keyna talked about how the Florida Recycling Partnership was started and what the organization has done so far. IBWA is a member of the Florida Recycling Partnership. Florida has top notch sporting venues and some with great recycling programs. Keyna Cory had an opportunity to speak to the Florida Sports Foundation Board of Directors in February. The Miami Marlins is a member of the Florida Recycling Partnership and received the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Recognition Award last year. Other sporting venues such as the Daytona International Speedway and the Amelia Arena have participated in our Florida Recycling Summit. The Florida Sports Foundation, Inc. is a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation, serving as the Sports Industry Development Division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. Be Sure to Follow us on For membership information, please contact: Keyna Cory - [email protected] - (850) 728-1054 Post Office Box 10683 – Tallahassee, FL 32302 Spring Edition 2015 We were live tweeting from the Florida House Agriculture & Nature Resources Subcommittee… Did you miss it, follow us on twitter @FLRecycling Be Sure to Follow us on For membership information, please contact: Keyna Cory - [email protected] - (850) 728-1054 Post Office Box 10683 – Tallahassee, FL 32302
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