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