Even the most efficient manufacturing operation has waste.

No matter how focused management might be on maximizing productivity and profits, every company faces issues likes scrap, excess inventory, and obsolete equipment.

You can bury your head in the sand or bury unwanted materials in a landfill, but the decision to recycle is one that every company must face.

Lacks Enterprises has tackled the problem for years by maintaining its own dedicated Recycle Center., where a small but hard-working group handles everything from cardboard to scrapped parts to outdated equipment under the guidance of Plant Superintendent Dustin Dryer.

In 2023, the total of all items recycled for all plants was 8.3 million pounds. For cardboard alone, the Recycle Center processed 1.5 million pounds. The facility also handled 70,000 pounds of plastic film and 18,500 pounds of electronics.

"We’re not getting a ton of money for what we recycle, but at least we’re getting something rather than nothing and sending it to a landfill." Said Dryer, who joined the operation four years ago as a production coordinator. "I think it’s a part of the beauty of what we’re doing here.

"Are we making a huge difference in the environment? I don’t know, but we’re keeping as much out of the landfill as possible by repurposing it or finding a recycler who can repurpose our materials in some other manner."