One of the friendliest booths I came across at Vancouver’s recent EPIC sustainable living show was the unassuming home of Happy Stan’s Recycling.
The Happy One himself, Stan Kaminski, started his journey into the world of recycling by collecting newspapers to raise money for the Gibson’s boys club. Stan then turned his focus to the recycling needs of large industrial corporations such as Island Paper Mills and Sonoco. Happy Stan’s is now changing its focus from a materials oriented company to a service oriented company, providing information and recycling solutions to businesses and households across the lower mainland, increasing its material acceptance to include over 40 different commodities.
Their mission is to aid B.C. in its goal of zero waste. Through their network of fellow recyclers, they believe in disposing of material in the most environmentally friendly way possible and only deal with companies who do the same.
The list of things they will recycle is truly staggering. (http://www.happystan.com/what_we_recycle.html) Some surprises in the list for me: Plexiglas, water coolers, electrical wire, metal car parts, pots & pans, oscilloscopes… (if only I had known before I threw out all my old evil-scientist lab equipment last week)
Their location is 1603 Langan Avenue, in Port Coquitlam, BC. Phone 604-464-0242
If more people knew they could drop off their recyclables or call for a pickup, would we see less of a need for a new Lower Mainland landfill?
The Green Marketing Brief: What a marketing challenge! This could be approached in a number of ways. For general awareness, nothing beats TV. To do broadcast on a budget, Stan might want to consider some TV listings exposure, driving to their web site. A more guerilla marketing approach could be to organize a big recycling drop-off event at their location, with music, food and family fun. This could be an annual awareness-builder. More immediately, although their image is grass-roots and local, a new logo and brand image would help elevate their business above that of a ‘two guys and a truck’ perception. This excellent organization deserves a broader, greater appeal.
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