Employees reap benefits of recycling program
Proceeds support workers in times of need
Health promotion professionals know that getting employees involved in community-enhancing programs like recycling can help relieve stress, bring employee families closer, and boost morale and self-esteem. But at Peoria, IL-based Caterpillar Inc., the employee recycling program pays added dividends: The proceeds are used to support employees who are in financial need.
Proceeds from the program are used to buy medical equipment, such as electrical hospital beds, wheelchairs, and electric lift chairs.
"We also assist employees financially when a situation arises where they — through no fault of their own — lose everything," explains Kevin McMullen, a purchasing analyst at Caterpillar’s Morton, IL, Parts and Service Support facility and president of the Caterpillar All Employee Club (CAEC), which runs the recycling program. "We give them a place to stay, and most of the essential things they need," McMullen says. Not only does this support provide a much-needed financial "safety net," but "it helps tremendously in terms of stress and job productivity," McMullen says.
And that assistance has not been insignificant, McMullen notes. Since its inception eight years ago, the program has collected over 80,000 pounds of aluminum cans and generated revenues of about $28,000.
"Our first year, we collected in the neighborhood of 6,000 pounds," McMullen recalls. "Since then, we had one year when we collected over 14,000 pounds, and we run routinely between 10,000 and 12,000 pounds a year."
Raising his hand
How did McMullen come to be in charge of a program that now serves 30,000 employees at 17 different facilities? In essence, he "raised" his hand. "They had run a little article in one of our newsletters requesting volunteer help from anyone who had a truck or a van," he says. "They were only asking for a couple of hours a month, to take some cans to East Peoria. By the time I got off the phone, I was the duly elected chairman of CAEC."
The collection system varies from facility to facility. Office areas have recycling containers provided by the company, and employees simply put their aluminum cans in them. McMullen comes around each weekend and picks them up.
"At some sites, the custodial folks will pull the cans out of the containers and put them in a designated area for me," he says. In manufacturing areas, employees use big steel tubs that are already on site.
McMullen spreads the word about the program through company newsletters. "Most of our collection containers have posters on the outside, telling employees what the containers are for," he adds.
McMullen believes employees participate not only because they feel good about recycling, "but for the benefit it gives to the employee clubs —what the revenue is used for," he notes. "It gives those who put the cans in there the feeling that they are being environmentally conscious. I think it certainly makes them feel better about themselves, and it enhances morale."
The CAEC sponsors several other fundraisers a year — including a major annual candy sale — and through the proceeds, it provides five $1,000 college scholarships each year and donates money to local charities from which Caterpillar employees might derive benefits, like the Arthritis Foundation.
The employee club is mostly self-sufficient; but on occasion, it has had to go to company management for additional support.
"They have always been there," says McMullen. He adds CAEC’s monthly meetings are all held on company property, and the participants are paid for that meeting time. In addition, Caterpillar underwrites the cost of promotional materials like the posters.
All of this helps reinforce a sense of gratitude and loyalty among the employees. "They know that Caterpillar is 100% behind everything we do," says McMullen. "And that everything we raise through the fundraisers goes right back to help Caterpillar employees.
[For more information about employee recycling programs, contact: Kevin McMullen, Caterpillar Inc., MT 132 Purchasing, 500 N. Morton Ave., Morton, IL 61550. Telephone: (309) 266-3844.]
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