Easy Being Green
7 Questions With Area VP Tracey Shrader
By Michael J. Solender | Photos courtesy of WM
Ballantyne® campus customer WM’s commitment to sustainability and green programs helps area businesses and residents practice responsible environmental stewardship.
Quiet companies, by definition, don’t draw much public attention. And while industry leader WM (formerly known as Waste Management) has weekly interaction with most South Charlotte residents and businesses, much of its behind-the-scenes work in recycling, sustainability, waste prevention and environmental stewardship is not well known.
There’s a great ongoing effort, however, behind those big green trucks entering local subdivisions and whisking away trash and recyclable materials.
With its recycling and sustainability programs, WM helps power and lead a movement in environmental management. Based in Houston, Texas, WM is the world’s largest integrated waste company. That means in addition to collecting waste, the company responsibly manages the landfills the waste ends up in.
Ballantyne Magazine sought the perspective of Area Vice President Tracey Shrader to learn more. He’s been in the industry for 40 years, and he shares how the company supports our community. Responses have been edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
BM: Describe WM’s regional presence.
TS: The Market Area Group at Ballantyne serves as the headquarters for WM’s South Atlantic Group. This represents Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and provides support for 2,500 employees, 37 collection companies, 16 landfills, four recycling facilities and 33 transfer stations.
Throughout the Market Area, we work with many types of businesses, such as manufacturers, commercial properties, retailers, restaurants, industrial facilities, government facilities, airlines, hospitals, universities and the military. These organizations depend on WM to provide environmentally friendly solutions for their waste.
WM is the chosen partner to provide residential recycling services to the City of Charlotte’s more than 230,000 homes. The city collaborates with WM to achieve their sustainability goals, and we do that through collaboration and education with our customers.
BM: What is the company’s approach to sustainability?
TS: Sustainability is our daily mission. We’re the largest recycler in North America. The key to our innovation and growth is ongoing upgrades to our infrastructure with new technology, machinery and processes. We’ve invested millions of dollars into new and upgraded state-of-the-art recycling facilities with optical scanners, intelligent sorting equipment, volumetric scanners, cameras and more.