Sustainability Consulting

Each business requires a different recycling approach to meet their sustainability goals. We serve as an extension of your in-house team or as your sustainability team, helping you reduce your monthly waste volumes and spend while improving your business’ environmental, social and economic impacts.

Our Sustainability Consulting Solutions

Closed Loop Recycling

Businesses who want to make their production more circular with closed loop recycling can do so with Federal Recycling. We buy your material, grind or pelletize it, and sell it back to you for reuse in your production process.

We have successfully implemented these programs for several customers with plastic byproduct, with great results, and can do the same for you.

Product Design & Recyclability Consultation

As consumer demand and regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) drive sustainable manufacturing, manufacturers must evaluate how to extend product life cycle.

Let us consult with you on product design and find ways to increase recycled content and overall recyclability. With our access to materials on both the local and national recycling markets, we can procure the raw materials you need for your process.

Zero Landfill

Byproducts of manufacturing can be a diverse array of materials, including those that are hard-to-recycle. We have creative solutions for finding a home for all your materials, whether it’s recycling or disposing of your material through a Waste to Energy process.

No matter your goals, we help you develop a plan that supports your company’s sustainability initiatives.

Waste to Energy

Waste to Energy turns waste into a sustainable renewable energy source, providing an extra lifecycle for your waste. We coordinate the Waste to Energy process for your materials and provide Certificates of Destruction.

Complimentary Recycling & Waste Audits

To increase the effectiveness of your recycling program, we do a complimentary analysis of your current procedures to turn your waste stream into an income stream.

Sustainability Reporting

We offer comprehensive reporting packages that include your cost savings, recycled volumes and overall waste diversion so you can measure your company’s sustainability goals.

Sustainability Consulting FAQs

Sustainability goals look different for every business, but the questions are often the same. Below are answers to the questions manufacturers, warehouses, grocers, and other operations ask most often when they’re building or improving a sustainability program with Federal Recycling. If you don’t see your question answered here, our team is happy to walk through your specific situation. Contact us.

What is sustainability consulting?

Sustainability consulting is a service that helps businesses identify, measure, and reduce the waste they send to landfills — and build a smarter, more sustainable approach to managing materials across their operation.

At Federal Recycling, sustainability consulting starts with understanding your waste streams. From there, we apply the waste hierarchy — a framework that prioritizes the most effective approaches to waste management in order:

Reduce — Minimize the amount of waste generated at the source

Reuse — Find ways to repurpose materials before they become waste

Recycle — Process recoverable materials back into the supply chain

Recover — Convert non-recyclable materials into energy through Waste to Energy processes

Dispose — Landfill only as a last resort, when no other option exists

The goal is to move your operation as far up that pyramid as possible. That looks different for every business — a manufacturer with consistent plastic byproduct has different opportunities than a distribution center managing high volumes of cardboard. We meet you where you are, audit your current waste streams, and build a program around realistic, measurable goals.

The result isn’t just a sustainability initiative. It’s a smarter operation — one that reduces costs, supports ESG and regulatory reporting, and demonstrates real environmental accountability to your customers, investors, and partners.

What does sustainability consulting include?

Federal Recycling’s sustainability consulting includes closed-loop recycling program design, product recyclability consultation, zero-landfill planning, Waste to Energy coordination, complimentary waste audits, and sustainability reporting that tracks cost savings, recycled volumes, and overall waste diversion. Businesses work with us when they have specific sustainability goals and want a recycling partner who can act as an extension of their in-house team, or as the sustainability team itself when one doesn’t exist internally. Every program is built around the specific materials, waste streams, and sustainability goals of your operation.

What is the difference between closed-loop and open-loop recycling?

Closed-loop recycling is the process of continuously recycling waste or manufacturing products within a generator’s same production cycle and supply chain. The goal is to minimize waste and resources by keeping materials in use for as long as possible, effectively “closing the loop” of waste from manufactured products. For example, plastic byproducts from manufacturing can be ground, washed, pelletized, and returned to the same manufacturer for reuse in new products.

Open-loop recycling is when a recycled material is processed and used in the general supply chain, and generators purchase from that same general supply chain. Both divert material from landfill, but open-loop is generally more efficient as the recycled material processors are maximizing production efficiency and freight concerns overall, vs. forcing the material into specific channels so the generator can reuse their own materials. Both are ways to divert material from landfills, and the choice of program depends on raw material specifications and material composition.

Federal Recycling designs both open- and closed-loop programs for clients, discussing the pros and cons of both options and helping them decide which is right for them. We can source raw materials through our commodity trading network when open-loop recycling is preferred.

What is zero waste to landfill?

Zero waste to landfill is a sustainability commitment where a business diverts 100% of its waste away from landfills through recycling, reuse, composting, or Waste to Energy processes. Achieving it requires rethinking every waste stream, including hard-to-recycle materials. It’s also important to partner with a provider that has full visibility into waste disposal and is transparent about where the material goes. Federal Recycling helps businesses reach zero-landfill targets by designing custom recycling programs, identifying recovery pathways for unusual byproducts, and coordinating Waste to Energy for materials that cannot be recycled. As a company 100% focused on recycling and non-reliant on multiple third-parties or brokers, you can rest assured that we provide verified documentation and reporting on diversion rates for corporate sustainability claims and ESG reporting.

How is waste diversion measured?

Waste diversion is measured as the percentage of total waste redirected away from landfills through recycling, reuse, or Waste to Energy, calculated by dividing diverted tonnage by total waste tonnage. Federal Recycling tracks every pickup by weight and material type, then delivers comprehensive reporting that shows recycled volumes, cost savings, and overall diversion rates. Our online customer portal gives you on-demand access to sustainability data, which is especially useful for businesses reporting against ESG frameworks, minority or women-owned supplier scorecards, or corporate sustainability commitments. Reports can be pulled monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your reporting needs.

How do we know our recyclable material is actually being recycled?

Material movement is tracked through weight reporting, downstream verification, and documented processing, so you can confirm exactly where your material went and how it was handled after collection. With 110+ years in business, Federal Recycling has the knowledge and proven track record of partnering with longstanding consumers and recyclers who, like us, have withstood volatile markets to continue responsibly repurposing or disposing of recycled materials. Federal Recycling provides recycling, diversion, and sustainability reports upon request and can tailor them for a customer’s needs. Our customer portal gives you direct access to your real-time data. For material that runs through our Waste to Energy process, we issue Certificates of Destruction. This level of documentation is what separates a recycling partner from a waste hauler, and it’s essential when you’re making sustainability claims publicly or reporting to regulators, investors, or customers.

What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and how does it affect manufacturers?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy framework that holds manufacturers financially and operationally accountable for the end-of-life management of the products and packaging they sell. EPR laws are already in effect in several U.S. states and continue to expand, pushing manufacturers to evaluate product design, recycled content, and recyclability as core business decisions rather than afterthoughts. Federal Recycling consults with manufacturers on product design choices that increase recyclability, sources recycled raw materials through our commodity trading network, and helps extend product lifecycles through open-loop programs, so you’re positioned ahead of EPR requirements instead of scrambling to meet them.

What is Waste to Energy, and when is it used?

Waste to Energy is a process that converts non-recyclable waste into usable energy, giving material an additional lifecycle before final disposal. It’s typically used for materials that are contaminated, hazardous, or simply not recyclable through conventional channels. Federal Recycling coordinates Waste-to-Energy processing for clients pursuing zero-landfill goals and provides Certificates of Destruction to demonstrate compliance for sustainability reporting. Waste to Energy shouldn’t replace recycling when recycling is viable, but it’s a critical option when landfill is the only alternative.

Which industries benefit most from sustainability consulting?

Federal Recycling works with manufacturers, warehouses and distribution centers, grocery operations, printing and publication companies, multifamily and commercial offices, and schools and government facilities. The biggest impact tends to land with manufacturers producing consistent byproduct streams and grocery or distribution operations generating high volumes of cardboard, plastic, and organic waste. Any business with a measurable waste stream and a sustainability goal (whether that’s cost reduction, diversion targets, ESG reporting, or EPR compliance) is a strong candidate for consulting. We also work with companies that need minority- or women-owned certified suppliers to support their sustainability and procurement goals.

How do we get started with sustainability consulting at Federal Recycling?

Getting started begins with a conversation, either by calling us at 314.721.3377 or contacting us through our website to discuss your needs and potentially schedule a complimentary waste and recycling audit. Our team reviews your current waste streams, hauling setup, and sustainability goals, then identifies opportunities to reduce waste volumes, capture commodity value, and improve diversion. There’s no commitment required for the audit. It’s designed to show you what’s possible before any program is built. For multi-site operations, ask about our National Accounts team, which coordinates consistent sustainability programs across all your locations.

Still have questions about sustainability consulting? Our team can walk through your specific waste streams, answer site-specific questions, and show you what diversion could look like at your operation. Call 314.721.3377, email info@federalrecycling.com, or contact us to get started.

Want to make your business more sustainable?
Learn more about our National Accounts team.