Sustainability

At Wastequip, Toter’s parent company, we’re focused on building a bright future for our employees, our communities, and our environment. And our CORE program — reflecting our COrporate REsponsibility commitment to sustainability, diversity and philanthropy — exhibits our dedication to:

• Helping define the future of the waste industry with progressive thinking and leadership
• Developing products with consideration for the environmental impact to future generations
• Employing a diverse workforce, providing development opportunities and valuing diverse perspectives
• Continuing to demonstrate social consciousness so our team members and customers are proud to work for or do business with Wastequip

As part of the CORE program, Toter is committed to creating more sustainable products, processes and facilities, without sacrificing legendary Toter quality. Future generations are counting on us to create better products, and to do so more responsibly.  Toter is ready to answer that challenge. 

Toter’s Commitment: A More Sustainable Cart, for a Greener Planet

At Toter, in addition to manufacturing curbside collection carts that consistently outperform those of the competition, we take great pride in the sustainability of the products we create. In fact, municipalities and waste haulers consider Toter carts to be the most sustainable on the market today, because of their durability, recycled content and recyclability.

But, when it comes to sustainability, we can never be content to rest on our laurels. Because we’re always looking to improve the sustainability of our products, in 2020 we commissioned a lifecycle analysis (LCA) to determine the environmental impact of our carts from materials used through the manufacturing process to transportation and end-of-use life treatment, including how we stack up against the competition.    

Consider the following results from the lifecycle analysis, which included a scientific, third-party study measuring  the carbon footprint of a Toter cart over its entire life cycle, along with a survey of more than 100 municipalities and waste haulers.

Durability

According to the survey, durability is the most important factor when purchasing waste and recycling carts.  Toter consistently delivers on durability with customers reporting an average service life of 11 years for their Toter carts, while non-customers report just over 9 years. Keeping Toter carts that extra two years lowers their carbon footprint 17%. That's the same benefit as using almost 50% recycled resin (by weight).*

Waste haulers and municipalities cite longer service life and ease of servicing as the most important sustainability attributes. Survey results showed that Toter carts provide the longest service life of leading brands, with three times as many Toter customers reporting a 15-20 year life span vs. an average of 5-10 years for non-Toter carts.  Additionally, Toter offers ongoing cart maintenance to protect your investment.

We also learned that extending a cart’s lifespan earlier offers greater environmental benefits.  Keeping a Toter cart for 10 years vs. 5 years reduces its carbon footprint by 50%, while keeping it 15 years vs. 10 years further decreases its carbon footprint by 33%.

_{*Based on a scientific, third-party study measuring the carbon footprint of a Toter cart over its entire life cycle.} 

Recycled Content

Cart buyers hold recycled content in high regard, according to the market survey, as nearly 70% of Toter customers and non-customers alike reported that they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to require recycled content in their carts in the next 5 to 10 years. That’s for good reason: recycled HDPE resin typically saves about 60% of the carbon footprint compared to virgin resin.

Currently, Toter carts use up to 50% recycled content — and we are continually working to maximize the recycled content used in our carts and minimize their environmental footprint, all while ensuring a durable cart that meets strict quality standards.

Recycling/Recyclability

Toter carts are fully recyclable, and any scrap generated during manufacturing is redirected to the manufacturing process or sent to a recycler. Toter’s sales team can help identify a third-party recycler for retired waste and recycling carts to ensure they are not sent to a landfill.

Further, Toter’s ultra-low warranty claim rate (0.3%), ease of repair and recyclability help reduce the raw material consumption and resources required to produce new carts.  To further conserve resources during our manufacturing, Toter recycles the cooling water used in its rotational molding process and repairs our pallets to keep them circulating.

Looking to the Future

As impressive as Toter’s environmental and sustainability efforts already are, we are continually making strides to become even greener through the use of more recycled content and cutting-edge plastic resins.   These initiatives will further reduce Toter’s environmental impact.