52 Jonesboro Occasions APRIL 2010

Marck Industries of Northeast Arkansas is helping make Jonesboro and the surrounding area a greener, cleaner place to live by expanding the recycling capabilities of area businesses.

Recently Marck purchased WCA Waste Corporation, the company that has been providing commercial waste services to Craighead and adjacent counties since 2000. On April 1, Marck will take over these operations and enhance current waste management options by offering recycling solutions through its facility at 300 Missouri Street in Brookland. The Brookland center accepts tin cans, aluminum cans, all grades of paper, #1 and #2 plastics, corrugated cardboard and newspapers. As of now the facility only processes industrial waste, but James Hafer, area general manager, says the company hopes to accept recycling refuse from the general public by the end of the summer.

The Marck Industries of Northeast Arkansas is one of five locations owned by Marck Industries Inc., whose corporate headquarters is based in Cassville, Mo. The parent company has more than 20 years in the recycling business and its clients range from “small family owned grocery stores to Fortune 500 companies.” It is a full-service recycling company.

Marck’s initial investment in the Northeast Arkansas area was a small recycling company in Paragould called Jim’s Recycling. Operations grew rapidly and in the fall of 2008, the company moved to its current site in Brookland. Now, the recycling facility is situated on 12 acres and housed by a 17,000-square-foot building. According to Marck representative Mike Wilson, the

By Jodi HutcHison

Marck Industries of NEA

ExpandingRecycling Capabilities

location was chosen because of its capability to add a railroad spur in the future if growth warrants it.

“We will expand as needed,” Wilson said. “Right now we are borderline on space, but we’ve designed the facility so that we can add on in stages — we will probably add on in the next three to five years. There are a lot of very interesting things in the works as far as recycling.”

One local business making good use of Marck’s capabilities is The Mall at Turtle Creek. According to Wilson, the mall is making significant progress toward becoming a more environmentally responsible business through its efforts to recycle. Wilson explained that all of the cardboard that comes into the mall through the various merchants is gathered in one location to be recycled, resulting in several hundred tons of waste being diverted from the local landfill.

Wilson said Marck ships about 700 tons of waste each month from its Brookland facility. He also noted that they have the ability to service a full-scale curbside recycling program should the interest develop in the area.

The specific commercial waste services provided by Marck are: poly cart, rear load, front load, and roll off (compactors and open tops). Their goal is to provide area businesses with the ability to, “fulfill green initiatives, reduce landfill input, reduce overall waste costs and reduce the business’ carbon footprint.”

“Ultimately, our hope is to allow people the ability to recycle at no cost,” Wilson said.

Marck Industries of Northeast Arkansas is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be reached by calling (877) 228-2565.

living green SponSored by: legacy landfill • brackett-krennerich architectS • ritter communicationS