Sustainability Success Story: How Rubicon and DAVACO Kept 161 Tons of Metal Out of Landfills and Into Recycling Streams

The Two Companies Team Up to Help Starbucks Recycle Metal Fixtures from 6,700 Stores Nationwide


Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX, Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rubicon and DAVACO announced today that the two companies have collaborated to keep 161 tons of metal out of landfills and into recycling streams. The 161 tons of metal is the equivalent to nearly 18,000* metal bicycles that could be sitting in a landfill. 

After new upgrades to more than 6,700 U.S. Starbucks locations last fall, the company was committed to finding new use for the metal from a variety of metal fixtures. DAVACO managed the pickup and removal of more than 34,000 fixtures over a four-week period.

Founded in 1990 and based in Dallas, Texas, DAVACO is the North American leader in the management and execution of high-volume remodels, resets and rollouts. DAVACO partnered with Rubicon to pull in their construction and project experience, circular solution consulting expertise, and network of recyclers to complete the project. 

DAVACO field reps were dispatched nationwide with daily routes to complete removal of the fixtures from each location in cargo vans and box trucks. Rubicon, via its partnership with Becker Iron & Metal, supplied over 250 recycling facilities in all 50 states plotted along those daily routes for the representatives to be able to drop the material and be provided with the certificate of destruction for each load.

Rebates were also negotiated with the facilities, which resulted in just under $10,000 in value back from the material. DAVACO and Rubicon will donate those funds to non-profit organizations that support veterans, including The Mission Continues, USO, Team RWB, and Blue Star Families. These organizations all also partner with Starbucks to support the company’s veteran and military spouse initiatives. 

“This was a massive project on multiple levels – from the logistics, to finding ways to protect the client’s IP and finding a responsible home for the metal,” said Marc Spiegel, Co-Founder of Rubicon and Head of Construction & Project Services. “We’ve been thrilled to partner with DAVACO to deliver an end-to-end sustainability solution that truly supports circular economy thinking and finding new life for discarded materials. Our mission is to end waste, and this project is a testament to this thinking.” 

For Starbucks, the project is consistent with new, science-based sustainability strategies the company announced in January that included investing in better ways to manage waste in the company’s stores and communities to ensure more reuse, recycling, and elimination of food waste.

Earlier this year, Rubicon and DAVACO signed a multi-year partnership agreement to collaborate on sustainable solutions for construction and demolition (C&D) projects across the United States. 

About Rubicon Global
Rubicon is a technology company that powers a digital marketplace, provides a suite of SaaS products for waste, recycling, and smart city solutions, and collects and analyzes data for businesses and governments worldwide. Using technology to drive environmental innovation, the company helps turn businesses into more sustainable enterprises, and neighborhoods into greener and smarter places to live and work. Rubicon’s mission is to end waste, in all of its forms, by helping its partners find economic value in their waste streams and confidently execute on their sustainability goals. The company is a Certified B Corporation, affirming that Rubicon meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance. Through its technology, Rubicon is transforming the entire category of waste and recycling. With more than 2.6 million service locations worldwide, Rubicon is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and has core teams in New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; St. Louis, MO; and Tinton Falls, NJ. Rubicon was named a Great Place to Work® in 2018 and 2019, and was recognized as one of Glassdoor’s “Top Ten Companies with Seriously Impressive Benefits” in 2018.

Stay up to date on all Rubicon news and information at https://www.rubiconglobal.com, or follow Rubicon on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

About DAVACO
DAVACO is the leading total solutions provider of high-volume remodel, reset and rollout programs for global brands throughout North America, including program and project management, fixture, equipment and graphic installations, digital signage and technology upgrades, hard and soft-line merchandising, site, marketing and pre-construction surveys, logistics and consolidation, design coordination, facilities maintenance programs, ADA, safety and quality audits & remediation, sustainability, fixture and graphic manufacturing partnerships and special initiatives. Founded in 1990, DAVACO is based in Dallas, Texas and operates offices in Toronto, Ontario. In 2017, DAVACO merged with Crane Worldwide Logistics, a premier global provider of customized logistics solutions with an established worldwide footprint of over 100 offices in 25 countries. This unique and strategic partnership provides a more complete and global solution, including inventory management and 'just in time' delivery of FF&E to support any brand initiative. DAVACO employs over 1,000 W-2 and T-4 employees across North America. More information at info@davacoinc.com or at https://www.davacoinc.com.

* Data pulled from Bicycle Universe, which states the average mountain bike weighs 18 lbs. 161 tons is equal to 322,000 lbs. 18lbs divided by 322,000 lbs. equals 17,888 bicycles.  


            

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