From talking solid waste with municipalities and organizations to helping these entities improve their recycling communications and more, you\u2019ll find Business Development Representative Phillip Hunter on the front lines at ReCollect.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are amazing people in this industry doing amazing things in all corners of North America,\u201d<\/strong> Phillip said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And with years of experience working in solid waste and recycling under his belt, he enjoys talking with and helping them all.<\/span><\/p>\n Phillip\u2019s interest in the industry took hold some years ago. When he moved from Comox, Vancouver Island, to a large city to attend university, he was surprised to see his new city was a bit behind when it came to recycling and waste diversion. It was shocking for him to see such a large, booming city invest so little into sustainability, he said. <\/span>The city has since changed and improved greatly, he said, but it did not make his experience there any less impactful.<\/span><\/p>\n While attending the University of Calgary and Royal Roads University, Phillip dipped his toes into the solid waste and recycling field, working and volunteering with several organizations involved with waste diversion, including Green Calgary, The City of Calgary, The Recycling Council of Alberta, and Green Events Services.<\/span><\/p>\n Experiences outside of his work, such as backpacking through South America during this time, also gave him a unique perspective toward North American lifestyles, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Later, he worked for a waste hauler that focused on recycling, food waste, and processing food waste into compost.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was a job that really matched my beliefs, as healthy soil will help heal our planet,\u201d<\/strong> he said. \u201cI also learned a ton about waste hauling, customer communication, and contamination.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But Phillip noticed some missing links between what residents and employees needed to know, and the ways in which that information could be conveniently passed to them. While hiring collections drivers, for instance, Phillip wanted to find safe drivers who were dependable workers \u2014 not people who could recite recycling rules and waste stream information.<\/span><\/p>\n That \u201cshouldn\u2019t be a job requirement,\u201d Phillip said. <\/span>\u201cThe <\/span>Waste Wizard<\/span><\/a> would have been great support for the employees,\u201d he said. The digital tool would have helped employees find the information they needed whenever they needed it, while allowing them to focus more on the skills that mattered most.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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