At Stericycle, we protect what matters. Although this guiding principle shapes our work throughout the year, it becomes particularly meaningful around the holidays. December is a time for giving, celebrating and reflecting. With this in mind, we offer a brief glimpse of a few of the many partnerships and events Stericycle was involved in during 2019 that helped keep our customers, communities and the environment safe.
Partnering with Communities
We are working diligently to tackle some of today’s most challenging issues. For instance, thousands of Americans die each year due to opioid addiction. To build awareness of and put a face on this critical issue, we have continued our collaboration with the National Safety Council (NSC), serving as the exclusive launch partner for the interactive exhibit “Prescribed to Death: A Memorial to the Victims of the Opioid Crisis.” We have been a champion for the exhibit since 2017 when it first launched, helping to bring it to different cities and providing complimentary Seal&SendSM medication disposal envelopes to all memorial visitors.
Additionally, we also partnered with the NSC to develop the Opioids At Work Employer Toolkit which is specially designed to help staff of an organization understand the detrimental effects that opioids can have in the workplace. The toolkit helps teach employees to recognize when someone is impaired, develop drug-related HR policies and procedures and much more. The toolkit includes things like sample policies, educational presentations, 5-minute safety talks and much more.
Along the same lines, we are an enthusiastic supporter of prescription drug take back days in communities across the country where people can safely, securely and anonymously dispose of unused prescription drugs. We also work closely with hospitals, pharmacies, police departments and DEA registered businesses to enable safe drug disposal all year round, offering user-friendly solutions.
To help communities understand and lessen the risks of identity theft and business fraud, our Shred-it division holds multiple community shredding events each year. Not only do these events allow individuals to safely destroy their confidential personal documents, they provide a great way to securely recycle paper. One local event can serve more than 2,000 people and recycle over 70 tons of material!
Continuously Striving to Improve Sustainability
At Stericycle, we know that our community extends beyond our own backyard, and we’re passionate about preserving the environment, with sustainability as a core corporate value. One specific area we’re focused on is lowering truck emissions. We replace roughly 12% to 15% of our fleet each year with newer, more eco-friendly models, reducing CO2 emissions by about 19% per truck.
Our US Shred-it fleet has been trialing a new truck design that has a smaller environmental footprint. Its efficient layout optimizes storage and allows for more stops per route. The compact design is more fuel-efficient, yielding a projected 40% reduction in fuel and avoiding 3.5 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
Our Passion and Commitment Remain Strong
Along with these and other valuable efforts, Stericycle is proud to foster a shared sense of responsibility to help those in need. Throughout the year, our various locations partner with several local charitable organizations, working together to feed the hungry, provide natural disaster relief, bring joy to sick children and clean up at-risk environments. Many of these relationships start with a single staff member wanting to give back and grow into a facility wide effort where everyone teams up to make a positive impact.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, Stericycle remains focused on protecting what matters. Going forward into the new year, we will continue to find ways to support communities, give to those in need, and preserve the environment—with the ultimate goal of making the world a better place.
