St. Stephen’s Catholic Community, an educational institution and place of worship located in Anoka, embarked on a mission to minimize waste in their establishment. The catalyst for this eco-conscious initiative was a collaboration with Minnesota Waste Wise, initiated by Dan Bixler, the dedicated Maintenance and Facilities Director.
Before meeting with Waste Wise, the school and church were reliant on paper towels in their restroom facilities, inadvertently contributing to the accumulation of waste from both the towels and the plastic bags used to line trash bins. To address this issue, Dan Bixler worked with Waste Wise to strategically allocate grant funds, ultimately enabling the installation of hand dryers in every restroom.
The outcomes of this effort were what the Catholic Community was hoping to see. St. Stephen’s has experienced substantial cost savings as a direct result of reduced paper towel and plastic bag expenditures. Currently, the school and church enjoy annual savings of approximately $5,700. Furthermore, the shift away from paper towels has translated into a significant reduction in their ecological footprint, sparing an impressive 3,000 pounds of paper towel waste from ending up in landfills each year.