Our Focus on Sustainability & the Environment

With the goal of zero waste production throughout our offices and warehouse, Pete Pappas and Sons has struck a partnership with Rubicon Global to train our team and continue to promote proper waste diversion. Sustainability has always been a core value of our business, and we selected this forward-thinking partner in the journey to help get our facility to zero waste. 

In addition to a calculated waste audit, the sustainability experts on the Rubicon team employed the RUBICONMethod™ to ensure future success in diverting our waste from landfills into a recycling and composting program. The RUBICONMethod™, a six-step system for setting up and maintaining a successful business recycling program, has helped us train our employees about proper disposal, the dangers of recycling contamination, and implement an organics program in our office. Following the familiar acronym “DIVERT” the six steps stand for Determine, Initiate, Vocalize, Eliminate, Roll-out and Track. These 6 steps will help us get to our goal. 

Rubicon's mission is to end waste based on the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle). Now, our team at Pete Pappas and Sons is equipped with a practical guide to improve our waste programs and initiatives on waste reduction.

• We sell organic products, which reduces the overall environmental impacts of our business operations from the farming and growing stages
• We recycle paper, cardboard and plastics throughout the building including in our office and warehouse
• We further encourage recycling because all of the containers we distribute our products in are recyclable, including plastic clamshell containers and cardboard boxes
• To conserve power, our 100,000+ sf building has been outfitted with LED lighting and sensors that turn the lights on and off automatically (based on movement in each room or area)
• To conserve fuel and reduce pollution, we expertly plan our transportation routes and logistics to reduce the numbers of trips we take, number of miles we drive and numbers of trucks we have on the road
• To reduce our landfill contributions, we reuse every pallet in our warehouse, and participate in a program that recycles damaged pallets. We can proudly say that we have never thrown a pallet away.
• To conserve water and reduce paper waste, our building faucets and hand dryers are all automatic
• Through Rubicon Global we have implemented a robust composting and recycling program

• We promote local growers and farms, and thus boost our local economy. Our produce program boasts a very strong local initiative sourced from local growers and farms
• We create local jobs! We bring jobs to Howard County and create new jobs as our company continues to grow each year
• We support diversity throughout the company and have a diverse work force
• We support local food banks and programs by donating thousands of pounds of produce on a yearly basis to local food banks and programs to get nutritious fruits and vegetables to those in need
• We support many local businesses through the wide scope of our business operations. This includes local transportation companies and other small businesses like printers, sign makers, apparel companies, restaurants and even local artists