posted 12-24-2003 10:34 AM                       

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Kodak began recycling single-use cameras in 1990. Since then, we’ve chronicled the phenomenal annual progress and growth of this program – clearly one of the most successful recycling initiatives in the world today.

This year, we proudly update the statistics that herald the magnitude of the program.

This year, however, we also share a “story behind the story,” a bit of information about the disabled and disadvantaged people who have been helped significantly by playing a vital role in our success.

The statistics, again, are impressive by any standard. In 2001, we again recycled well over 100 million single-use cameras – and we passed the half-billion mark in cameras recycled since the program’s inception. Approximately two out of every three of our single-use cameras sold in the world comes back to us, a rate that makes it among the most recycled packaged consumer products ever. In the United States, that rate is even higher.

The story behind the story concerns a facility not far from Kodak headquarters in Rochester, New York. It’s called The Out-Source, and it’s part of the not-for-profit Rochester Rehabilitation Center, Inc., a provider of comprehensive vocational and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities and other disadvantages.

The Out-Source is where every one of those 100-million-plus cameras a year makes its first stop in the recycling process. And, the Out-Source is the epitome of what the Rochester Rehabilitation Center is all about – a place where participants can build skills, confidence and strong work habits. For some, The Out-Source employment is a long-term solution to their needs, while others may eventually be able to move to other vocational situations.

The major activity at The Out-Source is sorting. The cameras are shipped to Rochester in huge boxes and unloaded onto the facility’s conveyors at a rate in excess of 300,000 a day. Some are Kodak brands, others are not. Some have flash capability, others do not.

Whatever the camera, the 200 people who work one of the two daily shifts at The Out-Source know exactly what must be done with it. And, they do their job extremely well. The Out-Source bids on the Kodak work just like any other potential supplier and has kept the contract over the years.

“The Out-Source is a highly effective, well-managed organization,” says a quality assurance engineer in Kodak’s purchasing group. “The Out-Source is committed to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.”

While Kodak gains a job well-done, those performing the tasks gain some things, too – things like self-esteem, confidence, financial support, and a means of socializing with others.

As Kodak’s recycling program has expanded, The Out-Source as added new technology to allow its people to keep up with the increased workload. In this case, it seems, everybody wins.

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