Erin Slate stands amidst approximately 2000 cars on one of the three recycled car lots owned by his family's business, A-1 Auto Recyclers. The family has had the business for 35 years and currently processes about 1000 cars annually. His older brother, Chad, also works for A-1, and his younger brother, Kiffer, works for the family's towing service. “We grew up here,” Slate said.
William “Rick” Hudnell has worked for the City of Columbia for 17 years and has worked at the Material Recovery Facility, or MRF, the city's recycling center, since 2002 where is Public Works Supervisor. The MRF takes in 35 tons of recyclable material each day. The city's nearby landfill takes in 700 tons of waste per day, an estimated 40%-60% of which could be recycled if it were properly separated out before being thrown away.
Steve Ferris has been general manager at Value Giant Thrift Store in Columbia, Missouri, since they opened in February 2014. The store opened with approximately 50,000 pounds of clothing, and they have whittled it down to about 20,000 pounds through sales and giving away to other organizations. “The most unusual thing that has come through here has been gold teeth,” Ferris said.