You’ve been recycling at your crematory for years now. You fill up your drum and coffee cup sized container and send it off to your refiner of choice and receive a check. But how often do you observe, or have the conversation about your collection practices? From our experience around the country, the answer is often not much, and we’re here to say that’s okay.
The reality of recycling inside of the death care space is that it may rank low on the daily tasks inside of your crematory. We acknowledge that and understand your primary role is to manage your business in addition to compassionately serving families in your area. A recycler’s primary job is to serve crematories with a hassle-free solution that provides clarity and payment for the materials collected. But we also believe that it’s a recycler’s job to know how metals are being collected, and if there is room for improvement.
Often, we field questions surrounding the composition of metals collected and market prices of precious metals. Very rarely, are we questioned about collection best practices and what’s happening in their processing spaces. A refiner can only melt and assay the materials that are shipped into the refinery, 100% of the collection is happening within your own walls. So why would a refiner not invest their time in understanding how your crematory works?
On the surface, there appears to be a longstanding notion amongst refiners that their job is twofold: Melt the metals that are shipped to them and pay customers for the value of the shipment. PMRS takes a different approach.
For almost 8 years, our team has invested a large portion of our time traveling the country observing, learning, and sharing information. We’re very thankful for the fantastic friends we’ve made along the way, who have graciously opened their doors to help us help them. We have even trained to become certified crematory operators, in an effort to better understand the industry.
Taking the time to ask the right questions and see the inside of crematories, where the collection is happening provides us clarity. By leveraging the knowledge of processes in place and using data, we’ve been able to help our friends accomplish two things along the way:
- Primarily, provide their families with cremated remains that do not contain small metals.
- Secondarily, grow their recycling impact with the collection of more precious metal materials.
When thinking about your current recycling program ask yourself three questions:
- When’s the last time you’ve observed what’s happening in your processing space?
- How does your recycling program’s performance rank versus your colleagues?
- Have your returns been increasing as a reflection of the current record high prices of precious metals?
Curious about your recycling? We encourage you to pick our brains by reaching out to our team for a casual conversation!
Written By:
Drew Osberg | National Director of Business Development
dosberg@pmrs-refining.com | 302-229-7644 (cell)
Drew Osberg brings a wealth of knowledge from within the deathcare and recycling industries. He has educated hundreds of crematories with his knowledge, tools, and analytical information needed to develop successful recycling programs.
Drew currently resides in Newtown Square, PA with his wife Brittany and two daughters Avery and Emma. He’s an avid golfer and loves to go to the shore with his family.
Want to meet the PMRS team in person?
Catch our team at the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, NV on March 22nd – 25th. Booth 1312. We look forward to saying hello!