First Responders to Green Revolution

Talk to Tony Colosimo, CEO of Artistic Waste Services (Artistic), and one thing becomes vividly clear in the first sixty seconds of conversation. This man holds a level of passion regarding his business, his customers, and his commitment to green business practices rivaled by few others.

You probably don’t think of the garbage men who pick up your curbside trash as being the front line of the environmental movement. But maybe you should. “Traditional waste haulers have always been in the forefront of the green movement, since the first Earth Day,” Colosimo said. “We were the first responders to the green revolution.”

In his business, Colosimo says that “going green” means providing environmentally sound, but economical answers to waste generators. Artistic Waste and sister companies supply a full line of recycling services to their customers. Whether that customer is commercial, residential, or industrial, Artistic Waste provides the services needed by clients at every level.

For Colosimo, the concept seems pretty simple. “You cannot provide solutions that appear green, but are not viable. People expect your services to be provided. Going ‘green’ is no longer a fad, it’s a necessity.” By involving sister companies, Artistic Waste provides services that their customers demand.

Artistic Waste recently found themselves right in the heart of a new generation of recycled products, those used for biofuels. “Up to 7% of any businesses’ trash can be used for biofuel,” Colosimo said. By working with sister companies and other business partners, Artistic now makes sure that large portions of their waste goes into making biofuels. And they were among the first in the state of Iowa to make that commitment. “Landfill prices are going to go up, it’s inevitable,” he said. “But diverting everything we can from the landfill into a process to provide much-needed energy just makes sense. It’s a smart decision for business and for the earth. It’s a win-win,” Colosimo said.

And talk about a commitment to “going green”. Colosimo hopes to have his entire fleet of diesel garbage hauler trucks converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the next five years. “We’ve been told that removing one diesel truck from the road is like removing 350 cars from the road, as far as emissions. And we are committed to making our footprint a lot smaller.”

Colosimo says the challenge to making that conversion revolves around building CNG fueling stations. “Just to build, staff and stock a CNG refueling station will cost more than a half a million dollars,” Colosimo commented. “We’re hoping to be able to do some kind of cost share and get some financial assistance to make that transition happen.” Colosimo would like to see CNG fueling stations pop up along side traditional gas stations all over central Iowa.

Artistic Waste goes green in another way too: Greenbacks fed back into the local economy. “We work hard to be a good partner to our community,” Colosimo said. Whether the company donates money or in-kind services, they understand the importance of staying involved in local efforts. “We re-invest at least 10% of our net profits back into the community,” Colosimo said. Unlike other major waste haulers in the Des Moines metro area, Artistic Waste remains locally owned and operated, an important distinction according to Colosimo. “We have local investors, and a commitment to central Iowa.”

People like Colosimo, his partners, employees and investors make Artistic Waste stand out in a crowd of waste haulers. “Green isn’t just a name, or a movement, it’s what we do, every day. Every day is Earth Day around here.”

Artistic Waste Services of Des Moines provides a wide variety of products and services to meet your company’s needs. To become their customer, call (515) 262-4040.