Archive for November, 2018

Employee of the Month: 2018 Overview

Posted by pauloneal
As the year wraps up, we want to highlight our employees and the stellar work they have done this year at Canadian Mattress Recycling. One tradition of ours is to name an Employee of the Month and donating to a charity of their choice on their behalf.We truly believe in helping local and global initiatives, particularly supporting those working to preserve the environment, improving health and education, and nurturing community spirit.Without further ado, here are our employee of the months for 2018!

January – Jeremy B.

As our Weekend Supervisor, Jeremy has been overseeing a very successful crew with us since he started two summers ago. As January’s employee of the month, he asked the donation to be made to Variety Children’s Charity.

February – Kurt N.                               

Kurt wears many hats at Canadian Mattress Recycling for the year he has been with us. He asked the donation to be made towards the Vancouver Canucks Autism Network. Learn more about the wonderful organization here.

March – Wilson A.

For the last two years, Wilson has worked as part of our warehouse staff. He really excels at being a part of the team that operates our heavy machinery. On his behalf, we made a donation to OWL, which rehabilitates orphaned owls in the Metro Vancouver region.

April, May, and June

Ernesto P., Elyas S., and Sue Z.

From April to June, our employees of the months have collaborated to raise money for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Ernesto, Elyas, and Sue were feeling for the plight of these tall gentle creatures, so they made a joint contribution to the organization.Ernesto has been working at Canadian Mattress Recycling for six years, one of the longest warehouse employees we have. Every day we see him smiling and happy with his work. His friendly demeanour has helped everyone get through long work days.Elyas has been working at CMR for over the last two years. He is a great team player, and is the youngest of the warehouse staff.Sue is another long-term employee of over four years. As our Office Manager, she has incredible multitasking and customer service skills!

July – Jimmy D.

It’s been nearly a year since Jimmy started as a Supervisor with us and he did a great job training a new shift of staff.


August – Eduardo B.        

Eduardo isn’t one to complain much and just focuses on getting the job done.  He’s been back with us for over a year and asked that we make our donation in his honour towards his faith so a church in Vancouver was the recipient.


September – Nemilito D.

Our Employee of the Month for September is Nemilito. He was a huge help in the warehouse throughout September. Lito was flexible with his hours for forklift duty, especially when Mandi was only able to work part-time. September was a particularly busy month for our company, so we really needed Lito’s help.

Lito has been working for Canadian Mattress Recycling for five years – six after June 13th. His normal day at work consists of operating a forklift and baling machine and assisting as a general labourer with tasks around the warehouse. A hardworking family man with a wife and two kids, Lito looks forward to the weekend – when he could go to a local park and spend time with his family and children. He enjoys all aspects of his life, and is a very happy and humble man. We made a donation on his behalf to St. Mary’s Church, a close community where his children were baptized.


October – Michelle C.

As our digital marketing copywriter, Michelle has done an amazing job this fall improving our websites, online forms, and our social media presence. She has helped elevate our online presence and company profile, and was very enthusiastic doing so.

Read our small chat with Michelle here!


November – Sue Z.

Sue has done a fantastic job running the office this fall, with a huge number of tasks to coordinate and set up. She handled it all very well! Read our chat with Sue here.


December – Ricardo

Ricardo is our employee of the month for December, for his work at CMR as a forklift operator and warehouse labourer. He has been working at CMR for two years, and is a fantastic team player! We asked what his favourite holiday is – and it’s Valentine’s Day, which is also coincidentally his birthday. 🙂


Canadian Mattress Recycling Inc. wishes everyone a very delightful Christmas holiday. We will be back next year with another blog about our Employees of the Months. Stay tuned. 

5 reasons to declutter during the holidays

Posted by pauloneal

As we near the holidays, it may seem too late to get rid of your old furniture or mattress until the new year. However, decluttering your home for the holidays can set the stage for welcoming in the new year. I mean, what’s better than ushering in the new year in a clean, tidy living space?

By decluttering, we don’t mean just removing your old junk, we also mean spending time considering how you can start the new year off on the right foot. Cleaning and decluttering throughout the year, even during the holidays, can help lessen your workload when the new year rolls around.

Here’s why we think doing some decluttering at the holidays may be a good idea:

 

1. You may find old items that you can dust off and give as a new gift or donate to an organization that may have a use for them. If these items are in good or decent condition, for example like throw blankets, socks, pyjamas, and mittens, you may be able to find a new home for them.

Consider looking at making a donation to your local Big Brothers chapters, Salvation Army, or even charities that are looking for these items. The holidays are when most people donate goods and nonperishables, but there will always be a need for specific items in the new year.

No donation is too small, and every contribution helps.

In Canada, when temperatures drop during the winter, be on the look out for charities and local groups seeking donations for items like mittens, socks, and blankets. There may be companies or local businesses running drives, and you could find a new home for your old items easily.

Large items like furniture and mattresses may be more difficult to donate, but the parts can be easily recycled by a local facility to be used in new products that can help these organizations.

Cushions, fabric, and foam, can all be deconstructed from couches and beds, and be repurposed for use by those in need.

 

2. Making a big decision for your home next year? If you’re considering to downsize, or even to replace an old piece of furniture, consider having the discussion when family members are less preoccupied with work. 

As the work year winds down, people are taking vacations or staying home to spend time with their families. This may be the perfect time to strike a conversation with your parents, or family living with you, asking will happen to that squeaky old couch!

Perhaps replacing that old couch has been on your family’s mind, but due to the stress from work, school, or life, they may have forgotten about it.

Asking them at a time when they’re relaxing can lead to productive discussions about home improvements. When the new year starts, people begin to budget and plan for summer renovations. Starting the conversation early can mean setting a game plan, and finding out what needs to be replaced.

 

3. Holidays may mean the best deals on new furniture and mattresses

Another reason why you should discuss what needs replacing during the holidays is that you’ll have family keeping their eyes out for blockbuster deals this holiday season. Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, Christmas and Boxing Day sales are still yet to come.

Discussing what will happen to your old furniture or mattresses can help plan your holiday purchases.

It can also minimize your post-shopping regret. If there are sales on a couch and a table, but you have a squeaky couch, then all you need to do is remember to shop for a new couch first since you need it more!

 

4. Another thing to think about is: what are you going to do with the items you replace? 

More specifically, what are you going to do with the items you replace?

The holidays are nefarious times for strange company schedules and facility closures. Businesses tend to have special holiday hours for servicing customers. The same goes for landfill facilities, transfer stations, and your local recyclers. Even junk removal companies may have special hours that customers have to abide by this holiday season.

Knowing how to get rid of your old large items can help minimize stress after you’ve purchased a replacement product. Perhaps you need to store the old item for a few days.

 

5. During the holidays, we may be short on disposable income. Conversations about what you really need to replace, in terms of furniture and mattresses, is a good budgeting discussion to have.

From buying holiday gifts to treating family and friends out to dinners, hosting parties and celebrating the holidays, it’s important to budget to make sure that what needs to be replaced are replaced, and those that can wait can be dealt with in the new year.

The last thing you want is feeling regretful that you purchased a new TV when you needed a comfortable bed instead! Or that if you just spent a few dollars less on a gift to a co-worker or family member, you could have afforded that new bed that would’ve helped improved your sleeping.

As we are in the throes of the holidays, replacing old furniture and mattresses may be the last thing on our minds. However, the conversation is important to have, especially if you have an exceptionally squeaky couch or a really old mattress that needs replacing soon.

It may be a force of habit to postpone the discussion to the new year, but taking advantage of holiday deals may be a plausible alternative.

Discussing what will happen in the new year now with your family members can help plan for big purchases. Overall, having these discussions can help reduce stress, help your holiday budget, and minimize any purchases you may regret making!


Canadian Mattress Recycling is Metro Vancouver’s only facility that recycles and salvages materials from mattresses and furniture. Since 2011, we have recycled over 21 million lbs of large items and provided employment opportunities for local residents. We believe that recycling goes hand in hand with conserving and protecting the environment, and strive to do just that! Book a pickup today or visit our facility on Annacis Island to drop off your large items for recycling for a fee.

October: Michelle

Posted by pauloneal

Michelle is our October employee of the month! Michelle has done so much amazing work for us this fall improving our website, online forms, and everything in social media. Get to know a bit more about Michelle below:

Q: Tell us something about yourself!
Michelle: Hi! I’m the Web and Social Media Assistant for Canadian Mattress Recycling. I am passionate about everything related to the environments, the circular economy, and waste management. I enjoy my work here at CMR since I get to tie in my environmental background with design and marketing. I enjoy helping Sue and Terryl share the fantastic work the company is doing to divert mattresses and furniture from local landfills!

Q: How long have you been at CMR?
Michelle: I started back in February 2018 so I’ve been here for just over 10 months, and love every moment of it.

Q: What do you do at CMR? 
Michelle: I help Terryl and Sue update and manage our social media profiles. I also maintain, edit, and update our websites, create graphics, respond to customers and reviews online, and blog about topics related to the environment. Chances are if you contacted the company online in the last year, you’ve spoken to me 🙂

Q: What’s the highlight of your day?
Michelle: Whenever people leave 5* reviews on our Google My Business page! It brings a smile to my face knowing that our service is really making an impact in our customers’ lives, by helping them pickup and recycle furniture and mattresses, which are difficult to transport, let alone recycle. Another highlight of my day is when people like, retweet, and comment on our social media posts. I like taking the time to read and respond to them!

Q: What charity did you choose to donate to, and why?
Michelle: My donation went to Ocean Wise, because they are doing a fantastic job raising awareness, funding research, and engaging youths in marine conservation across Canada. They rehabilitate injured marine mammals, coordinate shoreline cleanups, and also provide field school experiences up in the Arctic for Canadian youths.

Q: What’s your favourite thing about the holidays?
Michelle: Spending time with family and friends.

Q: What is your favourite Christmas song?
Michelle: It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Michael Bublé.

Q: In your opinion, what would be the best name for a dog or cat? 
Michelle: Waffles the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

 


Canadian Mattress Recycling is the leading mattress recycler in Metro Vancouver. Since 2011, we have recycled over 21 million lbs of mattresses and furniture that comes through our doors, and supported over 90+ local and global community organizations. As a locally owned and operated company, we believe in giving back to our community, acknowledging the work of our employees, and supporting the circular economy.  To learn more about our company or to book a residential pickup, visit this link here.

Knowledge Network

Posted by pauloneal

In 2020, we have donated $3,000 to this charity.