Recycling: Not An Option

“I’m an absolute believer in recycling—that as a small business, you need to recycle everything you can,” asserts Anthony Morrocco, founder and CEO of Morrocco Method International. “It used to be that recycling was a cool idea, but now it’s an absolute must. Everything in these offices is recycled.

“Earth-conscious” also describes the employees of Morrocco Method International, and especially Richard, the manager of shipping and receiving. “I use recycled cardboard boxes and packing materials whenever I can,” says Richard. “And I have been doing it here for four years.” He uses boxes from production materials, and donations from other sources–mainly from Anthony Morrocco, who goes out and finds them. “The boxes have to be in decent condition, but surprisingly most of them are. Companies just throw them away. There’s no need for that.”



But now Morrocco Method is stepping up efforts to save those throw-away boxes and packaging materials: By hiring a crew of special needs persons, the company has the new hires call around to other small companies and businesses in the area to find almost new cardboard boxes and packaging materials such as bubble wrap, packing peanuts and popcorn, tissue paper, craft paper and thin Styrofoam sheets. Then the new hires go around the county to pick them up and bring them back to Morrocco Method where they are reused in the shipping department.



Anthony wants to get the word out to all small businesses and companies. “We need to become aware that in your area, people are throwing away all kinds of things. Everyone has a shipping and receiving department, so everyone can recycle in their shipping department just like Richard.”

“But we don’t stop at boxes,” affirms Anthony. “If your company makes glass, have people bring you glass, if you make something metal, have people bring you metal scraps. Everyone should be in on this work to save our Earth.”

Morrocco Method International is a living example of how to recycle beyond the shipping/receiving department. Morrocco Method is housed in a beautiful facility in Grover Beach, California. Pointing to the upstairs offices, Anthony states, “Everything in these rooms is recycled.”


An atrium of light is the entranceway, adorned with vibrant greenery from a realtor who wanted to “get rid of these dying plants.” The ceramic pots they’re in, the Belgian-style carpet on the floor, the welcoming chairs, the woodcarvings and knickknacks all came from estate sales, auctions, garage sales, and thrift stores.

The offices and conference room have spacious desks and chairs bought from consignment stores for only 5¢ on the dollar. Attractive framed art work purchased at auction enlivens the walls. The lounge and the kitchen are restful areas filled with comfortable chairs, homey tables with tablecloths and full sets of dishes and kitchenware, all recycled.

Downstairs in manufacturing stands a large mixer which purchased new costs around $45,000. But this one, perfect but recycled, cost Anthony $1500. A smaller mixer, originally $20,000, was purchased for $750.



“I would like to tell small business owners, and others too, to stop buying new things! Do they realize that 95% of small ventures go bankrupt in the first three years? Think of the money you can save from recycling; think of investing that savings into getting your business up and running.”

But there are even more important reasons to recycle your goods and those of others: saving our earth and our oceans for future generations.

Anthony continues, “We don’t even waste any printed paper from all six of our departments—we re-use the blank side in our copy machines and also for scrap paper.”

To stop the deforestation of trees, Anthony says, there is so much like this we all can do. “When magazines and catalogues come to your office or home, call them up and tell them to stop sending them. Tell them you will accept only electronic submissions of these things.” According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Earth loses 18.7 million acres every year, equivalent to 27 soccer fields every minute.

Rally for Rivers is an India-wide campaign to save the rivers of India which are drying up at an alarming rate. Tons of garbage are washing up on beaches all over the world: in the Caribbean, in Hong Kong, in Bali. At least 100,000 marine animals die each year from just plastic entanglement, and these are only the ones that humans discover. Also, an estimated 1 million sea birds die annually from plastic. With waterways drying up or being glutted with garbage, humanity and animals, who are unprotected from our abuse, are suffering immensely, if not dying off.

“Bad enough we are killing each other, but humanity is on a straight path to destroying all life on earth,” laments Anthony. “Destruction equals Waste equals Abuse. We want to become a model for all small businesses and companies nationwide. We hope they start their own recycling projects by following our lead here at Morrocco Method. The planet we save today will be the future for our children tomorrow.”

Richard agrees, as he shows off his recycling area for extra donations. “The adults of tomorrow, our children, shouldn’t have to deal with the abuses and destruction of today.”