As a company, we had to come to the realization that any integrated model has to connect the dots for people if it’s truly to be effective. That means giving the big picture of our vision and connecting with families to make recycling a way of life.
That’s how we came up with our idea of a mascot we called Mr. Murph. On paper, Mr. Murph is a loveable looking character, smiling from ear to ear with arms and legs and a conveyor belt on his back full of recyclables. But to us, he means something a lot more tangible—he is the link we use to reach out to the community.
Over the years, he’s helped us implement a multitude of community-focused programs that have educated the public about recycling and the need to reuse.
People recognize our billboards with Mr. Murph’s loveable face and grin all over town. Kids and families feel a connection with him. He appears in costume at all our tradeshows and guest appearances. He’s helped us conduct tours of our facility and welcomed crowds of school children across the city. We utilize him constantly to help us educate businesses and families about waste recycling and how technology works to positively impact the environment.
Mr. Murph has also helped us reach out to local towns nearby, civic organizations, schools and churches to bring an easy approach to recycling with full service Mr. Murph mini drop-off sites. American Waste Control now has over a 200 Mr. Murph bins throughout the Tulsa metro market, providing recycling options to Tulsa residents who can now place their recyclables into a single container with no sorting needed.
Creating a mascot and face of our company has been critical to casting the vision we have for our integrated services. Through Mr. Murph, we now have an incredible vehicle to connect with our community and create constant buzz with folks who care about our environment.
He’s helped us set the stage for our latest endeavor, our waste to energy project, recently launched in 2012—which has given us tremendous cohesion among our services.
