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GFL Environmental Inc.

Innovation Workshop yields lightbulb moments

Dec 7, 2020

The first event of its kind for GFL, the Greenlight Innovation Workshop (GIW) gathered employees from across the company footprint to explore innovation and sustainability within the organization.
 
Participants came together to learn about the innovation process, network with fellow attendees and share ideas for business solutions that could be applied to GFL’s diverse service areas.
 
“Being innovative and continuously advancing the environmentally sustainable solutions that we offer to our customers are important aspects of GFL’s long-term strategy,” said Jennifer Ahluwalia, Vice-President of Environmental Responsibility and Sustainability. “In support of this and staying true to our entrepreneurial culture, we wanted to create an event that not only recognized GFL employees who advance solutions that will make the company more competitive in the industry, but also create opportunities for these employees to advance their own knowledge, skills and networks.”
 
Along with GFL’s Sustainability Value Initiatives, GIW forms one of two core elements of GFL’s Environmental Innovation Program.
 
“The Environmental Innovation Program is designed to guide and engage our employees in identifying and seizing opportunities for innovation within their business areas, so that we can continue to provide more comprehensive, sustainable environmental solutions across the communities that we serve,” said Ahluwalia.
 
Eighteen GFL employees from various locations and business units participated in the inaugural GIW, which took place February 10 and 11 in Toronto, Canada.
 
A key component of the event was the team challenge that delivered GFL’s first ever Environmental Innovation Award.
 
“The award recognizes environmental innovation that creates efficiency in GFL’s existing operations or introduces a new solution that aligns with our corporate purpose,” said Aluwahlia. “This purpose is to provide accessible, cost-effective, sustainable solutions so that we can encourage greater environmental responsibility and allow our customers and the communities we serve to be Green For Life.”
 
Working in small groups, participants were asked to develop workable solutions to four current operational issues facing GFL as a waste industry leader.
 
The four issue were: How to attract and retain good drivers in the face of increasing competition, how GFL can use mobile technology across customer touchpoints to achieve greater ease of access, quicker adoption of solutions, and cost savings, how GFL can use mobile technology to effectively capture and use data for more efficient operation, and how to optimize the capacity of GFL’s truck fleet.
 
The challenge aimed to foster healthy competition among co-workers and encourage them to come up with real-world ideas that could be implemented in the future.
 
Teams were given time to prepare before presenting to a judging panel of four GFL executives: Greg Yorston, Chief Operating Officer, Christian Dover, Area Vice-President, Infrastructure, David Richmond, Area Vice-President, Solid Waste, Eastern Canada, and Craig Orenstein, Vice-President, Corporate Development.
 
A Q and A session followed each presentation to elaborate on the themes explored.
 
When all four presentations had been received, the judging panel had the tough task of choosing a winning team.
 
After much deliberation on the ideas presented, the judges named team three, whose presentation focused on the use of data for more efficient operation, as the victors.
 
Michael Zabaneh, Ornella Pizzo, Charlton Clarkson and Wendy Fauth claimed GFL’s first Environmental Innovation Award for their thoughts on how GFL can harness mobile technology to successfully capture and use data for more effective operation.
 
 
Award winners L-R: Wendy Fauth, Charlton Clarkson, Ornella Pizzo and Michael Zabaneh.
 
 
The judges were particularly impressed by the team’s ability to show how implementing the pilot technology could help GFL monitor and report on incoming product purity, with the overall goal of limiting contamination, improving operational efficiency and driving high-quality product diversion.
The winning team’s ideas will be further developed in the coming year and funding provided for a pilot project.
 
Results from the other teams were also very well received, with the judges requesting white papers to explore ideas further.
 
“The ultimate goal of the event was to come out of the workshop with workable solutions that were created by the participants,” said Ahluwalia. “Not only did we achieve this, but our employees really stepped up and demonstrated their passion for generating original ideas that will help further GFL’s sustainability mission.”
 

Source: http://gflenv.com/innovation-workshop-yields-lightbulb-moments/

June 11, 2020
Inside this issue
Equipment Operator/Labourer
As the Labourer /Junior Loader Operator you will be responsible for contributing to the efficient and effective operation of the facility.
Residential Recycling Driver
  • Complete daily routes as assigned by the Route supervisors
  • Perform end of day driver check-ins to ensure complete and accurate paperwork completion
Administrative Assistant

As a key member of GFL’s dynamic team, you will be the first point of contact for all customers and will provide administrative support to our various business units. 

Lab Technician
  • Perform general laboratory and housekeeping duties including report analysis results and coordination with production personnel
  • Prepare and clean glassware required for sample analysis
Process Operator

The Process Operator is responsible for the operation and optimization of the 24/7 fuel processing facility. 

Labourer - Scale Attendant

Ensure that all vehicles entering the landfill are inspected, weighed and charged appropriately.

Plant Labourer

Plant Labourer will be primarily responsible for day-to-day operations with respect to waste receiving, handling, processing and disposal. 

Heavy Equipment Operator

As the Heavy Equipment Operator, you will be responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the organic facility and safe operation of equipment.

Labourer

GFL Environmental is looking for a Labourer to support our Liquid lines of business out of our Timmins, ON site. The Labourer will be primarily responsible for assisting with general labour activities.

Specialized Services Technicain

The Technician will be working alongside a team of highly trained individuals who handle the company’s most dynamic projects.