Faith Young (left) with a representative of the Mississippi Recycling Coalition
Faith Young brings her artistry to recycling efforts in Mississippi. She enjoys singing and uses that same passion to address sustainability. She is a mother, wife, educator, and activist. Faith was gracious enough to speak with me as she took a break from home schooling her children in her Jackson home. Her days are filled with teaching her children, caring for her home and, of course, running Door2Door (D2D) Recycling along with her husband. Faith understands sustainability as a lifestyle and strives to minimize waste in all aspects of life. She teaches the values of no-waste to her children who have been helping with D2D for years. She educated me on the deficiencies in the recycling system in Mississippi and how D2D is helping to make change. Faith spoke on the ills but, more importantly, how things could be improved. I left the the interview with renewed hope that one person’s actions really could shake up a system for the better.
“It’s about service to our customers. Our customers are loyal and have become like extended family. We also do this to lead by example, to show our children what it means to give back.”
-Faith Young, owner
Door2Door Recycling
Can you tell me a bit about yourself and how D2D was born?
I’ve been an entrepreneur for about 14 years. I have a background in education as well. My husband Marquette and I started D2D because there was a need for it. We started in Pearl (MS) about 10 years ago and have since expanded to many surrounding cities in Mississippi including Oxford. We have a a loyal customer base that continues to grow.
You spoke about the values of minimizing waste and recycling. Where did you learn to apply these values to your life?
My mother was a science teacher and my father was a pastor who did a lot of work in the community. My father worked with the state (Tennessee) advocating for individuals with disabilities. My mother recycled when I was young and I remember going to the recycling facility to sort.
Why is it so difficult to recycle glass in Mississippi?
Glass recycling is simply not profitable. Recycling in general isn’t profitable but glass even more so. It’s very expensive to ship and even harder to find ways to re-use the material. Unless you’re at the top-tier of recycling, turning a profit is hard to do.
What do you mean by top-tier?
I mean very few involved in the process of recycling actually see profit. D2D would be considered “bottom tier” as we do all the collecting, sorting and shipping. We then send a truck load (40,000lbs) to a company that re-processes the glass into fiberglass and insulation for homes. For quality assurance, we do have a process in which we make sure the glass is being reprocessed as it should.
You speak about how hard it to make money in recycling. What motivates you to keep going after 10 years?
It’s about service to our customers. Our customers are loyal and have become like extended family. We also do this to lead by example, to show our children what it means to give back. We think it’s important to leave the world a better place than you found it. We also believe that good comes back to you and money isn’t the bottom line, goodwill and doing something you love is.
If resources were unlimited, how do you see D2D evolving?
I would see the process of glass recycling from inception to reprocessing into new material. I would love to see the new material being used for resources within the state of Mississippi. I would love to work with the state to become a hub for recycling.
Faith’s Top 5
Favorite snack:
Sweet, hot potato chips
Favorite place in Jackson:
Home
Favorite Musician/Band:
Nappy Roots
Favorite TV show:
The Voice
Favorite hobby:
Cooking
Learn more about Door2Door services here: https://www.door2doorrecycling.com
Written by RT Malone
Graduate Student, Social Work
Sustainability Communications GA
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