From Glass to Greatness

Hi! My name is Linnea Morris, and I am a rising senior Politics major and Psychology minor. This summer, I am interning with the local Walla Walla Washington organization, BIG Recyclers. BIG Recyclers is a nonprofit that provides glass recycling to Walla Walla and Dayton. There is no curbside glass recycling in Walla Walla, so they are the only ones providing this service. BIG Recyclers holds drop-offs where residents, wineries, and businesses all bring their glass for recycling. 

My internship is focused on communications and media, and I work on multiple projects in these areas. I oversee social media promotion and design through Facebook and Instagram, help at in-person events, and create marketing materials.

The internship is hybrid, so my work days vary. Most days I work remotely on independent projects, but on Tuesdays and some Saturdays, I work at glass drop-off events. These are my favorite days because I get to chat with colleagues and volunteers about what their hopes are for BIG Recyclers and their experience working on the project. It is also so exciting to see how much the volume of glass coming in is growing as more people learn about what we do. Everyone dropping glass off is always grateful there is a place in the area accepting glass to recycle. From our drop-offs, the glass goes to Portland or Seattle where it is remade into new glass products. My time is spent recording names and weights, taking social media content, and assisting with set up and closing as well as anything else needed. Some weeks we collect as much as 10,000 lbs of glass!

I have enjoyed the variety of projects I have been able to work on. As well as generating social media content, I also have worked on the new website creation and launch, talked to local businesses for support, collected and organized information about glass recycling, and helped develop new stickers and banners for promotion. Each of these projects has helped me learn different skills and keeps the work I do constantly changing and evolving based on the needs of the organization.    

This internship has given me a very special opportunity to work with a local organization aligned with my interests and goals. The founders and team of BIG Recyclers are all so passionate and dedicated to making this a long-term way to recycle glass, and I am super grateful for the opportunity to work with them on this project.