Lorena Young

"I love selling the idea of sustainability," says Lorena Young, sourcing rep for Weyerhauser's Eugene Recycling facility. "It's doing the right thing, and there's an economic benefit as well." A graduate of Thurston High, Young studied business in Missouri and worked at corporate finance in Ohio before returning for a UO master's degree in Public Affairs. She started at Weyerhauser Recycling as a financial manager 10 years ago, then took on her current job three years later. "It's partly sales," she says. "I've been working to find export markets for materials we pull from the waste stream." While Weyerhauser has used recycled cardboard and paper in its own mills since the 70s, Young has pioneered plastics recycling and sought markets around the world. "We have 80 grades of plastic," she says. "Last year we started taking fumigation film from farmers in the valley. I've sold to China, India and Korea." The public is invited to bring broken lawn furniture, toys, grocery bags, and other plastic items to the Weyerhauser facility, adjacent to Lane County's waste transfer station in Glenwood.