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Spade Solutions make recycling look cool

Spade Solutions
Taylor McMahon and Mark Mattson from Spade Solutions at Street Bean Coffee Bar with some of the new cup recycling stations.

Taylor McMahon began Spade Solutions in 2016 mainly on a small scale, sourcing packaging for individual clients.

“We started off selling any packaging we could get that people wanted to buy, buying single items at a time,” Taylor said.

Fast forward four years and Spade Solutions’ focus has moved to making a positive difference to the environment and provide hygiene solutions that not only satisfy COVID-19 guidelines, but look attractive, displaying local iconic designs.

“With the help of my best friend Mark we now buy pallets of stock that we sell to the hospitality market, small crop farmers, product distributors and manufacturers,” Taylor said.

“Our RecycleMe coffee cups, endorsed by Planet Ark, are an example.”

The RecycleMe cups came about because Taylor was looking for packaging that was 100 per cent recyclable.

“When our supplier showed us RecycleMe we dived in head first and could not be happier with the response.

“They’ve been a big hit with environmentally conscious cafes”.

As well as serving a useful purpose, Taylor wanted something that looked good.

“We mainly wanted to stand out from the crowd with our RecycleMe coffee cups and wanted a cup that was not only environmentally friendly but also put focus onto some of the beautiful animals we have right on our very doorstep.

“Being a coastal region we decided on turtles and whales and we’re also working on other prints to come.”

Part of the RecycleMe program are collection stations, with the RecycleMe cups being recycled into high-grade input in products such as copy paper or toilet tissue within Australia.

Polystyrene from the lids is also recovered and used within recycled products.

“So far Oodies, Street Bean, Reds for Coffee and The Deli will all be supporting this scheme.

“We would also welcome enquiries from other cafes and restaurants.”

Spade Solutions started supplying the coffee cups in March.

“Then COVIC-19 hit,” Taylor said.

“However, we believe with restrictions easing now is the time for us to roll out the collection stations.”

The RecycleMe collection stations have been installed at Oodies, Street Bean and Reds for Coffee, with another one soon to be installed at The Deli.

As well as the RecycleMe cups, Spade Solutions uses the same local designs on hand wash dispensers and takeaway food packaging.

“Our goal is that people will start to recognise the prints on the cups, dispensers, and takeaway food packaging, and those designs will be at the forefront of their minds when discarding the packaging.

“In layman’s terms: think of the turtles.”

As well as food packaging, industrial packaging, cardboard boxes and cleaning supplies Spade Solutions has an ambitious goal – to be the biggest distributor in Queensland for RecycleMe – all from their office in Bundaberg.

To find out more visit Spade Solutions website.

Spade Solutions
Street Bean’s Judy Plath with Taylor McMahon. “Taylor and Mark have really done their research. I had a hundred questions and they could answer all of them,” Judy said.
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