Texas Recycling Inc. (Dallas) has received a Distinguished Community Award from the Dallas Police Department for its work and partnership in the community around its Dallas recycling plant.
In 2015, Texas Recycling moved from a light industrial/warehouse area of Dallas to a location among well-established neighborhoods and an elementary school. “Many eyes were on us, and a NIMBY attitude existed,” says Joel Litman, president and co-owner.
Texas Recycling saw its move as an opportunity to become engaged in the community. In neighborhood meetings and at open houses in its facility, the Dallas recycling plant pledged to be a good neighbor and have a positive, active presence in the community. Neighborhood association leaders as well as officers at the local Jubilee Park police station encouraged residents and city officials to give Texas Recycling a chance.
“Since then,” Litman says, “we’ve stepped up whenever there was a need in the community.” Texas Recycling’s community-focused actions have included:
■ providing transportation to move pallets of food to neighborhood distribution areas during the COVID shutdown;
■ donating funds for summer camp at the nearby Jubilee Park community center;
■ providing resources for the police department’s neighborhood Christmas toy drive;
■ participating in National Night Out and back-to-school picnics;
■ supporting scholarships for high school seniors provided by the Dallas Police Department;
■ joining neighborhood crime watch programs; and
■ providing jobs to neighborhood residents.
“This award validates the partnership our company has forged with the Dallas Police Department, the neighborhood associations, and the community at our commercial home in this part of the city near Jubilee Park,” Litman says. “The award also confirms the trust and friendship our company has worked hard to create and sustain among the law enforcement and residential communities.”
This is Texas Recycling’s first Distinguished Community Award, though the Dallas recycling plant has been recognized in the past by the local Jubilee Park police station.