In the heart of a major U.S. city, San Antonio, a 10-story commercial office building with up to 30 tenant companies took a step toward smarter sustainability. The building's management sought an effective, hands-on solution to deal with soft plastic waste generated by significant traffic, regular deliveries, and daily office activity.
Until recently, the entire building's soft plastic went straight into general waste bins and, inevitably, landfills.
Recognizing this recycling gap, the building’s management team agreed to test a new sustainable approach by piloting the Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) from Clear Drop, a first-of-its-kind device designed specifically to deal with flexible plastics at the point of disposal.
The goal: reducing waste and changing behavior
Unlike other recycling efforts, soft plastics — such as mailers, wrappers, and packaging — are often overlooked. They’re light, shapeless, and notoriously hard to recycle. Most commercial buildings lack the infrastructure to separate or reallocate these materials.
This pilot focused not only on waste reduction but also on behavioral change. The office team wanted to explore how a shared, high-traffic environment would respond to a new type of sustainability intervention.
“It’s great to finally see a solution targeting the soft plastic waste we all know ends up in the trash. It's sparked some good conversations among tenants already.”
— Tenant feedback, Week 1
The plan: installing an SPC
The SPC was installed in a central public area frequented by employees and service staff. Clear signage explained what the device was, what types of plastics it accepts, and why it mattered. There were no lengthy training sessions. This pilot marked a major step forward in testing scale and refining the messaging around the product experience.
Initial reactions and feedback
Within days, the building began to see early signs of success. Staff and tenants were engaging organically with the machine and showed an increased curiosity about soft plastic use and recycling.
Some initial user feedback helped identify opportunities for improvement, such as screen readability and ergonomics, which will inform hardware and signage updates for future pilots.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but people started asking about the machine almost immediately. It feels like something new is possible here.”
— Building staff comment
SPC's immediate impact
The building’s management and Clear Drop treated this experience as more than just a test: It was a learning lab. The team monitored how tenants used the SPC, where signage was most effective, and what kinds of plastics were being collected.
From the first day, the team witnessed many people inserting a variety of soft plastic materials into the SPC, including:
- Food wrappers and grocery bags
- Shipping mailers from business operations
- Bubble wrap and soft packaging film
With the SPC placed in such a central location, the team was able to evaluate not just usage, but also accountability dynamics — such as who is responsible for emptying the unit and what kind of infrastructure is needed to support that.
Results: SPC minimized plastic waste and spotlighted sustainability innovation
The pilot proved that small actions in shared spaces can create momentum in creating an effective waste management system. The office building’s use of the SPC reduced the volume of soft plastic waste and increase its recyclability. It also raised awareness, invited participation, and planted the seed for broader adoption.
Management now sees the SPC as a valuable amenity — a simple yet powerful way to show tenants they care about environmental impact, innovation, and accountability. And most importantly, it’s a system that works, even in places not designed for sorting plastics.
This multi-tenant office pilot is setting the template for wider-scale SPC rollouts. It’s the first deployment where product-market fit, setting, and communication all aligned for a full learning loop. We are still analyzing more long-term results , but the initial response from tenants and staff shows promise. The building's team sees the SPC not only as a sustainability tool but as a way to boost tenant engagement and reduce overall plastic waste.
