TUCSON – Cox has announced the achievement of its ambitious goal to send Zero Waste to Landfill by 2024. Cox is the first U.S.-based, enterprise-wide service company to be verified by GreenCircle Certified as achieving a 92% waste diversion rate. This achievement meets Zero Waste USA’s definition of a zero-waste business.

"When our Chairman Emeritus Jim Kennedy set us on the path to zero waste, he did so because he knew it was a way we could positively impact our communities and our world," said Alex Taylor, chairman and CEO, Cox Enterprises. "Since then, virtually everyone in our company has contributed in one way or another. Reaching this goal required us to make major shifts in how we do things, but we knew it was important for our planet and future generations. I want to thank everyone who helped — it all mattered, and it's making a big difference."

Why it matters

The zero waste achievement of 92% diversion is nearly triple the national average of 32%. Since 2013, accepting the challenge, Cox employees have kept more than 750 million pounds of waste out of landfills. That is the equivalent of 10 million reams of copy paper, organic waste equal to 60 million apples, and the same amount of metal used to build more than 4,000 vehicles.

What we are doing in Tucson

• In Tucson, our main office at 1440 E. 15h St is a zero-waste location and was a big contributor in helping Cox reach its enterprise goal.
• Cox Tucson recently donated $7,000 to Tucson Village Farms and Cox volunteers planted trees.

Digging deeper

• Cox provided a net benefit of $340 million to the business while reducing waste, working closely with recyclers and sustainability vendors to find new, innovative ways to eliminate waste and contribute to the circular economy.

• Since 2020, Cox has been on a journey to green its consumer packaging, transitioning to recycled content, soy-based ink, and curbside recyclable packaging.

“Getting to zero waste would not have been possible without the dedication of each employee who not only helped us recycle in our offices but also found new ways for us to do business more waste-free, said Lisa Lovallo, Southern Arizona Market Vice President adding, “Our Arizona employees have supported multiple changes big and small, ranging from conference room lights on motion detectors, to composting food and recycling nontraditional waste. We’ve come a long way since this project began in 2013!”

Learn more about conservation at Cox Enterprises.

The current Zero Waste by 2024 achievement excludes any wholly owned acquisitions made since 2021 and international locations.

About Cox Communications 

Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. As the largest private broadband company in America, we operate fiber-powered networks in more than 30 states, providing connections and advanced managed IT and cloud services for nearly seven million homes and businesses nationwide.  In Arizona, Cox generates nearly $5.5 billion in total economic impact annually and the 3,100 Arizona employees of Cox are proud to have volunteered more than 51,000 hours each year in the communities where we live and work. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that make each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.  

The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business, provides a broad commercial solutions portfolio, including advanced managed IT, cloud and fiber-based network solutions that support connected environments, unique hospitality experiences and diverse applications for nearly 370,000 businesses nationwide. For more information, please visit www.coxbusiness.com.