Jo-Anne Perkins  is the brainchild of The Pink Cart Program, and the carts are manufactured by Cascade Engineering (Based in Grand Rapids, Mich). The following was graciously provided to North Metro Waste by Jim Johnson, writer for Waste & Recycling News (http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com):

Pretty in pink
By: Jim Johnson
June 07, 2010

Cascade Engineering Inc.’s new line of pink trash carts is personal for Jo-Anne Perkins.

The general manager of industrial solutions for the trash and recycling cart maker knows all too well about the devastation of breast cancer.

And she, along with the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company, wants to make a difference.

Perkins, who lost her mother and grandmother to the disease, is a driving force behind Cascade’s new pink Cart program, which aims to build awareness and provide funding for breast cancer research.

No traditional cart colors here, as Cascade has created a line of 35-, 64- and 96-gallon trash containers in that shade of pink that has become synonymous with the fight against the disease.

“I’ve had a few people say to me, ‘What a brilliant marketing strategy.’ And I quickly corrected them. Because that’s not at all what this is. This is, for me, unbelievably personal,” said Perkins, who is now a year older than both her mother and grandmother were when they passed away from the disease.

Cascade wants to engage both trash haulers and customers to use the carts. And a total of $5 — $2.50 on the customer’s behalf and $2.50 on Cascade’s behalf — is being donated to the American Cancer Society for each cart sold.

Cascade has launched a website dedicated to the program at www.thepinkcart.com. Each cart also has in information label on its lid that talks about the battle against the disease and provides advice for women to help protect their health. Individuals can order 35-gallon carts through the website and can contact their haulers to ask about the availability of larger sizes.

Along with residential use, Cascade said haulers, both municipal and private, can use the containers at special events such as Relay for Life gatherings.

“As we launched this program, we’ve got a lot of support from our management,” said Samia Brown, director of marketing for Cascade. “We’re a very sustainable company, so we always believe that doing the right thing and then figuring it out also to make it good business is not mutually exclusive. They can go hand in hand. So we’re helping the American Cancer Society help the community.”

Statistics show that one in eight women will be impacted by breast cancer, and Perkins said that means virtually every family will be touched.

“What I’ve come to understand is if it’s one in every eight women, it’s every family” when you consider grandmothers, mothers, daughters, nieces, aunts and cousins, she said.

“It’s really an unbelievable blessing to find an opportunity to have my personal life and my career collide in such a really positive and impactful way,” Perkins said. “It’s been a really special experience. I’ve learned a great deal.”

“It’s a cause that is so prevalent in our society, we seem to get a little hardened to these things, but it’s real,” she said.

Cascade decided to launch the pink Cart program after the company received a special order request from a New York City hauler who wanted pink containers because cancer had touched the company, Brown said.

“We’re absolutely overwhelmed by the response,” Perkins said.

No particular company gets exclusive use of the pink carts, as Cascade wants to reach as many people as possible through the program. The company has a goal of placing 100,000 pink carts at curbs around the country during the first year, meaning $500,000 would be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Show your support for breast cancer research!. For every new 96-gallon Pink Recycle Cart rental, $5 goes to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer.

• FREE Recycling with paid trash service
• No set-up charges or fees
• No contract required

Reserve yours today, supplies are limited. Give us a call or email us.

For more information about North Metro Waste's commitment to breast cancer research,  Click Here.