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Five years ago, we at Denison University decided to examine different avenues for dealing with our ground trash problem. At the time we were spending over one hundred hours a month picking up trash. This didn’t even include removal from trash receptacles.

As anyone in the business knows, trash is one of the most important issues we deal with and also one of the most time consuming. With only six full-time employees, our department needed more time to focus on other areas such as campus upgrading and detailing.

I know that the crew is here already and gets paid regardless of what job they are doing, but it made good sense to take advantage of their skills in better ways.

I got in touch with our local community employment service, Licco Inc. Their mission is to provide employment, benefits, and a variety of work environments for individuals with developmental disabilities through the sale of employment services.

I contracted them to perform this service for the University. The dollar savings was substantial compared to the hourly rate of the grounds crew members, and the quality of work has been solid and dependable. The crew comes with a supervisor to make sure the work is completed. There is also a huge plus here; it is a win-win situation for the University and the community.

After doing this for some time now, we have had very few problems with outsourcing this work. And the extra time it has given the full-time crew has paid big dividends as far as getting the campus prepared for important events during the school year. Perhaps most importantly, it feels great to provide and topportunity to build confidence of workers with disabilities.

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