Later, Jon and his wife, Margaret Runde, found their entrepreneurial niche in developing source separation systems for businesses, such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University, Bell of Pennsylvania (now Verizon) and Drexel University. They have now expanded their efforts to printers, furniture warehouses, produce distributors, and other significant waste paper and cardboard sources.

Their business is a multi-step process. Once the paper was acquired from source customers, Weston/Runde had to develop a system to enhance the material to make it more valuable to paper mills. The paper mills use the value-added product as raw material to produce new paper products. Each grade of paper waste has a different value to the mills depending on their finished product, for example, writing paper, corrugated cardboard, or construction materials.

The material is brought in and separated by grade and baled before marketed to the mills In trailer-load quantities. Weston/Runde shares the revenue generated from selling the baled paper with their customers. Their logo is “Money is Paper! Paper is Money!” The value of the paper fluctuates for domestic and overseas markets, yet Weston/Runde has persisted during paper market downturns and upheavals when others have not.

Weston/Runde works with businesses to capture the paper out of their waste stream and pays them for the value of that paper. Over the years, the waste paper collected and processed has become a dependable and valuable source to paper mills representatives and other entities. They are now looking for investors to expand their endeavors locally and regionally.

Jon and Margaret pride themselves in helping to save the environment by reducing dependency on landfills and producing the raw material for sustainable products. They are encouraging businesses to call them to discuss how Weston/Runde can help them become part of the solution and generate income from their paper waste.