INTRODUCTION:

Every year, each Kansan produces more than 3/4 of a ton of trash - that’s 3.2 million tons total. Over 40% of this waste is paper and a significant amount of it is produced in the workplace. In fact, according to the Environmental Defense fund, the average office worker consumes 10,000 sheets of paper each year. Likewise, twenty-five billion Styrofoam cups end up in landfills every year, many of which come from office break rooms and cafeterias. We think of products as being disposable, but whether this material is burned, moved, or buried, it must go somewhere to be managed by someone.

More and more, the production of waste is seen as a form of inefficiency and misuse of resources, which has both economic and environmental implications for individual businesses and Kansas as a whole. For a business, reducing waste means using and spending less, and getting more out of what is used. If businesses can incorporate recycling and waste reduction practices into their daily operations they can maximize their outputs and increase profits, while at the same time save valuable resources and help the environment.

Some companies are adopting simple waste reduction habits such as reducing paper consumption through the use of e-mail and duplex printing. Other businesses are reviewing their entire operation to identify and implement as many opportunities for reducing waste as possible. Whether simple alterations or large-scale initiatives, companies are finding that waste reduction offers impressive rewards.

 

Help the Environment and Your Bottom Line

Money Saved, Money Earned

It costs money to dispose of trash. A business that practices waste reduction, reuse and/or recycling is going to save money on waste disposal costs and reduce operating expenses. Additionally, businesses can generate revenue from the sale of recycled materials and operational by-products.

Help the Environment

 

• Conserve Energy: By recycling or reducing at the source, a business can indirectly conserve energy. For example, it is 95% more energy efficient to manufacture an aluminum can from recycled material than from virgin material. That’s enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours.
• Prevent Pollution: When less energy is used to make products, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less green house gas, mercury, and other harmful chemicals are emitted into the atmosphere to pollute our air, water, soil. For example, manufacturing an aluminum can from recycled material produced 95% less air pollution than manufacturing the same can from virgin material.
• Preserve Natural Resources: Reusing materials reduces the need for mining and harvesting virgin materials. For example, plastic comes from non-renewable petroleum. Therefore by recycling plastic, less fossil fuels are used.
• Conserve Landfill Space: As more and more garbage is produced, landfills are filling up. They are expensive to build and no one wants one in their backyard. By throwing away less, businesses can help lessen the need for new landfills and extend the lives of existing landfills.

Enhance Your Image

By promoting your waste reduction efforts, you can show customers, other businesses, and the general public that you are committed to the environment. Letting people know that your business is environmentally friendly is more of an advertisement than a statement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Getting Started

Gain Company Support: To get a waste reduction effort off on the right foot, you should have the "buy-in" or support of the business owner or upper management. With this commitment, you are in a better position to create a successful program.

 

Form Your Team: A Green Team is a group of employees dedicated to promoting waste reduction, recycling, and responsible purchasing in their workplace. The size of your team should relate to the size of your company and be representative of as many departments or operations as possible. The team will be responsible for: working with company management to set the preliminary and long-term goals of the program; gathering and analyzing information relevant to the design and implementation of the program; promoting the program to employees and educating them about how they can participate in the effort and; monitoring the progress of the program and periodically reporting to management about the status of the program.

 

Choose a Coordinator: Having an enthusiastic team leader is key to starting a successful waste reduction program. Select one or two leader(s) who are committed to your program. This leader(s) should oversee the program, and act as the liaison between the maintenance staff, management, employees and the recycling vendor.

 

Set Preliminary Goals: Start small. Although there are a lot of great ideas out there, don’t try to do everything at once. Begin your work with simple projects that have a relatively high likelihood of success. This will help you gain additional support and credibility. You can then expand your program little by little.

Get to Know Your Waste

A bakery generates different wastes than a dentist office or a bookstore. It's important to know what materials make up your waste so that you can develop a plan to reduce it. See the Waste Characterization by Industry chart (3.1). Follow these steps to determine what makes up your waste, how much your company is throwing away, and how much it is costing you. The first step is to obtain your waste disposal records.

 

Obtain Your Waste Disposal Records

Contact your trash collector to obtain your monthly disposal services invoices. These invoices can help you answer the following questions: How are you are being charged, by the pull or by weight? How much are you paying each month? How much are you throwing away? By obtaining back invoices you can put together a picture of your yearly waste disposal charges and or weights/amounts. This will also give you a base line from which you can track your future progress. Don’t be afraid to call your trash collector with questions. These invoices can be confusing.

Walk Through Your Business

A walk through of your business is necessary to learn where trash is coming from and where it ends up. A walk-through can also help you determine what waste is being thrown away, and help you identify reduction opportunities and potential savings. Use the Building Walkthrough form (3.2) provided to record your findings. You will want to plan the walkthrough for a time when garbage bins and dumpsters are full. You may want to contact your janitorial and/or building maintenance staff for assistance.

Consider Conducting a Waste Characterization Audit

A waste characterization audit should help you determine what materials make up your waste. There are two options for conducting a waste characterization audit. Either way, the goal is to find out what types of waste and how much of them are being thrown out. The first option involves estimating waste types and amounts by conducting a visual survey of individual waste receptacles. This can be accomplished during the building walk-through. The second option is the most accurate and consists of actually sampling and weighing the building’s wastes. The audit can be conducted at anytime of the day, but before garbage and recycling receptacles are emptied. You want to make sure that you are measuring exactly one day’s worth of waste. So it may be helpful to obtain the assistance of custodial and or building maintenance staff in conducting this phase of the audit. See the How to Conduct a Waste Characterization Audit packet (3.3), for further guidance.

Go For It

The Waste Reduction Hierarchy consists of four main components to help your business handle and minimize waste. The hierarchy encourages waste reduction and reuse, then recycling, and, as a last resort, disposal. By practicing these steps in order, a business can help the environment and their bottom line.

Reducing and Reusing

Waste reduction means consuming and throwing away less. Because it actually prevents the generation of waste in the first place, it is the most preferred method of waste management and goes a long way toward protecting the environment. It includes: purchasing durable, long-lasting goods; seeking products and packaging that are as toxic free as possible; buying products that use less packaging. Reusing items -- by repairing them, donating them or selling them -- also reduces waste.

Reusing products, when possible, is also better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again. This can include practices as simple as using durable coffee mugs or reusing packing materials and office supplies, such as file folders and envelopes. You will also want to consider materials exchange programs and donation options. See handout 4.1 for waste Reduction and reuse ideas.

RECYCLING

Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. In addition, it generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits. Materials like glass, metal, plastics, and paper are collected, separated, and sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products. Common materials that can be recycled include paper, cardboard, scrap metals, wood, plastic wrapping, electronics, and beverage containers. Follow these steps to set up a recycling program.

Decide What Materials You Will Recycle

Start with the basics: paper, cardboard, aluminum and plastic bottles. Commercial pick up for these materials may be available. Other materials to consider are newspapers, magazines, batteries, printer cartridges, and electronics.

Find Recycling Centers/Service Providers

For paper, cardboard, plastics, and other materials, you may need a hauler. These companies provide containers and establish a regular pick up schedule to meet your needs. In most cases, service providers collect materials for free and may even pay you for your materials. Remember that your company can earn revenue from your recycled products, so shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal.

If pickup services are not available, another option is to take your recyclables to a drop-off center. Drop-off centers can also help you expand your program because they often accept items that cannot be picked up. See the recycling directory to locate a center or service provider near you. www.kansasrecycles.org

Purchase and Place Your Receptacles

Recycling receptacles can be purchased on-line and at most major retail and office supply stores. Choose the correct size of receptacles for the volume your office generates and the correct type for different materials. Place containers in strategic locations, and make sure they are labeled clearly. You may want to consider the following:

• A good rule of thumb is a recycling receptacle for every trashcan.
• Provide bins for paper recycling at every workstation.
• Place larger containers for paper near printers, copiers, in mailrooms and print shops.
• Locate receptacles for plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, and cardboard in break rooms or other central locations.
• Place containers for recyclable materials in shops, plants, factories, packaging departments, and warehouses.

Coordinate Collection/Transportation

Coordinate collection of recyclables with the recycling service provider, janitorial crew, and/or staff. The next time your company’s Janitorial contract comes up for bid, be sure to include collection/removal of recycling as part of the contractor’s normal duties. Addendums can also be worked into existing contracts. In most cases, this can be done for little or no increase in cost. Considering that your janitorial contractor will be collecting the same amount of material and if receptacles are located close to the trash cans, the additional amount of time and effort required will be minimal.
Take a Second Look at Your Purchasing

Everything your company buys effects the environment, but some choices are better than others. Your business can use its purchasing power to help protect the environment and improve your bottom line. When purchasing products and services, keep these considerations in mind:

• Buy Durable Products – Instead of purchasing disposable items, purchase items that will last a long time, such as rechargeable batteries. Also, choose products with a longer life and extend that life span through repair and reconditioning, which might also include upgrading.
• Avoid Excess Packaging – Look for products that have less packaging or buy in bulk. You will have less to throw away. You can also purchase items with packaging that can be reused or recycled.
• Buy Recycled – Buy purchasing recycled content products, you are helping to “close the loop” by providing markets for recovered materials. Recycled content products come in many shapes, sizes and forms including: paper and office supplies; carpeting; construction materials; toner cartridges; vehicle fluids; pens and pencils; landscaping materials; furniture; retread tires; clothing; and many other items.
• Buy Energy Efficient – Energy efficient choices for items such as computers and lighting can help your business save on utiltiy costs and cut back on green house gas emmissions. Choose items that are Energy Star certified.
• Choose Products that Prevent Pollution – Choose cleaning products, paints, and other chemicals that are less toxic and biodegradable,

Kicking-Off Your Program

Once you have your basic program up and running you will want to post or circulate an announcement, to help ensure employee participation. You should include information about the new procedures or policies being adopted and how it will benefit the company. You should also include your coordinator’s contact information. Mention that innovative ideas and solutions from employees are welcome. Provide literature explaining the benefits of recycling. (Your recycling service provider may be able to supply educational materials). Some organizations even host a special event or party to kick-off their program. See the appendix for a list of kick-off ideas (4.2).

Educate Your Employees

As the team begins to implement the waste reduction program, it is crucial that all employees be informed about the program and the importance of their cooperation and involvement. One of the first steps in educating your employees is to create a building recycling guide. Use a variety of methods to reach your target audience, such as: staff meetings and training sessions; employee newsletters; posters, signs, or flyers; e-mails; special events, such as slogan contests, or cash awards. Check the Green Team website at www.kansasgreenteams.org for more information and resources.

 

Keep It Going

Track and Record Progress

It’s important to monitor and evaluate your program to ensure its continued success. To demonstrate its cost-effectiveness you should track any income generated by the program as well as the company’s savings in disposal costs, operating expenses, and purchasing expenditures.

Keep Employees Informed and Involved

Provide regular updates to employees and management about the program and seek their input. Employees will be encouraged to know that by doing their part they are helping to make a difference. Continual communication and recognition are crucial to the long-term success of your program. Submit articles for your company newsletter, post information on your website, put up flyers, and send e-mail updates.

Market your success

Use your tracking data to demonstrate your program’s success to management, co-workers and to your company’s customers. Take advantage of tools and resources to convert hard-to-understand measurements, such as kilowatt-hours or tons of waste, into vivid equivalents – numbers of cars removed from the road or numbers of trees saved. Check the following websites for conversion tools:

http://www.nerc.org/documents/environmental_benefits_calculator.html and
www.environmentaldefense.org/papercalculator/

Research recognition programs that exist outside of your organization (P2 Award, U.S. EPA’s Environmental Merit Awards, etc.) See the Green Team website www.kansasgreenteams.org for more information and resources.

Go Above and Beyond

Once you have your basic recycling, waste reduction, and purchasing programs up and running,
don’t stop there. Continue to expand your Green Team efforts by exploring other areas of responsible stewardship practices. Some of the issues that other green teams have dealt with include: energy efficiency programs, fluorescent bulb recycling, environmentally preferable cleaners and janitorial services, food scrap composting, green landscaping, and carpooling.

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