I N 5 .... I D E . , . . i .b T T CONDUCTING A .WASTE ASSESSMENT n :. f STARTING A RECYCLING PROGRAM i I D O N A T I N G U S E D 1TE.MS I - * . a So dil Waste Management .............................................,............................* . E Today, waste disposalis Just one of the many costs Df doing buslness. Companies have seen a dramatlc Increase In the complexities and costs of waste dlsposal. As a result, many businesses find a waste reduction program helps them manage their waste and save money. A waste reduction program that Includes both source reduction and recycling allows employees to make an environmental contributlon and 'it reduces disposal costs. This kit will help your company, church or business determine what's in their waste stream, how much waste they generate and how to reduce thelr waste The steps for conducting a waste assessment areas follows: Step 1 : Obtain management support and commltment - Step 2: Assign a person or team to be In charge of the program ?Aj3, I ( &$ ! I 33T.Af:'< ,WAN,A5Z.?4E;UT SUPPCRT A waste reduction program's success often depends on management approval, especmlly if it alters existing policies and contracts. Once your program IS established, keep management informed of its progress, and utllize them for communicating successes to employees. Waste reduction programs are most successful when an enthusiastic individual or team leads the program. Depending upon the sue of your company, the,team approach may be the most successful, but either form of leadership is o.kay -just put sorneone.in charg& The program leader or the leadership team manages the program and acts as liaison wlth management, employees, the maintenance'staffand recycling vendors representatives. Step 3: Conduct a waste assessment Step 4: Develop a waste reduction plan Step 5: Implement the waste reduction plan Step 6: Monitor and evaluate the plan Follow these six steps to start reducing your company's waste. Mecklenburg County also provides forms for conducting a waste assessment as well as a current list of recycling vendorsthat may assist you withpick up and education. Step 3 I CONOUCT A WASTE ASSESSMENT The waste assessment establishesa baseline of data and gives you the background information needed to plan a waste reduction program for your company. There are three parts to a full waste assessment: . Observing departmental procedures [building walk-through) = Reviewing company records [records examination) Sorting through company garbage (waste sort) . You may choose to do one or more components of the waste assessment depending on your needs. The building walk-throughlets you observe and talk to employees about waste producing activities. Be certain to include all departments and all shifts. You or your team should watch for: types and amounts of waste produced; waste producing activities and equipment; inefficiencies in operation or in the way waste moves through the company; .potential space for storlng recyclable material;and current waste reductlon efforts. You will also need to interview employees for their Ideas on waste reducing activities. A records examination helps you identlfy those things coming into your company that may later AMERICAN leave as trash due to over supply, expiration, or poor quality material or equipment. Reviewing records will also determine if your company is purchasing items made from recycled materials. BUSINESSES THROW AWAY. ENOUGH OFFICE AND WRITING PAPER TO B U I L D A 1 2 - F O O T - H I G H W A L L FROM LOS A N G E L E S TO N E W YORK C I T Y EVERY YEAR. Records will also identify waste removal costs. (Turn to theback of this guide to calculate potential waste savings.) 'The types of.records you mightfind useful include: purchasing, inventory, maintendnce, and operating logs; supply, equipment, and raw material invoices; equipment seivice contracts; repair invoices; waste hauling and disposal recordsand contracts; contracts with recycling facilitiesand records of revenue earned from recycling. The waste sort involves the collecting, sorting and weighing a representative sampleof your company's waste. The goal of the waste sort is to identify ' different types (for example:paper,plastic, . aluminum) an& amounts of garbage generated. You can then calculate as precisely as possible the percentage of different types of waste your company .is currently producing. . Eliminate items that contribute little or nothing to your product or service. Document all the information gained through your waste assessment. Once the waste reduction program is under way, this data will allow you to evaluate the impact of the program.. Recycling is reusing waste after it's generated: -Start an office paper, cardboard or aluminum can recycling program. Use the Recycling Vendor List to get yourstarted or call 336-6087 if you need more information. Now that you've assessed your wasre, you and your team need to decide which waste reduction options your company can implement. Waste reduction options include: Source Reduction, Recycling, Changes in Purchasing Practices, and Composting. , Source Reduction is preventing waste before it's generated: .- Establish a company-wide double sided copying' policy to reduce the amount of paper generated.. 1 1 1 1 1 1 Eliminate bcover sheet when sending faxes. Provide'reusable mugsand spoons by the ofice coffee makerand use cloth towels and napkins instead of disposble paper ones. Buy reusable plastic pallets. Use solar-powered calculators; replace single-use batteries with rechargeable ones; - ' 1 1 1 ' Reuse packing materials from incoming packages for outgoing packages. Send toner cartridges to a manufacturer to be refilled. Donate reusable materialsthat you no longer need, such as brniture, clothing and office machines. .. Listed below are just a few of the agencies in Mecklenburg County that accept donated items: AMVET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,393-2359 Crisis Assistance Ministry . . . . . . . ._.:,. . . . .'37 1 -!OOO Goodwill Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .372-3434 Rebound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334-4635 Salvation Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332- I 1 7 1 Uptown Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334-3 187 Gift-In-Kind Clearing House . . . . . . . . . . . ,347-3477 I Substitute less toxic products for inks, paints, and. cleaning solvenk. Save documents on hard drives or floppy disks instead of making paper copies and use central files to reduce the number of hard copies your company retains. I Purchasing . Waste reduction saves your.company money now by reducing disposal costs. - Buy products with recycled content. Thlscreates a demand for your recylables. 9 = Purchase high qualtty long lasting supphes and equipment that can be easily repaired. 1 Research-whatyour company pays for waste disposal each year: . . Ask vendorfto eliminate excess packagmg from incoming deliveries. s s Cornposting ' . 1 n* . LWPLEMENT . Pick up charges - . fees Disposal - -. Total wastg handing costs . before reduction6 recycling Now total the waste handling costs you avoid when you produce less-waste-byrecycling or instituting other waste reduction measures. - 5: . a 5 Use a worm bin to convert food wastes into potting soil or compost. Call 3'36.6087 if you need more information about composting with worms. hit! Container rental charges 5 Compost yard trlmmlngs and leavegrass clipplngs on the lawn. Better yet, choose a landscape design that needs low maintenance. s- , THE PLAN Container rental charges avoided by reducing needed containers -: -? Once you decide on which waste reduction options to adopt, you-are ready to implement a program. If your waste reduction program is complex, build yo,ur program slowly so employees are not overwhelmed by changes in procedure. A pilot program may identify any operational problems In the early stages. 5 Pick up charges avoided by requiring fewer pick UPS .5 All employees must be informed about the program and how important their cooperation and involvement is to its success. Make use of the employee newsletter, electronic mait, ti-aining sessions, posters, contests, and employee orientation programs. Consider including waste reduction program - . participation in your company'sjob performance standards. , Disposal fees avoided by disposing of less.waste - -5 .. . T O ~savings ~ I N o w subtract the totai savings from the total waste handing costs before reduction & recycling to see how muchwaste reduction reduces the cost of waste hauling eachyear! . .. , . 5 , , - waste handling Total reduction after costs & recycling . . !kp 1: 'EVALUATE THE P L A N Once the program is under way, the team should evaiuate its effectivenessto determine if original goals are being met. Perform the first evaluation after the program is firmly established. Some organizations may decide to evaluate the program after 30 days whlle others wait for six or eight months when they have more'data to assess. It's important to keep i . accurate.records. Documentation provides the team with vital information to evaluate the effect of new products, different vendors, or new systems. It may be worthwhile to conduct more in depth waste assessments to determine further.thanges In your company's waste. Remember to inform employees about any changes that have occurred since the kickoff. Publlsh a monthly or annual report on the waste reduction program's success. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: (704) 336-6087 Solid Waste Management Upon request, thls tnformatlon wlll be provided in an alternatlve format for persons with disablllttes. @ Thls informatton IS prtnted on recycled paper with soy-based Inks.