Federal Green Challenge - Waste
Green Challenge Target Areas
Fast Facts
- Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!
- The 17 trees saved (above) can absorb a total of 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year. Burning that same ton of paper would create 1500 pounds of carbon dioxide.
- Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline but an aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!
- Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
- The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 60-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.
- Source: National Recycling Coalition and EPA
Set Your Goals - Waste
- Increase diversion of solid waste as appropriate; and
- Maintain cost-effective waste prevention and recycling programs.
Federal Green Challenge
By July 2009, relative to your 2006 or 2007 baseline, reduce your carbon footprint from the creation and management of waste by 5% by:
- Reducing tons of waste generated per year by 5% or more;
- Increasing the recycled content of purchased office paper by 5% or more;
- Increasing the tons of mixed recyclables (e.g., paper, metals, plastics) recycled per year by 5% or more; and
- Increasing the tons of electronics recycled per year by 5% or more.
Partnership Opportunities - Waste
Partner with WasteWise. WasteWise is a voluntary partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aimed at eliminating costly solid waste. Benefits of becoming a WasteWise partner include solid waste reduction technical assistance and public recognition as environmental leaders. Online WasteWise Registration
Partner with GreenScapes. GreenScapes is a voluntary partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aimed at helping transform landscaping practices into environmentally friendly ones. Benefits of becoming a GreenScapes partner include technical assistance publications, workshops, and a website in addition to recognition for your efforts. How-To GreenScape Guide | Online GreenScapes Registration
National Parks: Join the Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) Program, a collaboration of the National Park Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The program has a three-pronged approach: (1) measure park-based greenhouse gas emissions (inventory); (2) develop sustainable strategies to mitigate these emissions and adapt to climate change impacts (action planning); and (3) educate the public about these efforts (education and outreach). Required CFP action plans include Energy, Transportation, and Waste. As a CFP, you’ll get inventory, action planning, and education and outreach support. More Information about the CFP Program.
Set Baseline - Waste
Perform a waste assessment. There are three common approaches for conducting a waste assessment: records examination, facility walk-through, and a waste sort.
Records Examination
Examine the following types of records to gain insight into your facility’s waste generation and removal patterns:
- Purchasing, inventory, maintenance, and operating logs;
- Supply, equipment, and raw material invoices;
- Waste hauling and disposal records and contracts;
- Contracts with recycling facilities and earned revenues from recycling.
Records examination worksheet and detailed instructions.
Facility Walk-Through
Tour your facility and observe different departments' activities and talk with employees and managers about waste-producing activities. A walk-through is a relatively quick way to examine a facility's waste-generating practices. Facility walk-through worksheet and detailed instructions.
Waste Sort
A waste sort involves the physical collection, sorting, and weighing of a representative sample of your facility’s waste. Waste sort worksheet and detailed instructions.
Set baseline. Use the results from the waste assessment to set your baseline. A baseline should be established for all levels appropriate to your facility. Progress of solid waste diversion and recycling efforts will be compared against the established baselines. The WasteWise Assessment form (PDF) can assist you with this step.
For the Federal Green Challenge, determine (at a minimum) the recycled content of office paper purchased, tons of waste generated, tons of mixed recyclables recycled, and tons electronics recycled in 2006 or 2007.
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Actions to Achieve Goals - Waste
Easy
- Provide recycling and composting bins at employees’ work areas.
- Make sure recycling is collected regularly.
- Collect at a minimum the following materials: paper, cardboard, containers (plastics, aluminum).
Medium
- Remove employees’ individual garbage cans and place them in a central location. Recycling and composting bins remain at employees’ work areas.
Harder
- Remove garbage cans altogether. Only recycling and composting bins are available in work area.
Office Setting
Easy
- Use minimum 35% post-consumer content paper. Strive for 100% post-consumer content paper.
- Print on both sides of the paper. Implement a formal policy to print and copy double-sided when possible. See if your printer and copier can be set to duplex print, which is when the printer and copier automatically turns each sheet over and prints on both sides. What you can do with your current equipment and models to consider as replacements
.
- Create and distribute materials electronically. Utilize office intranets that allow access to documents, presentations, and databases.
- Re-set printer margins to 0.75” on all sides. Reducing margins to .75” on all sides could result in a total reduction of paper by 4.75%.
- Review and edit draft documents electronically rather than using paper. If you need to print large reports, print double-sided and adjusting the paper settings to allow more text to fit on each page.
- Make copies only as needed.
- Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
- If sending paper correspondence, eliminate duplicates on mailing lists.
- When faxing, use a stick-on label instead of a full-page fax cover sheet.
- Reuse paper printed on one-side.
- Reuse office furniture and supplies, such as envelopes and file folders.
Medium
- For file storage, store documents in electronic archives. Data compression software can assist with this.
- Participate in materials exchanges between floors, offices, branches, etc. Materials involved in these exchanges include building supplies, office supplies, old equipment, and many other items.
- Donate used electronics for reuse or recycle obsolete electronics.
Cafeteria and Food Service
Easy
- If it isn’t possible to use durable, washable serviceware, buy one of the following disposables instead of plastic or Styrofoam: tree-free, biodegradable, or unbleached paper with high recycled content (listed in order of preference).
- Consider a frequent diner cup that would discount the beverage price when customers use a reusable cup.
- Charge a price when plastic bags are requested at the food court.
- Catered Events. Plan ahead and work with the caterer to significantly reduce waste from catered events.
- Ask the caterer to provide reusable platters, tableware, and/or serving dishes.
- If the caterer is unable to provide reusable dishware, request that an approved biodegradable alternative that can be composted be used.
- Ask the caterer to serve dishes “family style” to reduce packaging waste from individually packaged products.
- If programs are available at your facility, collect food waste for composting.
Medium
- Use durable towels, tablecloths, napkins, dishes, cups, and glasses. These items can be washed and reused.
Harder
- Start a food waste compost program.
- Convert used cooking oil into biodiesel onsite or sell it to a vendor that will convert it to biodiesel.
Distribution and Shipping
Easy
- Reuse Styrofoam packing peanuts. If your facility receives large volumes of Styrofoam peanuts in vendor packaging, collect and donate to local shipping companies for reuse.
Medium
- Reuse or recycle wood pallets. Pallets that are still in good condition and meet size specifications can be sold for reuse. Pallets that are broken and not repairable or do not meet size specifications can be sold to be chipped and recycled.
Purchasing
Easy
- Purchase products with a high recycled content. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (“CPG”) can help. A key component of the CPG program is the list of designated products and accompanying recycled-content recommendations. The categories of designated products are: Construction Products, Landscaping Products, Nonpaper Office Products, Paper and Paper Products, Park and Recreation Products, Transportation Products, Vehicular Products, and Miscellaneous Products. List of designated products
- Make purchasing decisions with waste reduction in mind. Before making a purchase, consider how much waste will be generated by the purchase, use, and disposal of the product. Some suggestions include:
- Purchase items that do not come with excessive packaging.
- Purchase durable items that do not have to be replaced frequently.
- Buy supplies in bulk to reduce packaging waste.
- Buy supplies in large containers that can be used to refill personal sized containers.
Construction and Demolition Waste
Easy
- Concrete. Concrete waste from building deconstruction can be ground into gravel. Look for contractors that will pick-up or receive concrete waste for use in gravel.
- Wood. Scrap wood can be processed into wood chips for landscaping. Look for contractors that will pick-up or receive wood waste for use in wood chips.
- Steel. Steel can be removed for recycle or reuse. Look for contractors that will pick up or receive steel waste for recycle or reuse.
Medium
- Concrete. Concrete waste from building deconstruction can be ground into gravel. Grind into gravel onsite and reuse in onsite projects.
- Wood. Salvaged wood from deconstruction projects can be used in new construction projects either on or offsite. Scrap wood can also be processed onsite into wood chips for facility landscaping projects.
- Steel. Salvaged steel can be recycled or reused.
Landscaping
Require your landscaping contractor to provide waste reduction landscaping options, such as:
Easy
- Select low maintenance/slow growing plants and grasses.
- Reuse or increase the use and efficiency of existing sites before cutting into new sites.
- Send green waste and food waste that cannot be composted on site to a local composting facility.
Medium
- Reduce or eliminate plastic silt fencing and substitute with blankets, berms, and filtersocks made of compost for erosion control.
- Reuse soils within the work site. Create mounds or berms to serve as wind breaks or to add visual interest.
- Chip woody waste and tree clippings into mulch for use on-site.
- Donate healthy plants to local non-profit organizations when reconfiguring or removing trees and shrubs from your landscape.
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Measuring & Tracking - Waste
At 6 and 12 months, check progress on achieving your goals. A waste assessment should be conducted annually. For the Federal Green Challenge, check the recycled content of office paper purchased, tons of waste generated, tons of mixed recyclables recycled, tons electronics recycled, and progress towards your set goals.
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Awards - Waste
Federal Green Challenge Partner Recognition
Apply for recognition for your accomplishments under the Federal Green Challenge through the Champions of Green Government recognition program. More Information
WasteWise Partner of the Year
Each year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes overall waste reduction achievements, efforts to purchase or manufacture recycled-content products, and activities to promote WasteWise. More Information
White House Closing the Circle Award
Each year The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) recognizes outstanding achievements of Federal employees and their facilities for efforts which have significantly promoted environmental stewardship. One of the award focus areas is waste prevention and recycling. For more information: http://ofee.gov/ctc/ctc_winners_main.asp
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Case Studies - Waste
Federal Prison Camp, Duluth, Minnesota
The Federal Prison Camp (FPC) in Duluth used a three-tier recycling program to increase its recycling by 118% in just one year. The three tiers are: (1) detailed institution trash recycling, (2) vermiculture or worm farming, and (3) food waste composting. Detailed institution trash recycling involves a thorough and systematic sorting of waste to recover all recyclables. Vermiculture or worm farming uses red wiggler worms, Eisenia foetida, to recycle food waste into a rich, dark soil conditioner, which can be used on the facility’s grounds. Any food waste that is not suitable for the worms is diverted to the food waste composting program, where compost bins are emptied twice a week by contract vendors. This three-tier system allowed FPC Duluth to go from recycling 178,654 pounds in FY 2005 to 390,000 pounds in FY2006.
U.S. Army Fort Lewis, Washington
In FY2006, Fort Lewis achieved 100% diversion of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from the removal of 12 buildings: six one-story buildings, five two-story barracks buildings, and one gymnasium covering a combined total of 48,951 square feet. The amount of potential waste diverted was 3,583 tons. The first step to their success was identifying and removing salvageable materials from the buildings for resale in the local marketplace. For example, nine tons of old growth Douglas fir flooring was salvaged and will be used in homes and projects in the local area. Next, materials such as concrete, asphalt, soil, and clean wood waste were delivered to the on-site EcoPark for direct reuse or processing for reuse on the grounds. Finally, materials that could not be reused were sent for recycling or remanufacturing. Fort Lewis exceeded its goal of 75% diversion and instead achieved100% diversion of C&D waste.
U.S. Postal Service, Alabama District
Recognized as the WasteWise 2006 Federal Government Partner of the Year, the U.S. Postal Service Alabama District saved approximately 70 tons of high-grade paper in 2005after becoming The Paperless Society, achieved by encouraging electronic communications. The Alabama District also created an Online Swap Shop after a postmaster noticed excess materials in it facilities, such as forms, office supplies, and furniture. The Shop saved the District more than $40,000 on supply purchases in the year 2005 alone. 2006 WasteWise Annual Report
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Additional Resources - Waste
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