Stephanie Barger, Executive Director
Earth Resource Foundation
www.earthresource.org
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
= Zero Waste
GOING BEYOND RECYCLING
SO WHO’s DOING ZERO WASTE?
And WHY?
3 key solution concepts
Precautionary
Principle
Sustainability
Producer
Responsibility
Who Cares?
They Do!!
Earth Resource High School clubs
The Zero Waste Economy
Designing a Full-Cycle system – Upstream and Downstream
Expand City Outreach &
Technical Assistance
and Lead by Example
Provide Incentives Before Ban or Mandate
Eliminate Waste by
Designing Out of
Products and
Processes
Jobs from
Design &
Discards
Foster
Sustainable and
Green
Businesses
Resource Recovery Park
Retailers Take Back
Difficult to Recycle
Materials
Producer Responsibility
Empowered Consumer
© Copyright Eco-Cycle, 2004 with text modifications by permission.
www.ecocycle.org/zerowaste/zwsystem
Reuse is the big “R”
TOYOTA’s Zero Waste Policy
 Recycle
Some
 Recycle More
 Recycle Less
$1 Million from Recycling
$13 Million from Reuse
Zero Waste Businesses are
Leading the Way (>90% Waste Diversion)

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
Anheuser-Busch, Fairfield, CA
Apple Computer, Elk Grove, CA
Del Mar Fairgrounds
Fetzer Vineyards
Frankie’s Bohemian Café, SF
Greens Restaurant, SF
Hewlett-Packard, Roseville, CA
Mad River Brewery
New Belgium Brewery, Fort
Collins, CO

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NUMMI, Fremont, CA
Pillsbury
Playa Vista, LA, CA
Ricoh Electronics, Inc
San Diego Wild Animal
Park
Scoma’s Restaurant, SF
Vons-Safeway
Xerox Corp
Yost Printer, Monrovia, CA
Presented at the Zero in on Zero Business Conference
Source: www.grrn.org
Ricoh Electronics, Inc.
Zero-Waste-to-Landfill – Achieved Feb ‘01
Tons
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1998
1999
2000
Land Disposal
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
5R Resource Recovery
100% Resource Recovery
2006
Leadership
 Was
& Is
Essential
 Began at highest
level
 President
practices daily to
honor his
employees
Recipe for Success 7: Use of 5R Concept
Waste Profiling
Identify Waste
Ricoh’s “Recipe for Success”
•Objectives
•Leadership
•Benchmarking
•Organization
•Project plan
•Training & Promotion
•Use of 5R Concept
•Verification
•Continuous
Improvement
= Total Participation
Promotion Everywhere
 Every
employee
must participate
 Everyone informed
and educated
 Everyone does
their part
 No one left behind
Recipe for Success 7: Use of 5R Concept
Partnership With Suppliers
Green Procurement
RESPECT
REDESIGN
REFUSE
REDUCE
RETURN
REUSE
RECYCLE
Reduce total cost within Supply Chain
Supported by our Suppliers &
Customers
Packaging Optimization- Joint Effort
Chemical came in
many small cans…
…now in drums
=
Reduction of:
 Labor time for switching cans and
cleaning leftover chemicals
 Water usage
 Packaging material cost
6 individual cases were
put into a master carton…
…no more
master carton
=
Reduction of:
 Packaging cost
 Packaging time
 Freight cost
REDUCE
Reduce Unnecessary Packaging Material
Supported by Our
Supplier
RECYCLE
Before
Styrofoam glued to
the corrugated liner
Optimized Packaging Style & Recycle waste
Results
After
No glue used, but
snaps on type
1.
No glue to buy
and store
2.
No drying time
1.
Much easier to
separate
Styrofoam from
liner
2.
No more use of
a knife to cut
the glued joint
Plus-Plus Program

Education practiced
internally and
externally
 Ricoh requires vendors
to have zero waste
 Ricoh works with
communities world
wide to achieve its goal
of sustainability
“The best thing is not what we
planted in the ground, but what
we planted in the children’s
minds.” – Ricoh’s President
www.sustainLA.com
Leslie VanKeuren Campbell, LEED GA
gingergrass Case Study



Vietnamese restaurant in Silver Lake
Initial motivation – bring personal Zero
Waste efforts to the workplace
Owner reluctance – “Green” = Expensive
No more Styrofoam!

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
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Phó served in Styrofoam
Calculated use per
month
Calculated increase in
cost for compostable
containers
Implemented 3%
surcharge on to-go
orders
 Transparency with
customers
 Sign at to-go counter
 Promote efforts
 Line item in P&L
Food Waste Recycling

Largest volume of
waste in
restaurants = food
waste
Internal campaign

•
•
•
•
Staff meetings
Signage (3
languages!)
Sensitive to
complaints
Remove barriers
Recycling Beyond Bottles & Cans

Current System
•
•

Collecting bottles and cans
Friend of employee emptied bin when full
New System
•
•
Continued bottles and cans as is
All other recyclables (plastic containers, aluminum,
metal cans, etc) collected in different bin


Took home to blue bin
Worked with neighbors to place in blue bin on night before
pick up
Ordering and Purchasing

Implemented New Systems
 Organized Storage Rooms
 FIFO!
 Par Levels
 Monthly Inventories
 Purchasing plan to include recycled products
 Went directly to source with shortages
 Discontinued increasing order to compensate
Waste Reduction

Instituted “NO DISPOSABLES” policy for
employees
 Full load dishmachine = $.26

Required staff to BYO Bag and Containers
 Installed “Bring your own cup” shelf
 Created draft paper and scrap paper
 Servers cut scrap paper during slow times and
created server books

Encouraged staff to think of additional ways to
reduce waste
Waste Reduction

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

Used dirty linens for “first run” spill clean up
Logo bags are not garbage bags
Reusable containers in kitchen whenever
possible
“Remove from mailing” folder
Worked with customers who wanted to
BYOContainer
 Reusables to neighbors
 Order for “here” and transfer

Gave $.05 to customers who BYOBag
Additional Suggestions

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
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
Use reusable containers whenever possible for
food storage
Serve straws “On Request”
Look for used vs. new
Promote from within
TELL VENDORS and MANUFACTURERS
WHAT YOU WANT!
 Be specific
 Less packaging, less plastic
 Reusable containers?
 Note what you like and what you would prefer change
 Community communication
Benefits!
 Bottom Line:
Waste = Expense
 Environmental Responsibility
 Increased customer count
 Increased customer loyalty
 Improved employee morale
 Marketing
 Complimentary press
 Sense
of being a part of something larger
Resources

Earth Resource Foundation www.earthresource.org
 California Integrated Waste Management Board
www.ciwmb.ca.gov
 Algalita Marine Research Foundation www.algalita.org
 Freecycle www.freecycle.org
 Craigslist www.craigslist.org
 Take Back the Tap www.takebackthetap.org
 Sustain LA www.sustainLA.com
Leslie VanKeuren, LEED GA
o: 323-638-0318
e: leslie@sustainLA.com
www.sustainLA.com
Recycling for Re-Use and
Donation
Hilton San Francisco
What can be recycled or donated?
 Food
 Prepared and Packaged
 Bread and Pastries
 Mini-Bar Snacks
 Banquet Overages
 a pallet or a carton
What can be recycled or donated?

Conference Give-Aways
 Mugs
 Tee-shirts
 Tote Bags

Conference Display
 Foamcore
 Decor
 Sets and Scrim
What can be recycled or donated?

Hotel Supplies and
Equipment
 Renovation and
Remodeling
 all furnishings, accessories
and carpeting
 De-construction, building
& plumbing supplies
 Outdated amenities, china
& glassware
 Linen and Mattresses
 Uniforms
 Office supplies
The Straus Difference
Healthy Farm & Production Practices
These are other practices of ours, though they are not necessarily
required by organic regulations we have always operated this way
Pasture-based Feeding
Balanced Diet
Milking 3x A Day (vs. 2x)
Pasteurized, Not Raw
Not Homogenized
Kosher
Returnable Glass & Recyclable Plastic
Next Steps

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Adopt Zero Waste as a Goal and Plan
for it
Educate Community on Zero Waste
Identify local Zero Waste Businesses as
models
Attend the Annual “Zero in on Zero
Waste” Business Conference, 2011 –
Orange County, CA
Become a Zero Waste Leader at your
work, play and live!!
Stephanie Barger, Executive Director
Earth Resource Foundation
www.earthresource.org
Stephanie.barger@earthresource.org
949-645-5163