MINIMIZING SOLID WASTE
CUSTOMIZED ENVIRONMENTAL
TRAINING
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INSTRUCTOR
Insert Instructor Name Here
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OBJECTIVES
 Discuss the Benefits of Minimizing Solid Waste.
 Discuss How to Start a Solid Waste Minimization Program.
 Discuss How to do a Solid Waste Assessment.
 Discuss the 8 Waste Prevention Strategies.
 Discuss How to Develop and Implement an Action Plan.
 Discuss How to Monitor, Measure and Evaluate Your
Program.
 Discuss Examples of Solid Waste Minimization.
 Discuss Use of Contractors.
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GOALS
 Understand the Benefits of Minimizing Solid Waste.
 Understand How to Start a Solid Waste Minimization Program.
 Understand How to do a Solid Waste Assessment.
 Understand the 8 Waste Prevention Strategies.
 Be Familiar With How to Develop and Implement an Action
Plan.
 Understand How to Monitor, Measure and Evaluate Your
Program.
 Understand Examples of Solid Waste Minimization.
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BACKGROUND
 In 1996, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions
produced more than 209 million tons of solid waste,
which is approximately 4.3 pounds of waste per person
per day, up from 2.7 pounds per person per day in
1960.
 Only twenty-seven percent is recovered and recycled or
composted, 17 percent is burned at combustion
facilities, and the remaining 55 percent is disposed of in
landfills.
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LEARNERS
 Supervisors
 Facility Engineers
 Maintenance Personnel
 Department Managers
 Building Occupants
 Process Specialists
 Environmental and Safety Committees
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OVERVIEW
The goal of this course is to provide supervisors
with the tools implement a solid waste minimization
program. It recommends practical, actions that can
be carried out by facility management, maintenance
personnel and building occupants. The course will
help you to integrate good solid waste minimization
management
activities
into
your
existing
organization and identify which of your staff have
the necessary skills to carry out those activities.
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WHAT THIS COURSE DOES NOT DO
The course is not intended to provide information on
how to minimize every solid waste stream. These
specialties required training beyond the intended
scope of this course. Where this expertise is
needed, outside assistance should be solicited.
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FEDERAL LAWS
 RCRA addresses both hazardous waste and solid
waste.
- Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA)
 Pollution Prevention Act
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FEDERAL REGULATIONS
Pertinent Regulations:
 There are no federal solid waste minimization
requirements
 States have direct regulatory authority to require solid
waste minimization
 There are two federal regulations which are useful to
consult when developing a solid waste minimization
program:
 40 CFR Part 256 – Guidelines for Development and
Implementation of State Solid Waste Management Plans
 40 CFR Part 243 – Guidelines for the Storage and
Collection of Residential, Commercial, and Institutional
Solid Waste
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WHAT IS MINIMIZING SOLID
WASTE?
 Minimizing solid waste, also known as waste
prevention or source reduction is the design,purchase,
manufacture, or use of products and materials to reduce
the amount or toxicity of solid waste generated
 It is not recycling, although these two solid waste
management strategies are often confused with each
other
 Recycling is an effective way to manage waste
materials once they have been generated; minimizing
solid waste actually reduces the amount of material
used and therefore the amount discarded
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BENEFITS
There are at least five
benefits for minimizing
solid waste:
1. Economic
2. Environmental
3. Employee Morale
4. Corporate Image
5. Compliance
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BENEFITS
Economic
Potential economic advantages of
waste prevention include:
 Reduced waste disposal fees
 Savings in materials and supply
costs
 Revenues from marketing
reusable materials
 Savings from more efficient work
practices
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BENEFITS
Environmental
The environmental benefits include:
 Reduced energy consumption
 Reduced pollution
 Conservation of natural resources
 Extension of valuable landfill
capacity
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BENEFITS
Employee Morale
 Employees morale improves when
they see the company taking steps to
reduce waste
 This heightened morale could
increase employee enthusiasm,
productivity and more waste
prevention measures
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BENEFITS
Corporate Image
 When customers and the surrounding
neighborhoods see that the company is
environmentally conscious, it creates a
favorable image of the company
 An enhanced corporate image might
attract customers
 Surveys show that more and more
consumers consider a firm's
environmental record when making
purchasing decisions
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BENEFITS
Compliance
 Reducing solid waste can also
mean compliance with local or state
solid waste regulations
 Some communities also restrict the
amount or types of waste accepted at
solid waste management facilities
 By implementing an aggressive
waste prevention program, your
business can help ensure
compliance with these requirements
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
A successful program needs to begin
with the following elements:
 Top-down support
 Program leadership
 Waste minimization team
 Waste minimization company policy
 Goal setting
 Employee involvement
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Top-down support
 Essential to have top management support before
beginning a solid waste minimization program
 Try to relate the waste reduction program to other
successful innovations within the company
 Have some specific action items in mind for which
you’d like permission to pursue
 Be sure to request staff time to work on the program
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Strong leadership
 A knowledgeable and motivated leader should be
appointed to oversee the waste prevention team
 This person will act as a liaison between
management, employees, and the waste prevention
team
 Consider appointing the waste disposal or operations
manager or an employee who already has championed
internal waste prevention or recycling efforts
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Waste minimization team
 An in-house waste reduction team or task force is a group
of employees responsible for planning, implementing, and
maintaining the program
 The team approach helps to coordinate different
departments, provides a structure for communication, and
spreads the work load among more people
 It also avoids potential personality issues such as
animosity toward individuals or between departments
The size of the team will vary
 The team leader or waste reduction coordinator will serve
as the primary point of contact with management, should
have strong leadership and planning skills and be
enthusiastic about waste reduction
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Waste minimization company policy
 One of the first tasks of the team should be the drafting
of a company waste minimization policy
 Formulating an institutional policy statement may help
the team to build a sense of shared vision
 Its adoption by top management demonstrates support
and commitment
 The policy statement becomes an important
communication tool throughout the organization
 It’s a good idea to draft the policy statement early in the
process of developing the waste reduction program
 Once top management has approved the policy
statement, it should be circulated through the company
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Goal-setting
 Perform a waste assessment to collect data on the
company's current waste collection and disposal
procedures and on the types and amounts of waste
produced
 From this baseline information, realistic, measurable
goals can be set to waste prevention
 These goals might include collecting revenues from
the exchange of materials, enhancing the company's
corporate image, or reducing inefficiencies in operations
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SAMPLE GOALS
Sample Reduction Goals
 Reducing office paper waste by implementing a policy to
duplex all draft reports, and by making training manuals
and personnel information available electronically
 Improving product design to use less materials
 Reducing all forms of packaging waste:
 Redesigning packaging to eliminate excess material
 Working with customers to design and implement a
packaging return program
 Switching to reusable transport containers
 Purchasing products, such as food items, in bulk
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SAMPLE GOALS
Sample Reuse Goals
 Reusing corrugated moving boxes internally
 Reusing office furniture and supplies, such as
interoffice envelopes and file folders
 Using durable towels, tablecloths, napkins, dishes,
cups, and glasses
 Using incoming packaging materials for outgoing
shipments
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SAMPLE GOALS
Donate and Exchange
 Donating unwanted supplies to local schools or
nonprofit organizations
 Donating cafeteria food scraps for use as animal feed
 Advertising surplus and reusable items through a
commercial materials exchange
 Donating excess building materials to local lowincome housing developers
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STARTING A WASTE PREVENTION
PROGRAM
Employee involvement
 Keep employees apprised of the program and
actively encourage their participation
 To emphasize the program's high priority, begin with
an announcement from the head of the company
 After explaining the benefits and goals of the
program, ask for support with implementation
 Employees also might have valuable suggestions
 Consider offering incentive awards to employees
most committed to waste prevention
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
 Solid waste assessments begin with a facility walkthrough
 This step gives an overview of the entire materials
flow and helps to identify potential opportunities for
waste reduction
 Timing is an important consideration for your waste
assessment: time of the work day; time of the week
(before or after garbage collection); and even time of
the year (Peak work periods generate more materials.)
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
* Office & administration areas
* Break rooms/cafeterias
* Rest rooms
* Locker rooms
* Copy and printing areas
* Materials storage areas
* Garages/machine service
* Manufacturing/production areas
* Food prep/service areas
* Custodial/maintenance areas
* Recreational areas
* Guest rooms
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* Work stations
* Classrooms
* Public waiting areas
* Conference rooms
* Stock rooms
* Shipping/receiving
* Parts assembly
* Mail rooms
* Service departments
* Data processing
* Laundry rooms
* Closets
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Materials with waste prevention, reduction, or reuse
potential:
* Disposable products
* Shipping containers
* Junk mail
* Copier paper
* Wood
* File folders
* Food
* Toner cartridges
* Pallets
* Fax cover sheets
* Packaging
* Individual copies of magazines/newspapers
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Materials that could be recycled:
 Corrugated cardboard
 Metals
 Plastics
 Paper
 Glass
Materials that could be composted:
 Yard waste
 Food
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Purchasing records
 Purchasing records provide information from the very
beginning of the materials flow
 Useful for quantifying materials which are handled
entirely within the facility
 To be usable, records must be in a form which can be
reviewed fairly easily: ideally, a printout showing totals
of consistent items
 If you have to hunt through separate invoices for a
large variety of different products this method may be
more trouble than it is worth
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Production records
 Production records are usually thought of in terms of
manufacturing, but they are found in other types of
businesses
 Often they are part of cost control systems, which
offer excellent opportunities to integrate the waste
reduction program into the company
 Production records are also useful for projecting
quantities of wastes directly tied to level of production
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Hauler records
 Hauler records provide information from the very end
of the materials flow, as materials leave the facility
either as trash or recyclables
 Note that the numbers from trash hauler records are
the “bottom line” when all components of the waste are
quantified
 Hauler numbers for recyclables represent only the
portion of those materials which have been separated
from the trash
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SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT
Waste sorts
 Waste sorts are often referred to as “dumpster diving”
 A waste sort conducted at the generation point often
yields information that leads to waste reduction ideas
 A facility-wide waste sort works best in a smaller
operation, as it is difficult to get an accurate sample in a
large and complex facility
 This type of waste sort gives a “snapshot” look at all
components of the waste at the very end of the
materials flow
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
1. USING OR MANUFACTURING MINIMAL OR
REUSABLE PACKAGING
 Over one-third of the total amount of municipal solid
waste generated in the United States is packaging
 Start at the source by encouraging suppliers to offer
products with reduced or minimal packaging
 Choose products that come in reusable packaging or
that are offered in bulk quantities also are options
 Companies can examine packaging used for their
own products,as well, to determine whether it is
possible to ship merchandise in returnable or reusable
containers or to use fewer layers of packaging materials
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
2. USING AND MAINTAINING DURABLE
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
 Consider quality and durability
 Superior-performance products are often a
worthwhile investment
 These items stay out of the waste stream
longer, the higher initial costs might be offset
further by lower maintenance, disposal, and
replacement costs
 Regular maintenance schedules for
machines also will help extend their useful
lives
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
3. REUSING PRODUCTS AND SUPPLIES
 Many common items are designed to be used more than once
 Reuse can help extend the lives of products and supplies,
thereby reducing costs
 Reuse is often one of the simplest and most inexpensive
waste prevention strategies
 For many businesses, it is worthwhile to perform a companywide inventory of products and supplies that potentially can be
reused
 By identifying these materials, businesses can take advantage
of a host of waste prevention opportunities within their
companies
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
4. REDUCING THE USE OF HAZARDOUS
COMPONENTS
 Companies also can reduce waste toxicity by
substituting products with nonhazardous or less hazardous
components for certain items
 Many products used by graphics and maintenance
departments are available with fewer or no hazardous
components
 Suppliers can help direct companies to these products
Often, nonhazardous substitutes are not only available,
they also might perform better and save money over the
long term
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
5. USING SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS MORE
EFFICIENTLY
 In addition to offering savings in purchasing and
disposal costs, some waste prevention strategies also
can help companies streamline their operations
 By focusing more employee time on the business at
hand less time on generating waste, these changes not
only reduce waste and conserve materials, but could
increase productivity significantly
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
6. COMPOSTING YARD TRIMMINGS AT YOUR
FACILITY
 Yard trimmings accounted for more than 18 percent
of the total solid waste in the United States
 One approach to reduce this waste is "grasscycling"leaving cut grass on the lawn instead of bagging it and
shipping it to the landfill
 Composting is a natural process by which organic
materials such as yard trimmings are allowed to
decompose under controlled conditions
 Grasscycling and on-site composting are generally
considered to be easy waste prevention efforts
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
7. EXCHANGING, SELLING, OR GIVING AWAY
UNNEEDED GOODS OR MATERIALS
 Many companies participate exchange programs
involving the trading, selling or giving away of goods or
materials that otherwise would be thrown away
 Joining an exchange program is not only a great way
to find new uses for unneeded materials, but is also can
be cost-effective-even profitable
 Companies should also consider donating excess
food, used furniture, and other materials to local
organizations, such as homeless shelters, charities, or
schools
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WASTE PREVENTION
STRATEGIES
8. ELIMINATING UNNECESSARY ITEMS.
 There may be a wide range of opportunities to reduce
waste by eliminating the use of unnecessary materials
and supplies
 These are items whose use has become routine,
though they contribute little or nothing to your product
service
 While eliminating the use of individual items might not
result in tremendous savings, taken together, these
measures can be an important part of your waste
reduction program
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
 Select a strategy for each specific waste stream and
implement it into an action plan
 The action plan should meet a specific goals and it
should be achievable and measurable
 The action plan should have specific duties assigned
to personnel
 It should anticipate how it will impact operations
 Use timelines for each action
 There should be a cost analysis that includes cost
and benefits
 There should be an evaluation plan
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Integrating the program into routine operations and the
“corporate culture”
 An on-going process that should be internalized as part
of “the way we do things at our facility”
 Some ways of internalizing waste reduction include:
 Adjust and fine-tune each element of the program so that
it runs smoothly
 Keep asking front line employees how the program can
be made better
 Keep abreast of changes in the company
 Ensure that orientation or operating manuals incorporate
new policies arising from your program
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Keep people informed and involved in the program
 Keep top management informed of the progress of
the solid waste minimization program
 Maintaining top management support requires good
communication
 It also important to continue motivating and educating
employees
 The key is to involve the people whose work will be
affected by changes and to seek ways to make their
work go more smoothly and efficiently
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Efficient materials handling and storage
 Efficient materials handling and storage is essential
to a successful program
 Space on loading docks, dumpster areas, and interior
storage is seldom as plentiful as we might like
 It is helpful to use a “systems approach” when
implementing a program
 Look at the movement of the material at every point
and ask the questions:
 How can you minimize the number of times it is
handled?
 How can collection be integrated into other functions?
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Employee health and safety
 When materials are handled in new ways, careful
attention should be given to any new hazards that may be
created
 For example:
 Recyclables may have sharp edges
 Large containers may be too heavy to lift safely
 Fire regulations may affect storage of flammable
recyclables
 Placement of containers and equipment must allow for
adequate workspace and traffic flow
 Enlist the active participation of the health and safety
officer from the start
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Security and confidentiality
 Security and confidentiality issues may arise in a
number of ways
 For example, purchasing records are useful for
determining waste reduction strategies as we have
seen, but in some companies may be off-limits to all but
certain staff people
 Also some sensitive company documents should not
be kept electronically only to avoid loss or wrongful
distribution
 A systems approach to planning will help to take
account of these various issues
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DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING
AN ACTION PLAN
Customer and supplier relations
 The waste reduction program can be a valuable asset
to the company image
 Perhaps the most important consideration when
informing customers and suppliers about the company’s
environmental efforts is credibility
 It is better to understate than to overstate the
company’s environmental track record
 Waste reduction may be part of the “total quality”
image
 Cost-saving efficiencies can be presented as part of
the company commitment to keep prices contained
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MONITORING, MEASUREMENT
AND EVALUATION
Reasons Why Monitoring, Measurement and
Evaluation are Important
1. Employee commitment/participation will be greater
when their ideas are heard and taken into account
2. New management, a new administration, new
ownership and new employees will ask questions and
need training in the program
3. Feedback on how how the program is working will
help to maintain employee motivation
4. A method for periodic or ongoing monitoring will help
you to identify unexpected problems or shortcomings in
the program quickly so that you can take prompt,
corrective actions
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MONITORING, MEASUREMENT
AND EVALUATION
Measuring Quantity
 Start by determining how you want to measure results, in
labor hours, in dollars, in pounds
 Look for ways to integrate waste reduction data measures
into the workplace’s already-existing recordkeeping systems
 Be sure to ask frontline employees who you may rely on for
monitoring or recording data for their advice
Monitoring Quality
 The numbers alone won’t give you all the information
 Spot reality checks and eye estimates
 Set aside a time at regular staff meetings to hear how
employees feel about how the waste reduction program
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EXAMPLES
Reducing Paper Use
 Use both sides of the page
 Make double-sided photocopies
 Print only the number of copies necessary
 Route one hard copy to several readers
 Use electronic mail or bulletin boards for sending and
receiving information
 Use smaller fonts to save space
 Make notepads from scrap paper
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EXAMPLES
Reduce Packaging and Shipping Materials
 Eliminate unnecessary layers of packaging
 Investigate other reusable packaging, such as boxes
 Reuse received boxes and packaging for outgoing
shipments
 Shred or crumple waste paper for use as packing
material instead of buying plastic “peanuts”
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EXAMPLES
Wooden Pallets
 Use only multi-use pallets
 Close the loop with supplier to have them pick-up
pallets
 Close the loop with your customers to pick-up pallets
 If pallets break, repair them
 If pallets are beyond repair, have pallets chipped to
make mulch
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EXAMPLES
Paper Towel Reduction
Install roll paper towel dispensers
Install cloth towel dispensers
Install hot air dryers
Don’t leave excess paper towels on sink counters
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EXAMPLES
Maintenance and Housekeeping
 Switch to longer lasting, more energy efficient light
bulbs
 Purchase cleaning products with nontoxic contents in
large reusable containers
 Encourage suppliers and request that they consider
the feasibility of reducing the amount of packaging they
use
 Install reusable air filters in facility heating, ventilation,
and air-conditioning systems
 Compost or simply leave grass clippings on the lawns
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TIPS FOR USING CONTRACTORS
 Remember, You Control Your Facility or Area!
 Review Procedures With Them Before Starting the Job!
 Ensure They Are Properly Trained!
 Determine Their Environmental Compliance Record!
 Determine Who Is in Charge of Their People!
 Determine How They Will Affect Your Facility’s
Environmental Compliance!
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© Copyright Training 4 Today 2001 Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL
SOLID WASTE MINIMIZATION PROGRAM
1. DETAILED WRITTEN SOLID WASTE MINIMIZATION
GUIDELINES.
2. DETAILED WRITTEN SOLID WASTE BEST MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES.
3. EXTENSIVE EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAMS
4. PERIODIC REINFORCEMENT OF TRAINING
5. SUFFICIENT DISCIPLINE REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION
6. PERIODIC FOLLOW-UP
MINIMIZING SOLID WASTE 59/ 60
© Copyright Training 4 Today 2001 Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
THE IMPORTANCE OF A
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
“I would ask all of us to remember
that protecting our environment is
about protecting where we live and
how we live. Let us join together to
protect our health, our economy,
and our communities -- so all of us
and our children and our
grandchildren can enjoy a healthy
and a prosperous life.”
MINIMIZING SOLID WASTE 60/ 60
© Copyright Training 4 Today 2001 Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
Carol Browner
Former EPA
Administrator