RECYCLING SOLID WASTE
CUSTOMIZED ENVIRONMENTAL
TRAINING
WELCOME
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INSTRUCTOR
Insert Instructor Name Here
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OBJECTIVES
 Define Recycling.
 Discuss the Benefits of Recycling.
 Discuss the Key People in a Recycling Program.
 Discuss How to do a Waste Audit.
 Discuss How to Decide What to Recycle.
 Discuss How to Select a Collection Contractor.
 Discuss How to Design a Recycling System.
 Discuss Training and Promotion.
 Discuss Problems and Recommended Solutions.
 Discuss Buying Recycled Products.
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GOALS
 Understand the Definition of Recycling.
 Understand the Benefits of Recycling.
 Understand the Roles of Key People in a Recycling Program.
 Be Familiar With How to do a Waste Audit.
 Understand How to Decide What to Recycle.
 Understand How to Select a Collection Contractor.
 Be Familiar With How to Design a Recycling System.
 Understand How to Train and Promote a Recycling Program.
 Understand the Problems and Recommended Solutions.
 Understand the Importance of Buying Recycled Products.
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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 needed to run a company solid waste
recycling 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 recycling 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 to
run a recycling business. It does not teach the
student market indicators, how to bale solid waste
and how to compost. 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 recycling requirements
 States have direct regulatory authority to require solid
waste recycling
 There are two federal regulations which are useful to
consult when developing a solid waste recycling 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 RECYCLING?
Recycling turns materials that would
otherwise become waste into
valuable resources and generates a
host of environmental, financial, and
social benefits. After collection,
materials (e.g., glass, metal, plastics,
and paper) are separated and sent
to facilities that can process them
into new products and materials
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BENEFITS
There are at least
five benefits for recycling
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
 Revenues from recycling
commodities
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BENEFITS
Environmental
The environmental benefits include:
 Reduced energy consumption
 Reduced pollution
 Conservation of natural resources
 Extension of valuable landfill capacity
 Stimulates the development of greener
technologies
 Prevents emissions of many greenhouse
gases and water pollutants
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BENEFITS
Employee Morale
 Employees morale improves when
they see the company taking steps to
reduce waste through recycling
 This heightened morale could
increase employee enthusiasm,
productivity and more waste prevention
measures
 Some companies use recycling
revenues for employee recreation (I.e.
picnics, holiday parties etc.)
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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 through
recycling 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
recycling program, your business can
help ensure compliance with these
requirements
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KEY PEOPLE
Step 1. – Key People - Select a
Recycling Coordinator
 The recycling coordinator will need to
have good communication and
organizational skills. Creativity, patience,
persistence, a sense of humor, and good
rapport with other people in your
business are important character
qualities
 If you are the owner or manager of a
small business, you will probably be the
coordinator, at least in the beginning
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KEY PLAYERS
A coordinator’s role typically includes:
 Conduct a waste audit and determine what to recycle
 Selecting the contractor
 Designing the collection system
 Educating employees
 Tracking the program’s progress
 Designate area monitors to assist the coordinator in:
- Keeping the collection containers free of non-recyclable material
- Notifying the coordinator if containers overflow
- Encouraging employee participation
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KEY PEOPLE
Step 1. – Key People - Janitors
 Always involve janitors in the planning process for
any recycling program
 Additional training may be necessary to familiarize
them with new or alternative waste collection
procedures
 Realistically assess their safety concerns and how
changes will affect their workload
 The janitors' commitment and cooperation in
executing your recycling program are crucial to success
 You may need to modify the janitorial contract to
specify recycling services.
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KEY PEOPLE
Step 1. – Key People - Landscape
Contractors
 Plant waste from decorative
landscaping for many downtown
courtyards, atriums, and sidewalks
often goes straight to landfill
 By working with your landscape
contractor, you can potentially have
plant waste hauled to a commercial
composting facility
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KEY PEOPLE
Step 1. – Key People – Food Handlers
 Food and other "wet wastes" contaminate dry
recyclable waste unless you keep them in separate
dumpsters
 It may be possible to reduce food waste through the
suggestions of food handlers
 Donating food may be another alternative rather than
disposal
 Food waste can also be recycled through composting
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KEY PEOPLE
Step 1. – Key People - Construction Contractors
 The materials generated during the demolition phase
of a renovation are mostly recyclable
 It is necessary to provide the contractor with a
staging area and time in which to separate the materials
 If the contractor separates the materials, the value of
the material can be rebated back to reduce hauling
costs
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WASTE AUDIT
Step 2. – Conduct a Waste Audit
 The reason to conduct a waste audit is to find out
what’s in your trash
 The waste audit will help you identify which materials
to collect for recycling, what size and type of containers
you will need, and what waste could possibly be
prevented in the first place
 Find out if your company or individual employees are
already collecting any materials for recycling
 A waste sort or “dumpster diving” should be the first
place to gather “bottom line” information and should be
done just prior to refuse pickup
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WASTE AUDIT
Step 2. – Conduct a Waste Audit
Gather the following materials and
resources:
sorting tables
 a large scale for weighing the waste
 separate bins for each sorting
category
 gloves
 surgical masks
 a calculator
 materials for recording data
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WASTE AUDIT
Step 2. – Conduct a Waste Audit
Safety First!
 Talk to your facility safety
representative prior to doing a waste
sort
 Wear protective clothing such as
long-sleeved shirts, pants, gloves, and
surgical masks
 If you discover any hazardous
material, don’t touch it and contact your
safety representative
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WASTE AUDIT
Step 2. – Conduct a Waste Audit
 Once you have transferred all of the
garbage to your sorting table, identify the
materials you generate (for example,
cardboard, office paper, and food waste)
 Weigh each type of material and record
your findings
 Total the different amounts of waste found
in each dumpster to find the “bottom line”
 Do similar waste sorts within the facility to
determine what size recycling containers
you’ll need and where they should be placed
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DECIDING WHAT TO RECYCLE
Step 3. – Deciding What to Recycle
Certain materials are either banned or restricted from
from disposal facilities, such as:
 Tires
 Green Waste (yard trimmings)
 Appliances
 Used Oil
 Scrap Metal
 Auto Batteries
•Contact your landfill to find a listing of restricted
materials and how these materials can be disposed
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DECIDING WHAT TO RECYCLE
Step 3. – Deciding What to Recycle
In some municipalities, businesses are required to recycle
certain commodities such as:
 Bars and restaurants serving alcoholic beverages might
be required to recycle glass
 Office buildings might be required to recycle office
paper, newspaper and cardboard
 Hotels, restaurants, food courts, grocery stores,
hospitals, and food manufacturers who generate large
volumes of food waste might be required to recycle food
waste
•You should contact your local solid waste regulator to
determine what materials you must recycle
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DECIDING WHAT TO RECYCLE
Step 3. – Deciding What to Recycle
Target materials with reliable markets, such as:
 Aluminum
 Corrugated cardboard
 Used Oil
 Copper/Brass
 Office/Computer paper
 Tires
 Steel
 Newspaper
 Green Waste
 Glass
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DECIDING WHAT TO RECYCLE
Step 3. – Deciding What to Recycle
The following liquids may be
recycled and reused on your
premises in most areas with special
equipment:
 Solvents
 Antifreeze
 Frying oil
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COLLECTION CONTRACTORS
Step 4. – Selecting a Collection Contractor
 In selecting a collection contractor, you are looking for
good, reliable service at the best price
 The prices paid for recyclable materials vary with the
type of material and can fluctuate dramatically from
month to month
 Moreover, your company’s economic benefit from
recycling will probably come from reduced disposal
costs, rather than money paid to you from the sale of
recyclables
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COLLECTION CONTRACTORS
Step 4. – Selecting a Collection Contractor
Option 1: Refuse hauler is also the recycling hauler
 If your refuse hauler provides both waste disposal
and recycling collection, the hauler should be able to
offer a combined cost/pay structure
 In other words, he would charge you for the hauling
of both refuse and recyclables and credit you the
current market value on the recyclables
 This can reduce your overall disposal costs or at least
provide a break-even arrangement
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COLLECTION CONTRACTORS
Step 4. – Selecting a Collection Contractor
Option 2: Recycling company picks-up
 A second option is to have a recycling company (or
processor) collect and pay you for a material or collect it
at no charge/no pay, depending on the current value of
each material
 A small collector will most likely provide no charge/no
pay service
 If you select a recycler, you should discuss lowering
disposal costs with your refuse hauler, once your
recycling program is underway
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COLLECTION CONTRACTORS
Step 4. – Selecting a Collection Contractor
When you talk to the various companies to compare prices
and services, ask the following questions to help you make
your decision:
 What materials do you collect?
 What materials do you purchase, and how much is paid
for each?
 Do you charge for collection of recyclables?
 If you’re picking up trash and recyclables, what will be
the net savings in my disposal costs?
 Do you pick up on schedule or on call? If on schedule,
how often? If on call, how much lead time is needed?
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COLLECTION CONTRACTORS
Step 4. – Selecting a Collection Contractor
 Do you provide collection and/or storage containers?
 Will you help us organize and promote our recycling
program?
 Are you willing to sign a long-term agreement? (A
one-year minimum is recommended.)
 What is the allowable level of contamination?
 What are your reporting and accounting procedures?
 How long have you been in business?
Once you have made the selection, include the
information you have gathered in a written agreement
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
 KEY: MAKE IT AS SIMPLE AND EASY TO RECYCLE AS
IT IS TO THROW AWAY!
 The goal is to design a collection system that is convenient
for everyone and does not incur additional labor costs
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
 Recyclables should flow from individual employees to
area collection containers or directly to central
collection/storage
 Place area recycling containers in convenient
locations normally frequented by employees
 Recycling containers should look distinctly different
from trash containers
 Place regular trash cans nearby to avoid unwanted
trash getting mixed in with the recyclables
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling
System
At Desks
 Each employee usually gets their
own small recycling tray or upright box
for convenience
 When full, the employee empties
the paper into the larger paper bins
 Trays and upright bins may be
available from your municipality for
free.
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
Office Suites
 Some space is required in offices for
recycling bins
 Based on weekly service, the rule-of-thumb
for a white or mixed paper program is one 12gallon container in each copy or printer area
 Some offices prefer 23-gallon containers,
which are taller and slimmer, but are heavier
when full
 For a beverage bottle and can program, you
need one lined container per kitchen area
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
Toter Bins
 Toter bins have wheels and lids that lock. Two sizes are
available from most vendors:
- the 64-gallon size holds 125 pounds of paper
- the 94-gallon size holds 200 pounds
 Toters are versatile and can be wheeled to offices for
consolidating materials when tenants move or purge old
files
 When empty, they can be nested to save storage space
and are designed to be automatically lifted and emptied by
garbage or recycling trucks
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
Dumpsters
 Most buildings have dumpsters for garbage
 Dumpster sizes are measured in cubic yards;
one cubic yard is equal to about three toters
 Dumpsters are good for larger loads or bulky
materials, such as cardboard They have lids
which are easy to lock (which will protect
materials from theft and or contamination if the
dumpsters are located outside).
Special garbage trucks are equipped to pick up
and empty dumpsters automatically.
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
Compactors
 Where space is limited, many buildings prefer to
invest in compacting equipment
 Compactors come in a wide range of styles and sizes
 They can be rented or purchased and are often
customized for a specific site or use
 Some of the investment can be recovered by disposal
savings because you need less frequent garbage or
recycling pick ups
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
 To select the best containers for your needs, consider
the following: durability, cost, capacity, ease of handling,
and attractiveness
 Check with local vendors on the types and styles
available
 While containers need to be convenient for everyone,
you also need to consider the work involved in emptying
them
 By keeping in mind the needs of both employees and
custodial or maintenance people you will find an
acceptable balance that works for everyone involved
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling
System
Transferring to Central Collection
and/or Storage
 KEY: INTEGRATE RECYCLING
COLLECTION WITH EXISTING
SYSTEMS
 KEY: DISTRIBUTE THE
RESPONSIBILITIES.
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DESIGNING A RECYCLING
SYSTEM
Step 5. – Designing a Recycling System
Central Collection/Storage Area
Determine the best location for you with your building or
facility manager and your collection contractor, using
these guidelines:
 Is the site large enough?
 Is there easy access to freight elevators and loading
docks?
 Does the area meet with local fire and building
codes?
 Are sprinklers required/in place?
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TRAINING AND PROMOTION
Step 6. – Training and Promotion
Phase 1: Program Announcement
 Announce the start of the program
with a brief, upbeat memo from the
head of the company
 The memo should highlight the
benefits of the program to everyone,
outline the collection procedure, and
give the time for a meeting to
formally introduce the recycling
program and answer questions
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TRAINING AND PROMOTION
Step 6. – Training and Promotion
Phase 2: Meeting/Educational Session
 Encourage everyone to attend an information session
about the new program
 The meeting should focus on the cooperative nature
of recycling and the importance of each individual to its
continued success
 Highlight the main points of the program, taking care
to explain the separation and collection procedures
 Emphasize the benefits to the environment, the
company and the employees
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TRAINING AND PROMOTION
Step 6. – Training and Promotion
Phase 3: Follow-Up
 Follow-up can be done as a part of a regular meeting
agenda or with memos or newsletters
 Consistency is the key to any successful program,
and recycling is no different
 Note how much is being taken out of the waste
stream, how much was donated to charity, how big the
party fund is, and so on
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Problem 1: Low Participation Rate
 Here are some of the things you can do to stimulate
participation:
Solution, Part 1: Provide Information
 People may not know how to recycle
 Provide reminders to tenants in memos and other
promotional pieces
 Check that signs explain the recycling program
 See the Training and Promotion Section of this
training
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Solution, Part 2: Put Containers in
the Right Places
 Check the location of recycling
bins
 Make sure there are enough of
them and that they are conveniently
located
 Make it easier to put recyclable
materials in the recycling bins than to
put them in the garbage
 Make sure everyone can easily
reach a recycling bin
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Solution, Part 3: Appoint Recycling
Experts
 It helps everyone to have an expert
available to ask questions
 Designate motivated employees to
be recycling coordinators for specific
areas and let everyone know how to
reach them
 Include the names or phone
numbers for the experts in all the
promotional materials
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Solution, Part 4: Motivate
 Some people simply don't care at all about recycling
 Some people are very busy and might consider
recycling to be a waste of time that is better spent on
their "real work"
 Some of these people can be convinced to participate
by providing incentives, such as games, prizes, and
recognition or by making recycling easier than not
recycling
 You can also put recycling into contracts when doing
business outside your company
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Problem 2: Contamination
This is when non-recyclables are mixed with recyclables
Solution:
 If contamination of recyclables is a problem
throughout your building, ask your recycling company to
help find procedural flaws or collection deficiencies
 If contamination is isolated to certain individuals in
the building, focus your educational efforts on making
sure they know the policies
 Solicit management help to change behavior
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Problem 3: Unauthorized Scavenging
This is when people are stealing the recyclables.
Solution:
 Provide a secure, central storage area for recyclable
materials between pick ups
 It should be secured from public access, yet easily
accessible to your custodial staff and the recycling
company
 Inform janitors when unauthorized scavenging takes
place and ask them to report suspicious activities to
management
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PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Problem 4: Lack of Space
This can either be a lack of space near the points of
generation or at the central collection and storage.
Solution
 Lack of storage space is one of the biggest problems in
many downtown office buildings
 Request assistance from your recycling company
 The two most practical solutions are to:
(1) have materials collected more frequently and
(2) install compacting equipment
 Be sure to consider health and safety as well as fire
hazards when you address space issues
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BUYING RECYCLED
Closing the Loop
 Business must also support the
purchase of recycled products
 By purchasing recycled products
made with recycled materials, you
are helping to ensure that a market
will continue to exist for the materials
collected in your recycling programs
 Building managers, through
purchasing recycled products, can
make a difference
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BUYING RECYCLED
Identifying Recycled-Content Products
 “Recycled-content products” are made from materials
that would otherwise have been discarded (i.e.
aluminum soda cans or newspapers)
 “Postconsumer content” refers to material from
products that were used by consumers or businesses
and would otherwise be discarded as waste. If a
product is labeled "recycled content," the rest of the
product material might have come from excess or
damaged items generated during normal manufacturing
processes—not collected through a local recycling
program
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BUYING RECYCLED
 “Recyclable products” can be
collected and remanufactured into
new products after they've been
used
 There are more than 4,500
recycled-content products
available, and this number
continues to grow
 Make the commitment to “Close
the Loop” and to purchase these
products
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© Copyright Training 4 Today 2001 Published by EnviroWin Software LLC
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 RECYCLING PROGRAM
1. DETAILED WRITTEN SOLID WASTE RECYCLING
INSPECTION GUIDELINES.
2. DETAILED WRITTEN SOLID WASTE RECYCLING BEST
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.
3. EXTENSIVE EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAMS
4. PERIODIC REINFORCEMENT OF TRAINING
5. SUFFICIENT DISCIPLINE REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION
6. PERIODIC FOLLOW-UP
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© 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.”
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Carol Browner
Former EPA
Administrator
© Copyright Training 4 Today 2001 Published by EnviroWin Software LLC