Module 1: Solid Waste Reduction

Adapted from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Business Guide for Reducing Solid Waste

Overview

People who work in a sustainable office environment are very unusual - not your average John or Jane Doe. From managers to staff to custodians, they have a different view of and attitudes toward the material world. They understand the manufactured “stuff” contains not only raw materials, but also the energy required to make them. They know that almost anything they use in their work lives can be made from raw natural resources, or from recovered materials. The sustainable office recognizes that there is no “waste” in the natural world and that waste is a resource in the wrong place.

Sustainable office workers know that all kinds of paper can be manufactured from recycled materials, using less energy and water than making paper from wood pulp. They know that making an aluminum can from raw ore requires 20 times the energy needed to make a can using recycled aluminum cans.

Sustainable office workers know that plastic drink bottles, originally manufactured from non-renewable petroleum, can be made into clothing, insulation for winter coats, even the carpet in their family room.

Sustainable office workers do not believe in the “trash fairy” - the never seen being that makes office waste disappear over night. They know it’s going to end up in the landfill or an incinerator, rather than at a materials recovery facility for recycling. They also know that disposal of waste is a cost to their company, generating no revenue.

The goal of this module is to help your office learn what you’ve been throwing away, what it costs, and how you can help your office or company begin traveling the path toward sustainability.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long advocated a three-stage hierarchy for reducing waste materials; Reduce – Reuse – Recycle:

Reduce at the source
Source reduction conserves natural resources and energy and reduces disposal costs. Examples:

Cancel multiple subscriptions when one copy can be shared.
Stop junk mail.
Reduce or eliminate phonebooks. (Every workstation doesn’t need a phone book.)
Print documents double sided and don’t print e-mails unless necessary.
When color is not important, print in gray scale (monochrome).

Reuse whenever possible

Drink your coffee from a ceramic mug not a Styrofoam cup.
Make a scratch pad from good one-side-printed papers.
Require vendors to take back shipping pallets.
Replace disposable cafeteria items with washable tableware, dishes, and cloth napkins.

Recycle as much as possible
Paper may be the most commonly recycled item in an office, but there are many more opportunities:

All types of paper (except food wrappers) including junk mail, magazines, brochures, cardboard, manila folders, envelopes, etc.
Plastic drink containers; aluminum beverage cans.
Tyvek envelopes.
Printer cartridges.
CDs, DVDs, magnetic tapes; unwanted computers, electronics, and office equipment.
Rechargeable batteries.

What do we mean by solid waste reduction? As used here, waste reduction refers to the combined efforts of reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting.