Module 1: Solid Waste Reduction

• Overview
• Gathering Information
• Identifying Opportunities
• Planning Your Program
• Program Implementation
• Resources

Identifying Opportunities

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Within a few days of the waste sort, call a meeting of the full Green Team to brainstorm opportunities for waste reduction.

Using the results of the waste sort (or the walk-though and records review if applicable), have the team list all the possible waste avoidance, reduction, reuse, and recycling measures that it feels might be effective. Use Worksheet E—Identifying Potential Waste Reduction Options to record ideas.

Once everyone has had a chance to present ideas, use the option screening form (page two of Worksheet E) to prioritize them based on criteria the team feels are important. Additional criteria you might want to add include the following:

• Needs support of property manager (building-wide)
• Can be implemented by individual offices
• In the interest of several tenants

While prioritizing, the team should be clear on the relative importance of the different criteria against which the options are being measured. Cost-effectiveness may not always be the overriding criteria. Improved environmental awareness, community relations, and reduction in overall waste generated may be equally important. If cost-effectiveness is a key criterion, be sure to consider the long-term economic feasibility of the options. An option with a high startup cost may yield substantial savings in just a few years.

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