United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA 530-E-99-002b
October 1999
www.epa.gov/mswclimate
WasteWise: Climate Benefits
From Reducing Waste
WasteWise, a program that promotes waste prevention and recycling practices—-joint-
ly referred to as waste reduction—in offices and industry, diverts materials from the
municipal solid waste stream. In addition to cost savings and efficiencies, waste reduc-
tion has positive effects on climate change. The manufacture and distribution of products
and the subsequent management of solid waste can contribute to the formation of green-
house gases. To lowergreenhouse gas emissionsfrom these actions, as well as for other envi-
ronmental benefits, EPA is encouraging waste reduction efforts through its WasteWise
program.
WHAT Is WASTEWISE?
$ince January 1994, EPA has been
working in partnership with
American businesses; federal, state,
local, and tribal governments; and
institutions to reduce municipal solid
waste. Presently, more than 950 orga-
nizations are WasteWise partners.
Partners are located all across
the country and represent a
variety of business, civic, and
industrial sectors, ranging from
small local governments to Fortune
1000 corporations. Through the
WasteWise program, partners make a vol-
untary commitment to implement or
expand a solid waste reduction program
with three complementary components:
• Preventing waste. The cornerstone of
WasteWise is waste prevention, which
means using less material to do the same
job' or produce the same product.
WasteWise partners commit to implement-
ing three significant waste prevention activ-
ities of their choice.
• Recycling collection. By collecting
recyclables, WasteWise partners divert
materials from disposal. They commit to
initiate, expand, or improve internal pro-
grams to collect recyclables. For example,
offices may add new materials to an existing
program or boost recycling rates by educat-
ing employees or the community.
• Buying or manufacturing recycled-
content products. WasteWise partners can
play a key role in integrating recycled-
content materials into consumer mar-
kets. They commit to purchasing
products with recycled content.
Manufacturers may also raise the
percentage of postconsumer materi-
als in the products they make.
WasteWise partners design their own solid
waste reduction programs, tailored to meet
their needs and operations. Partners moni-
tor their progress during a 3-year period
and report annually to EPA on their
accomplishments. The WasteWise program
helps participating organizations discover
waste reduction opportunities and set waste
reduction goals. Partners have access
(through a toll-free helpline) to WasteWise
representatives, who provide personalized
assistance, and to a wide range of waste
reduction publications and electronic
support services. EPA also publicly
recognizes individual organizations and
program successes.
Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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How DOES WASTEWISE HELP
REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSIONS?
The three cornerstones of WasteWise—
%vaste prevention, recycling collection, and
buying/manufacturing products widi
recycled content—are among die most
effective ways to slash the greenhouse gases
traceable to municipal solid waste.
WasteWise partners divert millions
of tons of material from disposal
^ each year.
•"» They also
attain higher
levels of efficiency
by using only the
materials diey really
need. And
as these orga-
nizations prevent
more waste and
recycle more materials,
fewer greenhouse gases
emitted into the
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atmosphere.
Waste prevention, in
particular, can greatly
reduce die emission of
greenhouse gases by
conserving raw materi-
als and the energy
expended to retrieve,
process, and manufacture diem into products. In addi-
tion, waste prevention keeps materials out of landfills and
incinerators. Certain materials generate greenhouse gases
as they degrade in landfills or burn in incinerators.
Overall, waste prevention provides more climate change
benefits than any other waste management option.
By boosting dieir recycling collection efforts, WasteWise
partners keep valuable materials out of landfills and incin-
erators. In particular, many organizations have increased
their recycling of office paper and corrugated containers.
Keeping paper products out of landfills cuts methane emis-
sions. Recycling used paper saves energy and can leave
more trees standing in the forest. Trees take large amounts
of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it in
wood.
are
WasteWise partners are also encouraged to manufacture or
buy products made from recyclable materials. This
helps ensure that recyclables, rather than raw materials, are
used in manufacturing processes. Typically, manufacturing
products from recycled rather than virgin materials con-
sumes less energy.
How much of an impact is WasteWise having on climate
change? In 1998, WasteWise partners documented some
611,000 tons of wasj{e majerial^reduced, including corru-
gated cardboard, wgod, rci6t|l, and paper. They also recy-
cled over 7.2 million tons of waste, including; steel, wood,
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paper, cardboard,, ... ,au"dI other items. In climate, change
terms, this is having a tremendous impact. The combined
recycling and wast^gfevention effortsiof the WasteWise
partners in 1998 dgpppf|vented 7 million metric tons of
carbon equivalent (IXTCE,, the basic unit of measure for
greenhouse gases) thajLWotjJd odierwise ,Eave been released
into the atmosphere; That's like, preventing the average
. . i 8" ;» J% . B;;S •* <* "3" * '"•(. "
annual emissions rrojn^electric power consumption or
roughly 4.2 million l^i|eliglds. 'i^ ~ ~ ' 73.
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