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. ------- 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 call the WasteWiss helpline at -r —_^ ' i|f , .: r, ...... .. ...... , 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, Jllljll,1* '"llfcei.i-J ,...«,n»,-n11«i''T'!" ' '""'"I'-. ,, * ~_.. .. *' ' 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. liFTj :i 'v; "-'• „•.--'• : ------- |