sT?*. Su
Success St<
Getting on the I _,
with Waste Reduction
" Our waste reduction and
recycling programs
profoundly demonstrate
how our environmental
and business interests
can be achieved without
compromising either."
Bruce Norton
Environmental Scientist
Constellation Energy Group
Constellation Energy Group Greenhouse Gas
Reductions from Recycling
150,000
-a
CD
'o 100,000
>
TO
50,000
25,000
More and more companies that seek to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions are recognizing the climate benefits of alternative
waste management strategies, such as recycling and reuse. The
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Voluntary Reporting of
Greenhouse Gas Program provides a means for individuals, compa-
nies, and organizations to report their emissions reductions from
recycling programs and other waste management activities.
GHG Reductions from Waste
Management: DOE Voluntary
Reporting Program
Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 established the Voluntary
Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Program. The 1605(b) program, as it is commonly
called, was created so that individuals or entities can report information on
any activity that reduces emissions of greenhouse gases or increases carbon
sequestration. The 1605(b) program currently is administered by DOE's Energy
Information Administration (EIA).
The 1605(b) program has registered more than 230 companies and organiza-
tions. Collectively, these entities have reported cumulative reductions of 969
million metric tons of C02 equivalent since 1994. By recording their accom-
plishments with EIA, they establish a public record of emissions reductions
and receive a certificate of recognition for environmental stewardship.
Due to requests from companies that wanted to report their recycling activi-
ties, EPA provided DOE with a methodology for converting waste activities into
greenhouse gas benefits, based on existing
emission factor research. In 1999 alone, more
than 20 entities used the EPA-provided
methodology to report recycling and source
reduction activities. These activities reduced
the quantity of waste disposed in landfills by
711,602 metric tons, resulting in emission
reductions of 572,288 metric tons of C02
equivalent.
I I i I
I I I I I
1994
1995
1996 1997 1998
annual C02 equivalent
1999
2000
Constellation Energy
Group
One of the participants, Constellation Energy
Group (a subsidiary of Baltimore Gas and
Electric Company) has recycled 71 percent of
the total waste it generated since 1993,
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including paper, rubber, plastic,
metal, and wood. One source that
Constellation used for innovative
ways to reduce waste and save
money is WasteWise, an EPA partner-
ship program. Through WasteWise,
EPA provided Constellation with a
variety of waste reduction publica-
tions and other resources and a
summary of its waste-related green-
house gas emissions.
Portland General
Electric
Portland General Electric (PGE) is an
investor-owned utility that conducts
business in eight Oregon counties.
The company recycled almost 10,000
tons of metal and nearly 2,000 tons
of paper since 1991.
Clairol
Clairol, an international corporation
that makes hair-care products, has
recycled 55 to 60 percent of its total
solid waste annually since 1991.
Clairol relies on an on-site solid waste
contractor to provide recycling data
for the 1605(b) program. The compa-
ny has found that converting data to
familiar measures, such as expressing
tons of paper in number of trees, has
helped raise employee participation.
Benefits
The environmental benefits of
Constellation's recycling program are
striking. To date, Constellation
avoided nearly 160,000 metric tons
of C02 equivalent through recycling.
In addition, the company saved
approximately $5 million in avoided
disposal costs and more than $8
million in avoided purchases as a
result of the reuse program.
PGE estimates that the company has
avoided 68,000 metric tons of C02
equivalent. In 1999 alone, PGE
reduced 11,836 metric tons of C02
equivalent and avoided more than
$100,000 in disposal costs due to
recycling of metal and paper.
In 1999, Clairol reported savings of
1,097 metric tons of C02 equivalent,
due to recycling 1,589 metric tons
of corrugated cardboard, 53 metric
tons of mixed paper, and 48 metric
tons of plastic.
In addition to environmental and
economic benefits, the 1605(b) pro-
gram provides social advantages
such as educating companies on
ways to limit emissions, spreading
the word about innovative emission
reduction activities, and developing
a database that can be used to eval-
uate future policy instruments aimed
at limiting emissions. Waste reduc-
tion efforts clearly play a role in
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Challenges
The 1605(b) program provides a
means for companies to make the
link between their recycling activi-
ties and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Although many corpora-
tions have internal waste manage-
ment programs and express interest
in climate protection, only a frac-
tion have taken advantage of their
greenhouse gas reductions as a bene-
fit from waste reduction measures via
the 1605(b) program. EIA does not
actively recruit companies to register
their efforts with the 1605(b) pro-
gram, but it does work with programs
such as WasteWise that encourage
companies to reduce greenhouse
gases through waste reduction mea-
sures. Registering emissions reduc-
tions through 1605(b) provides a
means of gaining recognition for
WasteWise partnerships.
Once companies decide to register
their efforts, they are faced with the
challenge of quantifying emissions
reductions. EIA provides technical
assistance on its Web site, which
offers general guidance, discussions,
worksheets, and electronic tools for
preparing annual reports for the
1605(b) program. Recycling work-
sheets assist users with calculating
emissions reductions obtained from
recycling various materials.
Additional
Information
For more information on the
1605(b) program, see
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/
frntvrgg.html
To access the 1605(b) Public Use
Database, see http://www.eia.doe.gov/
oiaf/1605/database.html
For information on WasteWise, call
1-800-EPA-WISE (372-9473) or go to
www.epa.gov/wastewise
For more information on
Constellation Energy Group, see
http://www.constellationenergy.com
For PGE, see http://www.pgecorp.com
For Clairol, see http://www.clairol.com
EPA's Climate and Waste Program increases
awareness of climate change and its link to
waste management in order to (1) make
greenhouse gas emissions a factor in waste
management decisions and (2) employ waste
management as a mitigation action for reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions. For additional
information on EPA's Climate and Waste
Program, see www.epa.gov/mswclimate.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA 530-F-02-019
July 2002
www.epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Vegetable Oil-Based Inks
on Recycled Paper
(Minimum 50% Postconsumer)
Process Chlorine Free
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