United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA530-R-00-007
August 2000
www.epa.gov/wastewise
WasteWise Sixth-Vile
Progress Report
'
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&EPA
WASTE
ISE
Content?
Waste Reduction Results
WasteWise Membership & Program Accomplishments
2000 WasteWise Award Winners
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. .8
.12
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'ince the inception of the WasteWise pro-
gram, partners have consistently report-
ed strong waste prevention and recycling
collection results, in many cases surpassing previous.
years3 waste reduction figures.
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Report
Stacker J^Sfex/
*n. the first six years of the WasteWise program, part-
ners have removed more than 35 million tons of waste
from the solid waste stream through waste prevention
and recycling activities. In 1999, partners reduced 9 million
tons of waste through these activities, surpassing 1998 waste
reduction results by 15 percent.
These impressive numbers are based on the reports partners
voluntarily provide each year. To some extent, these results
understate partners' waste reduction activities. For example,
some do not include results from ongoing waste reduction inno-
vations that were implemented and reported in previous years.
oK ^Prvttxti t
ost people know that waste reduction conserves nat-
ural resources and has positive economic benefits. A
lesser known impact is that reducing waste lowers
atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing fossil fuel con-
sumption, minimizing methane emissions, and allowing vegetation
to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In 1999, partners'
waste reduction activities were estimated to yield reductions of more
than 6.5 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), the
standard unit of measure for greenhouse gas emissions.
Through practical and effective waste reduction activities,
WasteWise partners have prevented the emission of 25 million
MTCE since 1994 — the equivalent of removing 19 million cars
from the road for one year. Atiheuser-Busch. Companies made the
10
Overall Waste Reduction
(in million tons)
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Greenhouse Gas Reductions
(in million metric tons
of carbon equivalent)
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
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greatest contribution to the WasteWise greenhouse gas reduction total in 1999.
McDonald's and Louisiana-Pacific also made outstanding contributions to reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA developed the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), to help organizations esti-
mate greenhouse gas reductions from their waste reduction activities. WasteWise pro-
vides WARM conversions for each reporting partner, enabling them to visualize the
impact of their waste reduction activities. For more information about WARM, visit
.
Off
Through waste prevention activities, organizations are drastically reduc-
ing the amount of waste they annually produce, as well as saving money,
time, and resources.
* Allchem Services, Inc., repaired and reused 6.5 tons of pallets, skids,
and totes, saving $3,000. The company also reused 200 pounds of
plastic packaging materials as filler for outgoing shipments.
e Bell Atlantic expanded the use of electronic purchasing orders and
invoices, reducing nearly 29 tons of paper and saving more than
$60,000.
• Guardian Industries Ligonier, Indiana Facility laundered and
reused gloves and wiping clothes, reducing waste by more than six
tons and saving the company nearly $30,000.
* King County Department of Natural Resources, located in
Washington, recently moved into new offices furnished with 80 tons
of refurbished carpet tiles. The agency also received more than $9,000
in rebates for returning used shipping boxes to the moving company.
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Repo
rt
WasteWise stresses to partners the
importance of waste prevention—
activities that eliminate waste before
recycling, such as refurbishing prod-
ucts for reuse or onsite composting.
Since EPA launched the WasteWise
program 6 years ago, partners have
prevented the generation of more
than 3 million tons of waste.
Waste Prevention
(in tons)
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Tip 'Waste ^rmwkivii, "Practices
WasteWise partners' most frequently targeted items
for waste prevention activities in 1999 included:
Office supplies
e Repairing, refurbishing, or reconditioning used
supplies.
• Expanding electronic networks, including e-mail,
Intranet, and electronic routing of documents.
Manufactured products
9 Improving manufacturing processes to reduce
raw material waste.
9 Displacing virgin materials.
Manufacturing equipment or supplies
» Reducing material consumption during the man-
ufacturing process.
Transport packaging
9 Switching from disposable to reusable products.
• Participating in packaging return programs.
Construction and demolition materials
* Deconstructing buildings and salvaging materials
for reuse.
9 Establishing donation programs for reusable
materials.
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In 1999, WasteWise partners' waste prevention activities removed 583,000 tons
of material from the solid waste stream. These results fall slightly below the waste
prevention data for 1998, indicating that some reporting partners have at least tem-
porarily reached the limits of their current waste prevention activities. As new part-
ners begin to report and veteran partners update WasteWise goals to further
enhance their waste reduction programs, we hope to see increases in waste preven-
tion figures.
Soars
Recycling collection figures
increased 1.2 million tons over
1998 results, bringing the total
amount of materials collected by
WasteWise partners to 8.4 million
tons in 1999. This boost in recy-
cling figures represents a 17 percent
increase in 1999 compared with a 6
percent increase in 1998. Moreover,
partners saved more than $300 mil-
lion in avoided disposal fees in
19991 by participating in recycling
collection activities. Throughout
the duration of the program, recy-
cling collection has continuously
risen, totaling more than 32 million
tons since the program's inception.
In 1999, the following materials
constituted the bulk of partners'
recycling activities:
Wood
Corrugated cardboard
Aluminum
Mixed paper
Steel
Disposal fees based on an average 1999 tipping fee of $35.57. Source: Eiocycle. April 2000.
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Wiutc'Wire Sifctk^mr "Pnyeu 3ltf,trt
Recycling Collection
(in tons)
10,000,000
8,000,000
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
- Content
WasteWise partners reported purchases
of 962,330 tons of recycled-content prod-
ucts in 1999, doubling the amount pur-
chased in 1998. Many partners purchased
products that contained a higher percent-
age of recycled materials than their previ-
ous purchases while others incorporated a
greater number of recycled-content prod-
ucts into their purchasing programs. The
State of Ohio, for instance, spent more
than $2 million on recycled-content prod-
ucts in 1999, which is 54 percent greater
than its 1998 purchases. Together,
WasteWise partners reported spending $4.9 billion on recycled-content products in
1999. Manufacturers concentrated on ways to use recycled materials in their products
or to increase existing levels of recycled materials. Bethlehem Steel incorporated
36,500 tons of recycled steel and nonferrous metals into manufacturing processes,
saving the company more than $1.8 million, in. 1999.
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
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asteWisegrew to more than 1,000
«
partners in the year 2000. Since
the program's inception, our part-
i;f^-'?:i V . W^'^^f removed -more than 35 million tons of waste
• "."„'.".'. V" •'".'.' • ,'t-!/; ;,'^.'r^ ' " ' '' *
.\ from 'Ajj^tid waste stream, enabling them to save money
and conserve natural resources. .
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1000tk,
'Partner
ver the past 6 years, membership has grown by leaps
and bounds, encompassing more than 50 industry
sectors across the country. In 1994, WasteWise
inducted 281 charter members into the program. Today, these
program pioneers are joined by organizations that have commit-
ted themselves to conserving our natural environment through
waste reduction. To support program partners, the WasteWise
team provides personalized technical assistance, innovative pub-
lications, networking opportunities, cutting-edge resources, and
recognition for outstanding accomplishments.
Membership
1,000 r
800
600
400
200
1994- 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
1999 was a year of celebration for WasteWise—
celebrations for past program successes as well as
new program initiatives. Partners' favorable reactions
to the Onsite Visit Program prompted WasteWise to
continue conducting personalized waste reduction
assessments for program partners. After successfully
carrying out the Transport Packaging Challenge in
1999, WasteWise launched the second WasteWise
Challenge, targeting electronics reuse and recycling
in 2000. Enthusiastic response to a 1998 satellite
forum on waste prevention and a 1999 forum on buying recycled-content products
inspired WasteWise to plan a third satellite broadcast targeting colleges and universities.
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10
eWnrt<-Wi!tS(f(tk:year frogr
O^Krml Cork, recycled more
than 14,500 tons of textiles,
3,850 tons of corrugated card-
board, nearly 1,000 tons of
paper, and more than 500 tons
of additional materials, includ-
ing wood, plastics, aluminum,
and oil, in 1999.
WasteWise also responded to partner comments provided
through the 1999 Customer Satisfaction survey and the Partner
Roundtable by creating the WasteWise E-Club, increasing the
amount of personal interaction with partners, and updating the
marketing strategic plan. The need to provide easy access to
useful waste reduction information drove WasteWise to begin
developing an online technical assistance database, which will
allow users to locate answers to waste-related questions by
searching an extensive list of organizations, publications, and
Web sites.
Other 1999$WasteWise initiatives included:
WasteWise introduced the E-Club, an initiative designed to prevent waste by noti-
fying partners of the availability of recent publications on the WasteWise Web site
via e-mail, rather than mailing hard copies.
'WafteWtie 'Partners Evented glcna the Comby
Businesses, institutions, and governments from all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Sico
participate in the WasteWise program.
Puerto Kico
0 to 5 partners
6 to 20 partners
21 to 35 partners
more than 35 partners
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• WasteWise provided practical waste reduction informa-
tion to partners through our publications, including the
bimonthly WasteWise Bulletin, semiannual WasteWise
Update, WasteWise Toolkit, and other publications.
8 WasteWise honored 13 Partners of the Year and 20
Program Champions for their outstanding waste reduc-
tion achievements at the 1999 Awards and Recognition
Ceremony. WasteWise representatives and senior EPA
officials presented recyded-content glass awards to the
winners, formally welcomed new partners to the pro-
gram, and recognized Transport Packaging Challenge
participants.
y annually
uses more than 60 million 2-liter
plastic soda bottles in the manu-
facturing of grille reinforcements,
window frames, engine covers,
and trunk carpets. In 1999, this
effort accounted for 3,750 tons
of plastic.
WasteWise continued to sponsor Regional Forums and Partner Network Meetings
across the country. Meeting locations included Baltimore, New York, Washington
D.C., Chicago, and Atlanta.
Wtlt'&imey World
Cvntyeucj spent
$600,000 on recycled-
content products,
including 3,000 pounds
of low density poly-
ethelyne (LDPE) picnic
tables with an average
30 percent postcon-
sumer content.
WasteWise attended conferences and trade
shows across the country in 1999 and 2000
promoting the WasteWise program to busi-
nesses, governments, and institutions.
WasteWise welcomed the U.S. Postal Service-
Sacramento District as the 1,000th program
partner. To commemorate this achievement,
WasteWise and the USPS issued a series of press
releases, recognized the USPS-Sacramento
District at the WasteWise 2000 Awards and
Recognition Ceremony, and highlighted the
milestone in WasteWise publications.
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• . •:••'. .•-
n 2000, WasteWise named 14 Partners of:..-. .
the Tear in 11 award categories. Wastewise;..';.
* ' • • ' • •'•• ••.-;'';.•',:-
2000 Partners of the Tear are those part-...
ners that were judged to have accomplished and reported
the most iinpressive waste reduction results for 1999. In
•addition, WasteWise recognized23Program Champions
that made noteworthy accomplishments in waste preven-
. tion, recycling collection, and buying or manufacturing
recycled-content products in 1999.
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WOO
VERY LARGE CORPORATION
(20,000+ employees)
Eastman Kodak Company, headquartered in Rochester, New York, con-
served 2,300 tons of cameras by increasing returns of its FUNSAVER cam-
eras, allowing more parts to be reused for manufacturing of new cameras.
Kodak also reused 31,500 tons of asphalt from construction and demolition
projects as a conventional aggregate in road and building construction, sav-
ing $2 million.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Manufactured Recycled Products
Total Cost Savings
39,835 tons
67,500 tons
24,000 tons
15,800 tons
$12,000,000
j Cvrumtivn,
v^
McDonald's, headquartered in Oakbrook, Illinois, continually works to
reduce the weight, volume, and environmental impact of its packaging mate-
rials and explores new packaging alternatives. Switching to lighter weight
packaging for two of the company's sandwiches conserved 3,200 tons of
boxboard containers and saved $3.6 million. The company also led the way
in promoting the "buy recycled" message by spending $300 million on more
than 300,000 tons of recycled-content materials in 1999.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
6,850 tons
1,684,850 tons
300,000 tons
$3,600,000
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VERY LARGE CORPORATION (CONT.)
Motorola, a major electronics equipment manufacturer with facilities located in Illinois, Texas,
Georgia, New York, Iowa, Florida, and Arizona, conserved more than 500 tons of waste through
activities such as: switching to reusable plastic packaging, working with suppliers to take back plastic
packaging materials for reuse, and reducing the disposable corrugated packaging used to ship products
to customers. The company also conserved 72 tons of mixed plastics by collecting clean room booties,
gloves, product packaging, and wafer boxes for reprocessing and reuse.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 1,637 tons
Recycling Collection < 16,529 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 899 tons
Total Cost Savings $521,438
LARGE CORPORATION
(1,000 to 19,999 employees)
Bass Pro Shops, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, implemented
numerous innovative waste prevention activities at all its retail facilities.
The company uses architectural salvage from building demolition prod-
ucts and trees reclaimed after forest fires in store offices and fixture con-
struction. It also salvaged nearly 170 tons of transport packaging materials
through a shipping and receiving waste prevention program, saving more than $28,000 in 1999. This
program involved the reuse and sale of used wooden pallets. Its cardboard recycling program saves Bass
Pro more than $94,000 and generates more than $14,000 in donations for a local nonprofit.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 182 tons
Recycling Collection 1,370 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 1,140 tons
Total Cost Savings $117,051
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Virco Mfg. Corporation located in Conway, Arkansas, implemented for-
ward-looking and innovative waste prevention, recycling, and buying-recy-
cled efforts. In 1999, the company initiated a program to eventually elimi-
nate the use of wooden pallets as part of the Transport Packaging
Challenge. The company repaired more than 9.5 tons of pallets for reuse
and mulched discarded boards. Vkco also conserved 1,250 tons of plastic pellets and saved $300,000 by
selling scrap hard plastic for use as sandblasting material. The company reused 9,000 tons of wood dust
as a soil amendment on its new building site, saving $120,000.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
10,760 tojtts
15,947 tons'
1,025 tons
$430;800
MIDSIZE CORPORATION
(500 to 999 employees)
tik Jvleclicci
In 1999, Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida,
established a comprehensive waste prevention plan targeting used linens
and gowns no longer suitable for patients. The medical center saved nearly $10,000 by switching from dis-
posable to reusable hospital gowns. It also donated 1,300 pounds of used linens to a local charity and ani-
mal shelter for use as animal bedding and 4,420 pounds of food to a local food bank.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
4 tons
125 tons
1,100 Ibs
$16,403
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SMALL BUSINESS
(1 ito 499 employees)
The Seydel Companies in Pendergrass, Georgia, manufacture chemicals used in
textile processing, including fabric preparation, dying, printing, and finishing, and
garment laundering and finishing. The organization and its 109 employees con-
served 500 pounds of paper by taking its business name off bulk mailings lists to
reduce the amount of unwanted mail, donated 1,400 pounds of computer equip-
ment to local schools, and cleaned and reused more than 3 tons of glass sample
jars, saving more than $3,000.-The Seydel Companies also returned more than 85 tons of plastic drums and
totes to vendors in 1999, saving nearly $70,00|).
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Conterit Purchases
Manufactured Recycled Products
Total Cost Savings
396 tons
316 tons
646 Ibs
125 tons
$435,287
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
1/L.S. ^vst&l Service—
The U.S. Postal Service Northeast Area's 76,854 employees and 3,200 post offices throughout New
England and upstate New York continued to demonstrate their strong commitment to waste reduction in
1999. They reduced solid waste generation at 25 vehicle maintenance and 29 processing and distribution
facilities by 50 percent compared with fiscal year 1992 generation rates. The Postal Service established a
"Country Store" that reused 120 tons of various equipment and supplies from the 382 post offices in the
Springfield District. It also repaired and refurbished 21 tons of steel mailboxes, saving $85,000.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
2,972 tons
54,534 tons
4,847 tons
$266,500
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STATE GOVERNMENT
vf Correction
-j
The Tennessee Department of Correction, located in Nashville, Tennessee,
employs 5,776 people and oversees thousands of inmates throughout 21 cen-
ters, prisons, and other buildings. Many of the inmates participated in the
department's waste prevention activities and helped conserve 65 tons of com-
puters by refkrbishing and repairing 2,332 PC units from three computer
repair and reuse centers across the correction system. The computers were
placed into public schools'. The department also conserved more than 13 tons of textiles by repairing
inmate clothing — 8,422 pairs of blue jeans, 7,882 shirts, 1,077 jackets, and 38 sweatshirts. This activity
saved more than $90,573 in new clothing purchases. Activities also included composting 1,600 tons of
organic materials on site and using the compost on the department's building grounds, saving $460,433.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
1,691 tons
966 tons
208 tons
$551,000
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
«pr
•?!?
The Blue Lake Rancheria located in Blue Lake, California, made impressive inroads %,>
to developing a solid waste reduction program in its first year of WasteWise program -VaLi
participation. The tribal office, which had no solid waste reduction program before """"*• -
joining WasteWise, conserved 33 pounds of copier paper by double-siding all docu-
ments, and 49 pounds of printer paper by reusing single-sided copies for draft printouts and in the fax
machine. The tribal office also implemented a new voice mail system that decreased handwritten phone
messages, and an inttaoffice mail network that allows employees to send memos and other documents to
coworkers without printing them. These activities conserved 7 pounds of memo pads and internal memos.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
891bs
2,638 Ibs
314 Ibs
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WuteWite Sifckkyear 'Pngrut
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The Washoe County Government in Reno, Nevada, believes that govern-
ment must lead by example and its doing just that by making itself an environ-
mental role model for the community. The county implemented a carpet
squares program that eliminates the use of broadloom carpeting throughout
Washoe County facilities and in all new construction. Only worn and damaged
carpet squares are replaced, and they are refurbished up to three times. This
activity diverted 12 tons of carpeting and saved $128,000 in 1999. The county also returned nearly 12
tons of worn tires to be retread for nonsteering wheels of trucks, saving approximately $200,000.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments <
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
30 tons
81 tons
112 tons
$361,236
UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE
Seattle University has made a firm commitment to waste
reduction. Through its innovative surplus store, for example,
the university sold 71 tons of surplus furniture such as tables,
blackboards, computer equipment, and desks to community members, saving nearly $24,000 in 1999
disposal costs alone. All sales revenue supports the university's recycling program. The university also
collected more than 1 ton of clothes from students in a campus clothing drive to benefit a local charity
for homeless youth.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
72 tons
552 tons
150 Ibs
$31,503
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SCHOOL/SCHOOL DISTRICT
Alden Central School, which educates children from kindergarten through 12th
grade, implemented a comprehensive waste reduction program at all campus build-
ings: high school, middle school, intermediate school, and primary education build-
ings, and the grounds department. The Alden, New York, school and its 250 staff
members eliminated 450 pounds of polystyrene cafeteria trays and dishes by switching to reusable prod-
ucts. It also composted 900 pounds of cafeteria waste and 150 pounds of yard trimmings for use as mulch
on building grounds.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 2,650 Ibs
Recycling Collection 3,400 Ibs
Recycled-Content Purchases 2,500 Ibs '
TRANSPORT PACKAGING CHALLENGE
SST Trucking, LLC, located in Garland, Texas, achieved substantial
cost savings by utilizing reusable shipping racks, working with suppli-
ers to reduce packaging, and establishing a transport packaging return
program. The company saved more than $55,000 and reduced packag-
ing waste by nearly 180 tons through initiatives adopted as part of the
Transport Packaging Challenge program.
1999 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 180 tons
Recycling Collection 672 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 6 tons
Total Cost Savings $55,630
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rWntierWiteSi}
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WasteWise Helpline: 800 EPA-WISE (372-9473)
WasteWise E-mail: ww@cais.net
WasteWise Web Site: www.epa.gov/wastewise
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