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Preserving Resources,
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ANNUAL
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Celebrating the Innovations of Our Partners
WasteWise 8th Year
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A Message from Christine Todd Whitman,
EPA Administrator
As a former Governor and county official who has dealt
with the solid waste arena, I understand the many chal-
lenges organizations face in reducing waste. In talking with
WasteWise award winners at last year's recognition ceremo-
ny, I was struck by their commitment to the goal of reduc-
ing waste and the wide variety of programs they have
implemented. Partners described impressive waste reduction
accomplishments achieved across their organizations—-from
mail rooms to boardrooms to shop floors. Partners received awards, not only for inter-
nal waste reduction activities, but also for activities that reached far beyond their own
facilities—working with suppliers and customers and citizens to build innovative part-
nerships to reduce waste.
I welcome this opportunity to present to you, in this report, the 2002 WasteWise award win-
ners. Once again our partners have achieved impressive results and clearly demonstrated
their waste reduction leadership in the corporate, governmental, and nonprofit worlds.
Congratulations to this year's award winners and to all WasteWise participants!
Together we show that, through voluntary partnerships, business success and environ-
mental stewardship can be mutually achieved. For those of you who are not yet a part
of WasteWise, I personally encourage you to sign up for the program and demonstrate
your commitment to waste reduction. For those already participating in WasteWise,
I wish you continued success in your programs.
SOLID WASTE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE
EPA 53O-R-O2-O I 5
SEPTEMBER 2OO2
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Contents
THE YEAR IN REVIEW 2
2OO2 WASTEWISE AWARD WINNERS 5
WASTEWISE 2OO2 PARTNERS OF THE YEAR 6
VERY LARGE BUSINESS 6
LARGE BUSINESS 7
MIDSIZE BUSINESS 8
SMALL BUSINESS 9
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT I O
STATE GOVERNMENT II
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT II
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 12
SCHOOL / SCHOOL DISTRICT 13
COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY 13
WASTEWISE ELECTRONICS CHALLENGE AWARDS 14
CLIMATE CHANGE AWARD WINNERS 16
WASTEWISE ENDORSER PROGRAM 18
WASTEWISE 2OO2 PROGRAM CHAMPIONS 2O
VERY LARGE BUSINESS 2O
LARGE BUSINESS 22
MIDSIZE BUSINESS 26
SMALL BUSINESS 26
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 27
STATE GOVERNMENT 28
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT 28
LOCAL GOVERNMENT 29
COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY 3O
WASTEWISE 2OO2 HONORABLE MENTIONS 32
INDEX OF ARTICLES BY MEMBER NAME .INSIDE BACK COVER
— 1 —
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The Year
in Review
RECORD-BREAKING AWARD WINNERS
Since last year's awards ceremony, much has occurred in WasteWise and with our partners and endorsers.
WasteWise is delighted to report its 8th year of accomplishments and celebrate the innovations of our members!
We were thrilled with the nearly 50 percent increase in awards applications—and very impressed with the
quality of the applications and the breadth of activities our partners undertook this past year. There were
many tough decisions to make—so many that we decided to add an additional recognition category,
"Honorable Mention," in addition to our Partners of the Year and Program Champions so your hard work
would not go unrecognized. We are also saluting the Electronics Challenge winners and added a new awards
category: the Climate Change Award.
PARTNER FEEDBACK
After listening to feedback from the 2001 partner roundtable, we evolved the WasteWise program to be respon-
sive to our partners' needs. We developed the new campaigns described below, in addition to improving our
core WasteWise services (technical assistance, Web-based resources, publications, and more). You can find
more information about all of these programs on our newly redesigned Web site , in
addition to some new features, such as the Partner Spotlight. (Contact: Grist.Terry@epa.gov)
CLIMATE CHANGE CAMPAIGN
As part of our nationwide effort to promote education on the connection between solid waste and climate
change, we are encouraging partners to use EPA's WAste Reduction Model (WARM) to calculate their
waste-related greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, as well as to set and achieve climate goals. With the cre-
ation of the Climate Change Award, EPA is now able to recognize our partners' climate achievements. We
are partnering with other EPA voluntary climate programs and external climate organizations, such as the
PEW Center on Global Climate Change and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
(ICLEI), to further these efforts. (Contact: Canterbury.Janice@epa.gov)
INDUSTRY SECTOR CAMPAIGN
In response to our partners' suggestions, WasteWise plans to work in-depth with sev-
eral industry sectors. We completed initial research to target industrial sectors with
the greatest potential to reduce solid waste and GHGs, and plan to launch a cam-
paign to work with the utility industry in the Fall of 2002. By partnering with the
Utility Solid Waste Activity Group (USWAG), the American Coal Ash Association
(ACAA), and other stakeholders that manufacture, purchase, or use coal combustion
products (CCPs), the WasteWise program will enhance CCP diversion from disposal
and explore the beneficial use of these valuable products. WasteWise is collaborating
with EPA's Industrial and Extractive Wastes Branch to identify barriers to boosting
the use of CCPs and implement program initiatives to help increase the recycling of
these materials. Heightened use of CCPs has the potential for reducing millions of
tons of GHGs. (Contact: Glenn.John@epa.gov)
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STATES CAMPAIGN
Waste Wise is pursuing new collaborations with states to enhance partner services, reduce duplication of
effort between the federal and state governments and encourage prospective organizations to join the pro-
gram. EPA is exploring the following ideas with states:
• Advocacy: These states will promote WasteWise at the state level through state conferences, workshops,
and meetings with organizations potentially interested in WasteWise. EPA will provide electronic copies
of materials that states can tailor to meet their own needs.
• Partnership: These states will coordinate state waste reduction programs with the federal WasteWise
program. For those states that already offer programs similar to WasteWise, EPA will work with the state
to coordinate membership responsibilities and benefits. For those states interested in modeling a state-
level program after EPA's WasteWise, EPA will provide assistance.
EPA envisions that these types of partnerships will enable organizations to seamlessly participate in both
state and federal programs with minimal paperwork and maximum benefits. Currently, WasteWise is in dis-
cussions with Massachusetts to be the first pilot "partnership" state, and South Carolina has agreed to be
our pilot "advocate" state. We believe that these partnerships begin a new era of collaboration with states for
the WasteWise program. (Contact: Laing.Susan@epa.gov)
(National
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EALTHY
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VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS CAMPAIGN
WasteWise has expanded efforts to work with other EPA volun-
tary programs, and to explore the mutual benefits of collabora-
tion. These programs include Performance Track, Climate
Leaders, ENERGYSlAR®, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment—
H2E, and the pilot program underway in the Office of Solid
Waste, the National Waste Minimization Partnership Program.
Many WasteWise partners are aware of, and participate in, some
of these programs. These joint efforts within EPA will provide
partners with greater benefits and more recognition opportuni-
ties. (Contact: Heizenroth.Charles@epa.gov)
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
An increasing number of WasteWise partners are beginning to use resource management (RM) contracting,
pioneered by General Motors Corp., to increase resource efficiency and save money. By changing the way in
which organizations demand and pay for integrated waste management services, RM has the potential to
align the incentives of waste disposal contractors with those of organizations desiring waste reduction.
WasteWise is now working with three pilot organizations: Northeast Utilities, Farview Hospital, and
Raytheon. These organizations have all signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the program and have
pledged to consider putting RM systems in place. We will work with these organizations to develop RM bid
specifications, assist in evaluating proposals, and monitor each organization over the course of a year to doc-
ument resource efficiency gains. (Contact: Leith.Angie@epa.gov)
CLIMATED
LEADERS Jib
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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V
BUILDING CHALLENGE
Because billions of tons of materials are used every year to construct and rework buildings, Waste Wise
launched the Building Challenge to provide program partners with the opportunity to gain technical assis-
tance and recognition for reducing construction and demolition waste and purchasing recycled-content
building products. WasteWise expects this to be a growing and vital challenge in 2003, and invites all inter-
ested partners to get on board! Thus far, 16 partners have made Building Challenge pledges and received
information on how to develop and implement Building Challenge programs, which will be featured in next
year's awards program. EPA is giving each participant a CD containing all
issues (1992-2000) of the green building newsletter, Environmental Building
News. (Contact: Sandler.Ken@epa.gov)
ENDORSER PROGRAM
During the past year, EPA developed several new resources for organizations
that actively promote the WasteWise program by participating as endorsers.
These resources include a revised tool kit for newly enlisted organizations, a
new section of the WasteWise Web site designed specifically for endorsers,
and a ready-to-publish newsletter article about WasteWise. Additionally,
EPA created a new promotional flyer to help recruit new organizations to the
endorser program. (Contact: Gallman.Deb@epa.gov)
SATELLITE FORUM: "COMMUNITIES:
SETTING TRENDS IN WASTE PREVENTION
AND RECYCLING"
On May 1, 2002, WasteWise, along with EPA's Office of Solid Waste, the National Recycling
Coalition, and the Solid Waste Association of North America, sponsored a live two-hour nation-
al satellite forum, "Communities: Setting Trends in Waste Prevention and Recycling," for
state, local, and tribal solid waste managers. Panelists, including WasteWise Endorser
Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction and Recycling Board
and WasteWise Partner Baltimore County Department of Public Works, provided valuable
insights on successful government waste prevention and recycling programs. For more infor-
mation, go to the Resources link of our Web site at
.
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2002 Waste Wise Award Winners
PARTNERS AND
ENDORSER OF
THE YEAR
Electronics
Panasonic
Public Service Enterprise Group
Climate Change
Constellation Energy Group
Virco Mfg. Corporation
Endorser
City of Clifton, New Jersey—
Recycling Program
Very Large Business
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
The Walt Disney Company
Large Business
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Virco Mfg. Corporation
Midsize Business
Guardian Industries—
Ligonier Plant
NEC Electronics, Inc.—
Roseville Facility
Small Business
Creative Office Systems, Inc.
Evelyn Hill Inc.
Federal Government
U.S. Postal Service—
Alabama District
U.S. Postal Service—
Northeast Area
State Government
State of Ohio
Tribal Government
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation
Tribal Transfer Station
Local Government
Jackson County, Missouri
King County, Washington
School/School District
Los Angeles Unified School
District
College/University
Eastern Illinois University
PROGRAM
CHAMPIONS
Electronics
City of Alexandria, Virginia
U.S. Government Printing Office
U.S. Postal Service—
Alabama District
Climate Change
Allergan Sales, Inc.
City of Clifton, New Jersey—
Recycling Program
Public Service Enterprise Group
The Seydel Companies
Endorser
South Carolina Department
of Health and
Environmental Control
Washoe County Government,
Nevada
Very Large Business
Bank of America
Eastman Kodak Company
General Motors Corporation
The Disneyland Resort
Verizon
Large Business
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Battelle Memorial Institute
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Consolidated Edison Company of
New York, Inc.
Constellation Energy Group
Florida Power & Light Company
Herman Miller, Inc.
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
Millipore Corporation
Pepco
Public Service Enterprise Group
Southern California Edison
Midsize Business
DTE Energy
Small Business
Kessler Consulting, Inc.
The Seydel Companies
Federal Government
Sandia National Laboratories
The Presidio Trust
State Government
South Carolina Department
of Health and
Environmental Control
Tribal Government
The Blue Lake Rancheria
of California
Robinson Rancheria
Environmental Center
Local Government
City of Clifton, New Jersey—
Recycling Program
City of Fremont, California
Kitsap County, Washington
College/University
Emory University
Ohio University Facilities
Management
Seattle University
University of Virginia
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WasteWise 2002
Partners of the Year
Anheuser-Busch Kicks the Can Out of Waste Reduction
ANHEUSER-BUSCH
COMPANIES
Even with 23,000 employees and multiple sub-
sidiaries, ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES, INC.
operates its WasteWise program as easily as enjoy-
ing a cold beverage on a hot summer day.
Anheuser-Busch's waste reduction program
includes its breweries, theme parks, aluminum can manufacturer, agriculture opera-
tions, transportation outfits, recycling corporation, and other subsidiaries. Since 1994,
when Anheuser-Busch joined as a charter partner, the company has been particularly
successful with its composting activities. In 2001, Busch Agricultural Resources com-
posted more than 325,000 tons of farm materials, and Busch Entertainment Theme Parks composted 4,200
tons of yard and animal stable waste for reuse in the parks for landscaping projects. Likewise, the breweries
reused 5,450 tons of spent beechwood chips, a byproduct of the brewing process, as compost and mulch.
Other waste prevention activities at Anheuser-Busch include lightweighting cans to save 465 tons of aluminum,
having phone books available on the company's Intranet, saving approximately 4 tons of materials, and convert-
ing 300 hard-copy forms to an electronic format used by approximately 5,000 employees. Of course, Anheuser-
Busch also achieved impressive results from its recycling collection efforts, totaling more than 2 million tons!
Disney Is Overflowing With Green Employees
The
Company.
The WALT DISNEY COMPANY made strides in its waste reduction activi-
ties in 2001 by working with employees to educate them on being envi-
ronmentally conscious, even when eating at Disney's commissaries.
Disney posts signs asking employees and guests to minimize their use of disposables and to take only the
condiments that they need. In addition, employees are encouraged to use reusable beverage mugs which are
available for purchase at the commissary. A discounted beverage refill is offered as an incentive. These
processes have helped minimize the waste created at the commissaries, and the company continues to work
closely with staff to evaluate other waste minimization activities.
The Walt Disney Company also recognized the benefit of reusing materials and equipment. The company worked
with its various facilities and warehouses to clean out unwanted inventory and supplies including computers,
electronics, scrap metals, wood, paint, and videotapes. Employees distributed these items internally, donated the
usable leftovers, and recycled the rest, diverting more than 90 tons from the landfill.
Disney even looked into greener ways to send its annual holiday cards. As Disney transi-
tions from mailing the cards, envelopes, and inserts to sending cards electronically, the
company reduced its paper use by more than 6 tons, and saved more than $100,000 in
purchasing and related activities! The company also worked with its office supply compa-
^^^^^E^H ny to conduct electronic ordering and billing, saving $156,000 in incentives and rebates.
— 6 —
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Buying Green Pays Off for Pitney Bowes
IJ
Pitney Bowes
When spending the company's money, employees at
Pitney Bowes do it right! PlTNEY BOWES INC., head-
quartered in Stamford, Connecticut, continues to
decrease its burden on the environment by reducing
wastes, recycling, and buying products made of recycled
materials. In conjunction with designing products that are easier to disassemble, reuse,
and recycle, Pitney Bowes recycled more than 2,800 tons of materials in 2001.
Furthermore, it purchased food-service supplies, paper, toner cartridges, and other office
supplies that contain 30 to 100 percent recycled content! These products total more than
1,500 tons, constituting 15 percent of total annual purchases. Pitney Bowes continues to identify products
containing postconsumer recycled content in their supply catalogues to facilitate purchasing activities, and
it encourages employees to purchase materials with the highest recycled content available.
Pitney Bowes didn't stop there! An employee environmental education program reinforces the company's
environmental mission at all levels. The program covered topics such as environmentally preferable pur-
chasing, shortening the paper trail, reuse of office supplies, and tips for recycling white versus mixed paper.
The company distributed nearly 20 percent of its 230 environmental communications electronically.
From bins to great marketing signs, Pitney Bowes makes recycling educational and fun—so much so that
many employees started to recycle at home! The recycling program's success is due in part to the fact that
recycling isn't just encouraged around the snack rooms and by the printers. Pitney Bowes also placed recy-
cling bins in conference rooms, breakout rooms, copy centers, pantries, and other office areas where waste
is produced.
Community Gains When Virco Recycles
"Virco's commitment is a credit to our community as well as to our state and to industry
in general," said Debbie Plopper of the City of Conway's recycling division. When the
City of Conway, Arkansas, collected more cardboard than it could handle, VlRCO MFG.
CORPORATION volunteered to bale and sell all of it, giving the profits to the city. Virco
built corrals from used pallets when the local PTA realized schools in the area needed
collection bins for cardboard. The company now collects cardboard every week from all
the schools in the area, sells it for recycling, and divides the proceeds among schools in
need of funding. In 2001, Virco recycled 1,000 tons of corrugated cardboard.
This Arkansas-based furniture manufacturer is making environmental commitments with-
in its walls as well. Through Virco's Document Retention Policy, the company focused on
reducing paper waste, collecting 34 tons of paper for recycling in 2001. Virco also pur-
chases recycled material, spending an incredible $30 million on products with recycled
content in 2001. The company eliminated a line of furniture that was producing nearly
48 tons of waste each year, decreased its use of inter-polystyrene packaging material, and
even donated recycling equipment to the city to assist with the city-wide recycling initia-
tive. Since 1991, Virco has recycled more than 75 million tons of
materials, and keeps on counting!
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Guardian Industries Innovates, Continues Waste Wise Success
As a WasteWise award winner for 4 years running, this Indiana-
based automotive glass manufacturer shows its continued com-
mitment to reducing waste through the newly established
GUARDIAN INDUSTRIES — LIGONIER PLANT'S Recycling Center.
The center has enabled the company to increase its processing of
recyclables in 2001, including 74 tons of corrugated cardboard
GUARDIAN
A Company of Vision
that saved the company more than $5,600. Guardian also collected and recycled 250
tons of steel, along with large amounts of paper, plastic, and non-ferrous metals. In
2001, Guardian Industries stopped 515 tons of material from being disposed of and
saved more than $111,000.
Guardian continued a glove reuse program that launders and reuses nearly 3 tons of gloves, preventing an
additional 2 tons of new gloves from ending up in the trash and saving Guardian Industries almost $48,000!
The company switched from disposable paper towels to a washable material, avoiding more than 1 ton of
landfilled wiping cloths. In addition, Guardian Industries sends its leftover wood scraps to a recycler that
chips it to be used as animal bedding and landscape material, preventing nearly 132 tons of wood from
incineration. As for internal WasteWise promotion, and to thank its employees for their recycling efforts,
Guardian purchased shirts bearing the WasteWise logo for each employee!
Online Auction Garners 100K While Reducing Waste at NEC
Rather than throwing away surplus inventory this past year, NEC ELECTRONICS,
INC. sold equipment, furniture, and other extras through a public online auction that
resulted in $100,000 of direct revenue for the innovative company. NEC employees
also purchased electronics and furniture through a private auction. Through these measures, the company sold
nearly 18 tons of materials for reuse and then donated several tons of furniture to classrooms. NEC also estab-
lished the Employee Re-Use Center, providing a means for employees to obtain used office supplies rather than
purchase new replacements. The company is progressing with plans to establish an Intranet site with recycling
information and events, such as its Earth Day celebration that more than 600 people attended.
This California-based company also made innovative advances in reducing waste from office products. NEC
continued its toner cartridge reuse program, which diverted the disposal of 500 pounds of printer cartridges
and allowed NEC to purchase toner at lower prices. The company networked many of its
computers so employees can print directly to the copy machine, reducing paper use,
toner use, and equipment maintenance, and saving NEC $20,000 in 2001.
As for reducing semiconductor production materials, NEC used a pilot program to sell
more than 9 tons of material no longer useable in production for reuse in other areas. The
company also distributed new recycling containers in one of its cafeterias and placed bins
in every office. Widespread distribution of mixed paper collection boxes increased paper
recycling by an estimated 15 to 20 percent, and newspaper bins placed in parking lots
encouraged workers to bring in old issues from home. NEC refined its practice for recy-
cling lawn and tree clippings, saving nearly $4,000 a year. The company also
increased its purchase of products made from recycled material, including 100
percent recycled-content toilet paper and trash bags containing half the plastic of
TU-I**»" i • traditional liners. As a result of successfully achieving WasteWise goals, NEC
diverted more than 247 tons of waste from disposal in 2001.
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Creative Office Systems: In the Business of Reuse
CREATIVE OFFICE SYSTEMS, INC. (COS) does not just recycle as a side
activity—its business is recycling! This California-based company developed a
program focused on minimizing waste by following the priority of reduce/remanu-
facture/reuse/recycle. Through this process, COS has managed to save more than
70,000 tons of waste from disposal in the last four years—equivalent to enough
conserved energy to power 1,072 homes for an entire day.
For the fabric used to upholster its furniture, COS
lives up to its name by using recycled soda bottles (PET) as 45 percent of the
material content, a 9 percent increase in recycled material content from last year.
creative office systems
Within the lunchroom, the company has switched to reusable dishes and flat-
ware. It minimizes shipping waste by reusing incoming packing and leftover tex-
tiles for outgoing packaging products. The company also strives to involve all workers in its environmental
plans, which it effectively does through scheduling a speaker series.
Recycling Under the Statue of Liberty for Free
EVELYN HILL INC., the gift shop and food service nestled at the base of Lady Liberty,
operates a $50,000 per year recycling center—at no cost! Rather than dispose of food bas-
kets and trays after each use, the company cleans them for reuse, saving enough money to
pay the operating costs of the recycling center. This progressive store recycled 395 tons of
cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and glass. In 2001, Evelyn Hill Inc. recycled 63 percent of
the company's trash and reduced carting fees by more than 17 percent. In 2002, Evelyn
Hill aims to maintain a recycling rate of more than 75 percent!
Changes in the company's purchasing practices enabled Evelyn Hill to achieve such an
impressive recycling rate. For example, the company switched from paper cups to recycla-
ble PET (#1) plastic cups for its beverages. All used PET plastic cups and bottles are sent to South
Carolina where they are made into fabric. Evelyn Hill Inc. demonstrates closed-loop recycling by using this
fabric for its signature tote bag. In addition, new composting projects boosted the recycled rate. In only six
months, the concessioner collected nearly 1 ton of used coffee grounds for composting.
Recycling is not the only area where Evelyn Hill excels. The company also uses innovation to prevent
waste, such as ordering 12" x 12" napkins rather than 12" x 13." This one-inch difference eliminated 1 ton
of paper. Evelyn Hill also installed a pump system to dispense condiments and creamers, eliminating the
need for more than 2 million single-serving condiment packets and 330,000 single- serving creamer cups.
To close the recycling loop, the company spent $250,000 on recycled-content
goods, such as 100 percent recycled toilet paper and 20 percent recycled gift-
bags that can also be recycled.
Progress isn't close to stopping at Evelyn Hill after 2001 's successes. Plans for
2002 and beyond include the construction of a geothermal system for cleaner
climate control!
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Alabama District's Cradle to Grave Commitment: Talking the Talk and
Walking the Walk
"How do you portray environmental stewardship in a stamp?" The
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE—ALABAMA DISTRICT posed this question in
2001 with a "Design an Environmental Stamp" contest, one of the many
ways the Alabama District is leading efforts in environmental steward-
ship within its offices. In addition, the district printed nearly 9,000 calendars this past year on recycled
paper to encourage and inform workers about waste reduction and recycling.
UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE
To curb paper waste, the Alabama District expanded its Paperless Society, formed last year to replace paper
timesheets with electronic time-clocks. In 2001, the postal district created electronic forms to replace paper
tracking of personnel forms, memos, vending reports, and budget and travel information. These actions,
along with a steady increase of e-mail communication, helped the Alabama District save nearly 85 tons of
paper and $137,000. Additionally, the district recycled 4,000 tons of bulk mail in
2001. The Paperless Society activities, which generated $18,000 in recycling rev-
enue, helped finance the more than $100,000 spent on postconsumer recycled-
content paper purchased in 2001.
To further reduce waste, the Alabama District organized a swap shop through which
multiple postal offices shared and reused resources and supplies. Participants
exchanged more than $40,000 worth of office supplies, furniture, and equipment.
Rather than using disposable mail carrier containers in 2001, the district acquired
320 reusable containers made of 50 percent recycled material along with nearly
12,000 recycled, reusable shipping pallets.
Northeast Area of the U.S. Postal Service Defines Environmental
Excellence Through Education
UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE
For the past five years, the U.S. POSTAL SERVICE—NORTHEAST AREA
has upheld the definition of environmental excellence with continuous
efforts to reduce its waste. In 2001, waste reduction efforts enabled the
Northeast Area to save $2.6 million in avoided disposal costs. Building its
waste reduction program around education, the Northeast Area recognizes the vital role its postmasters play in
achieving Waste Wise goals. To ensure environmentally responsible practices in all Northeast Area post offices,
each postmaster received a copy of its Pollution Prevention Plan, which creates measurable goals for each
postmaster. Over the past three years, the Northeast Area audited more than half of its facilities, creating the
opportunity to personally educate many postmasters on its environmentally progressive policies.
The continued growth of the discarded lobby mail collection program marks another major success for the
Northeast Area. More than 2,800 facilities participate in the recycling program, a 91 percent participation rate,
which is higher than any other postal area. The Northeast Area increased the recycling participation rate for
undeliverable bulk business mail to 98 percent throughout the region, collecting 8,500 tons for recycling in 2001.
The Northeast Area recycles its own materials as well, collecting more than 2,750 tons of corrugated card-
board and 34,000 tons of mixed paper. For this area, recycling pays—literally. The Northeast Area generat-
ed a revenue of more than $300,000 in 2001 from recycling cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum, and other
materials. The Northeast Area is also diligent at closing the recycling loop, spending nearly $6 million on
recycled content products. In fact, the contract with its supplier limits the purchase of office supplies to
only those products containing recycled material.
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Ohio Considers the Entire Life of Products
When the STATE OF OHIO purchases products, it considers more
than just the immediate impact of the product on the environment.
The state considers the entire life cycle—from creation to decompo-
sition—of each product purchased. This consideration of each item
helped the state purchase more than $2 million worth of products
with recycled content in 2001. Through a contract developed with
DuPont Flooring this past year, the State Purchasing Division and
Ohio State University bought recycled-content carpeting and a prod-
uct life-extension service for 623 tons of carpeting.
The State of Ohio's environmental commitment is also displayed through its high levels
of recycling. In 2001, the state collected more than 1,472 tons of paper products for
recycling! In addition to mounds of plastics, metals, and glass, Ohio recycled more than
448 tons of computers. The state awarded the Ohio Penal Industries a $100,000 grant to set up a computer
recycling center in which inmates refurbish computers that are donated to schools. Equipment that is not
usable is disassembled for recycling. The state is currently helping communities deal with their concerns
about recycling electronics by adding this issue to the 2001 State Solid Waste Management Plan and by
offering electronics collection grants.
Ohio also realizes that documenting waste reduction success spurs additional activity. Ohio's Division of
Recycling and Litter Prevention compiles waste reduction statistics for the state and is constantly encourag-
ing other state divisions to report their reductions. In 2001, the Office of Quality allied with the Division of
Recycling and Litter Prevention to promote documentation of waste prevention throughout the state's
departments. To further inspire waste reduction, Ohio produced its first report detailing the waste preven-
tion, recycling, and recycled-content procurement efforts of each reporting agency location. This report was
distributed to the governor, legislators, agency directors, and fiscal officers to inform and inspire.
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
Milk Jugs Cure All on Umatilla Reservation!
In Pendleton, Oregon, tribal members are reusing their trash not only usefully, but creatively. The
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION reuse milk jugs, for
instance, as slow-watering irrigation devices and as warning signs to cattle near barbed-wire
fences. The tribal operations manager promotes reuse by running an informal materials exchange
via e-mail. A resident once brought the manager 500 flea-and-tick spray bottles, almost all of
which were then redistributed to willing takers in the community.
The reservation's quarterly newsletter, The Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility, educates residents about
waste prevention and highlights the community's progress in reaching its substantial waste reduction goals.
With the installation of a new recycling and waste disposal facility, residents now have the
option of dropping off recyclables or ordering curb-side pick-up. This center collected nearly 15
tons of paper products and 30 tons of metal for recycling in 2001. The tribe purchases recycled
products whenever possible. In fact, in 2001, 85 percent of the products bought contained recy-
cled material! Items like toner cartridges, storage drums, and recycling totes all contain 100 per-
cent recycled material.
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Jackson County Receives Accolades for
Cleaning Out Its Files
In 2001, JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI, took the
lead role in organizing a Clean Out Your Files Day
event along with 25 other organizations. Jackson
County recycled 55 tons of mixed paper through the
event, and the United States Conference of Mayors
recognized the successful event as the best Clean Out
Your Files Day in the nation! The county also teamed up with
ReStart, Inc. and the Court Appointed Community Service Program to provide county
employees the opportunity to recycle aluminum cans. Partnering with Mid-Missouri
Recycling also allowed the county to reuse printers.
In addition to using solely rerefined oil in its fleet vehicles, Jackson County's Parks &
Recreation Department heats its buildings with used motor oil from fleet and employee
vehicles. This practice enabled the county to reuse 900 gallons of oil in 2001.
Jackson County also encourages purchasing officers to procure recycled-content or remanufac-
tured products. In 2001, the county spent more than $12,000 on recycled-content products.
Dispelling a common myth about the higher cost of buying recycled, the county saved more than $121,000 by
purchasing 30 percent postconsumer recycled copy paper instead of virgin paper! During the past 7 years,
Jackson County saved more than $700,000 through its environmental programs. The County Executive,
Katheryn Shields, routinely quips, "In Jackson County, we don't just hug trees, we squeeze money out of them.
King County Recycles Surplus
In 2001, KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON'S WasteWise activities expanded to included all county government
agencies. One element of the county's waste prevention efforts is its internal Surplus Program, which, for
the first time in 2001, began tracking the value of the items reissued through the program. Surplus redis-
tributed more than 4,000 items to county agencies, with a total value of more than $1.5 million. On just one
floor of one county office building, the county saved an estimated $2,600 from reusing office supplies.
COUNTY
Department erf Natural HewHirces,
Donation projects are another feature of the county's 2001 waste preven-
tion program. One county office building collected 219 pounds of poly-
styrene packing materials and supplied them to a local shipping business
for reuse. A county division donated used binders to a non-profit program,
"Backpacks for Kids," that provides backpacks, binders, and other school supplies for children in need.
Additionally, King County Transit gave away nearly 15 tons of glass window panels
from bus shelters to the public for reuse. The Department of Finance stopped distrib-
uting printed financial reports to county agencies in 2001. Instead, the department
now makes the reports available on the county's Intranet. This process change saves
the county an estimated $16,000 and conserves 600,000 pages of paper annually.
Buying recycled products was a priority for the local government in 2001. King County
spent more than $2.6 million on recycled-content products and saved an estimated
$580,000 by using environmentally preferable items. The county also saved $40,000
by reconfiguring and reusing a group of computers in the Solid Waste Division.
— 12 —
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Waste Wise 2002 Partners of the Year
Reusing Outdoor Materials Generates Internal Savings for LA Schools
Rather than dumping construction-site asphalt and concrete, the LOS ANGELES UNIFIED
SCHOOL DISTRICT ships leftover materials back to a manufacturer for reuse in new asphalt-
based products that the district then purchases. The school district, which projected that it will
construct 150 new schools in the next 5 to 10 years, uses this "new" material from the manufac-
turer for use on future construction sites. In 2001 alone, the district diverted 9,000 tons of con-
struction material from landfills. In addition, the district requires landscapers to compost all
grass clippings, 6,750 tons of which were composted in 2001. In 2002, the district will expand this effort by
collecting milk cartons and food waste for composting.
With all the outdoor excitement, the school district remembers to promote efficiency within its buildings as
well. Through a reuse program for computer and office products, such as laser toner, inkjet, fax, and copier
cartridges, schools sell used cartridges for $2 each and use the savings to buy the remanufactured car-
tridges back. This activity diverted more than 313 tons of plastic from the landfill.
To further advance recycling, the school district plans to implement a closed-loop program for polystyrene
lunch trays. It will select 50 schools for initial trials, and hopes to eventually divert 114 tons of polystyrene
trays from disposal each year. In 2001, the district recycled 3,600 tons of paper and 3,024 tons of card-
board, and it plans to increase these figures as it expands its successful mixed-paper recycling program to
all schools and administrative offices.
Eastern Illinois Doesn't Flush Money Away
EASTERN
ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY had the right idea when it avoided
more than $26,000 in disposal costs by donating toilets and washing
machines to Habitat for Humanity, but the reuse activities didn't stop
with household appliances. Instead of sending them to landfills, Eastern
Illinois distributed nearly 400 tons of coal ash from the school's power
generator to various government agencies to spread on roads for added
traction in winter conditions. Other donations include giving used text-
books to third world countries to replace reading material decades out of date.
Eastern Illinois University also achieved an impressive recycling rate in 2001—56
percent of its total waste! Collection of paper seems to be the school's speciality—374 tons of
paper products were recycled in 2001. Allan Rathe, the school's recycling coordinator, captured the
administration's sentiments on paper collection when he said, "We are greedy in the Recycling
Department; we want all of Eastern's paperwork to come to us!" As for recycling other materials, Eastern
Illinois collected nearly 140 tons of steel and nearly 83 tons of wood, along with impressive amounts of
plastic, aluminum, and yard trimmings.
The school also does its part in creating demand in the recycling market by purchasing $194,000 worth of
products containing recycled materials. These recycled-content products made up 36 percent of the univer-
sity's purchases in 2001.
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Electronics Challenge Awards
More than 20 million computers became obsolete in 1998, and
250 million more will be retired in the next five years. But very
few of these computers are recycled. With todays increasing
demand for faster computers, small cellular phones, and personal digital
assistants (PDAs), electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream.
These materials take up valuable landfill space and can contain hazardous materials,
such as lead and mercury. Reusing or recycling these devices saves valuable resources,
including energy, and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fortunately, many of
these devices have the potential for reuse, remanufacture, and upgrades.
WasteWise designed the Electronics Challenge to inspire partners to develop electronic
waste reduction goals, initiate projects to meet these goals, and report on their progress
through the annual reporting process. WasteWise partners who participated in this ini-
tiative not only took the opportunity to extend the life of their electronic equipment, but
some also realized cost savings!
PSEG's Reused Cell Phones Protect Seniors [PARTNER OF THE YEAR: ELECTRONICS]
Recognizing the rise in cellular phone use, PUBLIC SERVICE ENTERPRISE GROUP (PSEG) recent-
ly hosted a collection drive throughout the company to collect used cell phones. PSEG collected more
than 700 phones, plus their chargers and extra batteries, and then donated the phones to the local
sheriff's office. The sheriff's office distributed the reprogrammed phones to senior citi-
zens in the area for emergency use. This activity helped ensure the security of the sen-
ior citizens and also prevented 550 pounds of electronics from entering a landfill.
PSEG
PSEG also sees the value in reusing and recycling other electronic equipment, such as computers.
The company collected more than 66 tons of computer equipment in 2001, including CPUs, moni-
tors, keyboards, and peripherals from offices throughout the company. PSEG sorted the equipment
into categories—either recoverable or ready to be demanufactured/recycled. The company
assigned nearly 28 tons of equipment to the recovery program and found a number of uses for the
equipment. After refurbishment, PSEG reused equipment internally in stand-alone applications;
sold to employees or the general public; or donated to local charitable organizations, schools,
churches, government, and community groups. The company then recycled the remaining 39 tons.
Panasonic Helps Consumers Recycle the Old When Buying New
[PARTNER OF THE YEAR: ELECTRONICS!
Panasonic
Going shopping for a new DVD player today? Bring in your old VCR and
we'll recycle it. Sounds crazy, but it worked for PANASONIC and the Best
Buy Electronics Recycling Program. Panasonic demonstrated its commit-
ment to the environment by signing on as the first manufacturer to support this exciting venture. As
Panasonic increased its efforts to develop its collection and recycling infrastructure and design products for
efficient disassembly and recycling, it wanted to bring together consumers and retailers to reduce the
amount of electronic waste entering local landfills.
-------
The Best Buy Program was the first of its type—a retailer initiating a store-based program where customers
drop off old or unwanted equipment. Panasonic's support funded advertising and promotional materials for
the event. With 11 two-day events occurring at various locations, the program succeeded in piling up more
than 125 tons of electronic equipment for recycling.
Panasonic not only focuses on what to do once it produces electronic waste,
but also how to prevent the equipment from becoming waste. In 2001,
Panasonic extended its Design for the Environment program by expanding
several different areas of work: implementing a product assessment process
based on life-cycle assessment, increasing energy efficiency, and increas-
ing television recyclability. Outcomes from this assessment include
redesigning television sets for easier disassembly and standardizing plastic
resins to make them easier to identify and recycle.
Alexandria Pilots Electronic Collection Events
[PROGRAM CHAMPION: ELECTRONICS]
In September 2001, the ClTY OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, partnered with EPA Region 3
and held a one-day pilot event to collect and recycle electronics. Alexandria encouraged
residents to drop off idle monitors, CPUs, printers, televisions, radios, and VCRs free of
charge! The event not only prevented the electronic equipment from entering landfills,
but also allowed the city and EPA Region 3 to determine how to best manage an elec-
tronics collection/recycling program. Alexandria collected more than 7 tons of electronic
equipment through the event. The success of this program led to weekly collections from October through
the end of the year—collecting more than 4 tons of equipment from the community.
USPS Delivers on Electronics Recycling [PROGRAM CHAMPION: ELECTRONICS]
The U.S. POSTAL SERVICE—ALABAMA DISTRICT efficiently delivers the mail and, likewise, uses and
reuses its computer equipment. In 2001 alone, the Alabama District upgraded and rebuilt nearly 500 comput-
ers rather than disposing of them. This exercise diverted more than 21 tons of electronic waste from landfills.
Additionally, the Post Office recycled computer equipment no longer used or needed. The Alabama District
located piles of old electronic equipment stacked in storage and cleaned up its warehouses by collecting the
equipment for recycling. With help from scrap metal and electronics recyclers, the Alabama District recycled
nearly 3,000 computers, 20 laptops, 100 monitors, 65 printers, 3 copy/fax machines, and nearly 3,700 mis-
cellaneous computer accessories in 2001. "We take responsibility for our electronics from cradle to grave,"
said Ed Abrams, the district recycling coordinator, who is responsible for recycling an amazing and creative
array of materials.
GPO Swap Meet [PROGRAM CHAMPION: ELECTRONICS]
When not printing new government publications, employees from the U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING
OFFICE (GPO) rushed to shop at an internal swap meet. GPO asked employees, once in the spring and
once in the fall, to gather excess computer equipment as well as furniture and supplies and leave them at
the swap meet for others to collect. GPO limited items to those with a value of $500 or less to eliminate the
need for paperwork. One other perk—employees didn't have to bring something to take something. The
event drew a nice crowd and educated employees on environmental responsibility, while saving the govern-
ment thousands of dollars in avoided purchasing and disposal costs.
GPO also held two property sales, with a great emphasis on computer equipment. Items sold for reuse includ-
ed more than 200 computers, 15 printers, 4 fax machines, 10 typewriters, 11 other office machines, plus 7
skidloads of miscellaneous parts. GPO diverted a total of 7 tons of electronic equipment from the landfill!
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Climate Change Award Winners
In 2001, for the first time, WasteWise has added a new climate award, for
significant actions leading to reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
sions. There is an important and measurable link between waste reduction
efforts and global climate change, recognized through this award. EPA is
incorporating climate change education and technical assistance throughout
the WasteWise program. Today, as more and more organizations are interested in their
global environmental impacts and in opportunities for reducing their ecological footprints,
this award provides a way that these companies can link their local actions with a truly
global program. WasteWise recognizes the following first-time climate award-winning
companies for their significant achievements in reducing their impact on climate change.
€•• Ml
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Constellation's Pollution Prevention Power Plan Team
[PARTNER OF THE YEAR: CLIMATE]
CONSTELLATION ENERGY GROUP (CEG) reaches for the stars when doing
its share of environmental protection. To help educate employees about the
relationship between climate change and waste reduction, CEG brought
together a group of employees to analyze WasteWise waste reduction data
and to keep employees involved in environmental efforts. By evaluating the company's waste minimization
activities that result in decreasing GHG emissions, this new group, the Pollution Prevention Power Plan (P4)
Team, raised employee awareness on how their waste management activities help decrease GHG emissions.
In 2001, the P4 Team successfully developed and promoted the P4 Intranet site where interested employees
find information on reducing, reusing, and recycling wastes; success stories; buying recycled; and links to
further information. Additionally, CEG's Web site contains an overview of the company's WasteWise activi-
ties and how its successful waste prevention and recycling activities led to reductions in GHG emissions. In
2001, CEG prevented nearly 2,500 tons of waste from entering landfills and recycled 31,500 tons of materi-
als. These waste reduction actions cut GHG emissions by approximately the same amount of emissions
released in one year resulting from the powering of more than 1,200 households.
Documenting Climate Connection Spurs Results for Virco
[PARTNER OF THE YEAR: CLIMATE]
"WasteWise's commitment to measuring and recording recycling efforts and activities and
GHG emission reductions has enabled our program to achieve higher goals with more effi-
ciency and accuracy," says Don Curran, VlRCO MFG. CORPORATION'S Resource
Recovery Recycling Manager. The Arkansas-based company looks to waste prevention and recy-
cling to reduce climate impacts. Through the 35 items Virco collects, it recycled 11,000 tons of
materials and prevented the release of GHGs equal to the removal of 4,400 cars
from the road for one year.
Virco positively impacts the environment in other ways as well. Take, for example,
Virco's newest facility surrounded by 15,000 reforested trees and 4 acres of wet-
lands! The company mows only 3 of the 35 total acres of landscape surrounding the
building. All of these healthy systems remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
further reducing Virco's climate footprint.
— 16 —
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Allergan Educates Employees on Climate-Waste Linkage
[PROGRAM CHAMPION: CLIMATE]
ALLERGAN, INC., a global specialty pharmaceutical company, understands the connection between waste
reduction and climate change and educates its employees on this important link. On Earth Day, for exam-
ple, Allergan explained the connection to employees. In 2001, as a result of the company's waste reduction
efforts, Allergan reduced GHG emissions by 1,765 MTCEs—equivalent to the amount of emissions pro-
duced from 1,300 cars each year. Additionally, the company's comprehensive communications plan includes
discussion of the climate-waste link. How did Allergan first become aware of the connection? Michael
Whaley, Allergan's director of environmental health and safety, notes that "The WasteWise estimates of
GHG emissions reductions were the first quantifications we received directly attributable to our actions."
Allergan shares EPA's estimate of reductions, generated by EPA's WAste Reduction Model (WARM), with
management as well as with environmental health and safety managers at each site. Allergan encourages all
WasteWise partners to consider the climate-waste link as part of their communication efforts. Look for your
WARM reports in the mail—all partners reporting 2001 data will soon receive notice of their organization's
contribution to reducing GHG emissions via waste reduction efforts.
Clifton's Future WasteWisers [PROGRAM CHAMPION: CLIMATE]
The CITY OF CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY, knows that the future of environmental
stewardship lies in the hands of everyday people—local residents, school children,
and civic group leaders. In 2001, Clifton educated more than 750 adults and stu-
dents through classroom education, health fairs, posters, and newsletters on what
causes climate change and, more importantly, what individuals can do to help pre-
vent GHGs that cause climate change. During 2001, the city discussed various top-
ics, including source reduction, GHG reduction, solid waste management, and how these topics are con-
nected to climate change. The city used an EPA video on climate change as a supplement to meetings and
presentations to the community.
Fast Food Helps Seydel Meet Environmental Challenges
[PROGRAM CHAMPION: CLIMATE]
Can reused fast food fryer oils be used to manufacture water repellent fabric? That is exactly what
THE SEYDEL COMPANIES has been doing to decrease its impact on climate change. The company com-
bined modified PET (#1) plastic with used vegetable oil from fast food fryers, efficiently developing a water
repellent that it uses not only on textiles, but also on paper and wood! This new process decreases the
amount of money used on virgin materials, while also greatly reducing GHG emissions, as less gas is emit-
ted when products are manufactured with recycled materials instead of virgin materials.
PSEG's Power to Decrease Climate Change [PROGRAM CHAMPION: CLIMATE]
PUBLIC SERVICE ENTERPRISE GROUP (PSEG) developed its Resource Recovery Process as a means to
meet its aggressive waste prevention and recycling goals with the underlying theme of reducing the compa-
ny's impact on climate change. The program operates on two levels: reuse, recovery, and recycling; and
waste accounting and resource management. PSEG views all waste as a resource for potential reuse, reman-
ufacture, or recycling and documents the cost of waste to identify missed opportunities, promote further
reductions, and improve procurement practices. This focus enables PSEG to more efficiently generate and
distribute electric power and reduce its impact on the environment. The company educates its employees on
these issues and how they help reduce GHG emissions. In turn, PSEG receives support in recycling scrap
metal, cardboard, and paper; reusing or donating computers and furniture; reusing and recycling street
lights; as well as buying vehicle tires, office products, and furniture made with recycled materials.
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WasteWise Endorser Program
The WasteWise endorser program, with more than 130 participants, continues to
grow in numbers and activism. Most endorsers are government agencies, trade
associations, and business groups that play an important role in waste reduc-
tion by spreading the word out about waste reduction, the WasteWise program, and its
associated benefits. Many endorsers disseminate promotional or technical materials,
conduct waste reduction workshops, sponsor award programs, or facilitate sharing
among their members or constituents.
The Model Clean Community, Clifton, New Jersey [ENDORSER OF THE YEAR]
In a nation increasingly inundated with disposable conveniences,
the CITY OF CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY, believes in setting a bet-
ter example by educating and motivating its businesses, stu-
dents, and citizens to act with the environment in mind.
Clifton works to educate all members of its community on the
importance of waste reduction, recycling, and GHG reduction
through a variety of activities and programs. In 2001, Clifton
broadcasted two videos covering climate change and its relation to solid waste
to civic groups and schools, reaching more than 750 adults and students in
the community.
In 2001, the city continued its commitment to spread the message that waste
reduction makes both business and environmental sense to the community,
government, and business leaders through a variety of promotional activities.
In addition to distributing waste reduction information and displaying the
WasteWise logo on posters, newsletters, and brochures, Clifton went a step
further by working one-on-one with businesses
to generate interest in WasteWise. As a result,
approximately 25 businesses submitted
requests for additional program information and
many joined the program.
Clifton's dedication to reducing waste, recycling, and buying recycled within
its own offices and to educating others in the community has earned Clifton
much deserved recognition in the last several years and has made Clifton the
2002 WasteWise Endorser of the Year.
"CLIFTON HAS A GOAL OF MOTIVATING
25 BUSINESSES TO JOIN WASTEWISE BY
THE END OF 2OO2."
—ALFRED Du Bois, CLIFTON RECYCLING COORDINATOR
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"WE PROMOTE WASTEWlSE BECAUSE IT
IS A ONE-STOP PROGRAM THAT IS SIM-
PLE TO DO YET PROVIDES IN-DEPTH
INFORMATION, SUPPORT, EXAMPLES TO
FOLLOW AND THE NECESSARY TOOLS
Perfect Promoting of Pollution
Prevention: the South Carolina
Department of Health and
Environmental Control
[ENDORSER PROGRAM CHAMPION]
FOR BUSINESSES TO SET AND MEET
WASTE REDUCTION GOALS. WASTEWlSE
ENHANCES AND SUPPORTS OUR MIS-
SION. IT'S A PERFECT FIT."
—ERIC MELARO, SOUTH CAROLINA DHEC
WASTEWISE COORDINATOR
While the SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROL (DHEC) reduced its own waste and
received recognition for these efforts as a state
government Program Champion, it also focused
on helping others reduce waste. DHEC incor-
porated Waste Wise into South Carolina's
newly-formed technical assistance partnership,
the Business Recycling Assistance Program,
and linked its Web site to the WasteWise site. When talking with local businesses, DHEC often suggests the
benefits of becoming a WasteWise member. The department celebrated America Recycles Day and Earth
Day and promoted the ideas of reducing waste and buying recycled at various conferences and training
sessions throughout the past year, as well as within its own offices at employee meetings. Various publica-
tions distributed throughout South Carolina, such as the DHEC newsletter, Options newsletter, and the South
Carolina Recycles magazine, help DHEC inspire further waste reduction. DHEC continued excellence with
the award-winning "Recycle Guys" public awareness campaign and "Action for a Cleaner Tomorrow," an
interdisciplinary curriculum supplement for elementary and high school students.
Carpet Squares of a Different Kind in Washoe
County, Nevada [ENDORSER PROGRAM CHAMPION]
When WASHOE COUNTY GOVERNMENT, NEVADA, decided to become an active
endorser, it already had an award-winning waste reduction program using many
ingenious approaches to tackling internal waste, such as only replacing squares of
carpet affected by wear and tear rather than the whole carpet. In 2000 to 2001, the
county decided to hit the road and re-carpet the country with the message of its waste
reduction program, passing on its knowledge through national speaking engagements
in Atlanta, Seattle, Tucson, Reno, and Las Vegas. As a result, the county directly
solicited more than 40 prospective organizations for participation in the WasteWise program. The county
also promoted waste reduction and the WasteWise program in a number of publications, radio interviews,
press releases, and on television.
"WASTEWlSE IS AN EMPOWERING PROGRAM. BY SHOWING COST SAVINGS
THROUGH WASTE REDUCTION, PARTNERS ARE ABLE TO PROTECT THE
ENVIRONMENT AND AT THE SAME TIME SAVE THEIR EMPLOYERS MONEY.
EVERYONE WINS: TAXPAYERS, BUSINESSES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE
ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS OUR LEGACY TO THE NEXT GENERATION."
—JOHN FULLER, WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA
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WasteWise 2002
Program Champions
Bank of America:
Treading Lightly on
the Environment
BANK OF AMERICA brings envi-
ronmental consciousness right
under its employees' feet. In
2001, it began purchasing new
products with recycled content,
including carpeting for a new
office building. By working with
an office carpeting manufacturer
and explaining its environmental
concerns, Bank of America pur-
chased carpet made of nylon face
containing 82 percent recycled
content and carpet backing con-
taining 100 percent recycled
materials. Furthermore, Bank of
America partnered with DuPont to
take back and recycle old carpet-
ing. The recycled carpet is used
in a variety of products including
carpet cushion, sod reinforce-
ment, and even automobile parts!
Bank of America's 40 environmen-
tal network teams enable the bank
to achieve impressive environmen-
tal results. On an ongoing basis,
the teams provide employees with
resources on environmental issues
via a Web site, a monthly newslet-
ter, and various
events. Its office
supply cleanup
day, during which
employees collect-
ed excess office
supplies and
arranged them in central supply
rooms, was one of the many suc-
cessful activities in 2001. During
the day, employees also gathered
old office equipment for refurbish-
ment or donation to local nonprofit
organizations. Throughout the year,
many offices also participated in
donate-a-phone programs, through
which they collected hundreds of
cellular phones and accessories for
donation to victims of domestic
violence.
Bank of America also began a new
waste reduction campaign. By
educating its employees to incor-
porate waste prevention activities
into their daily tasks, the company
saw a reduction in the numbers of
forms used, a reduction in copy-
ing, and an increase in the devel-
opment of online tools for employ-
ees. The bank also eliminated
nearly 23 tons of paper use by
subscribing to online magazines
and newspapers, and partnered
with Compaq in a computer take-
back program that refreshes the
computers every three years.
Kodak's Education
Efforts Net More
Cameras for Reuse
In 2001, EASTMAN KODAK
COMPANY found innovative ways
to help amplify waste reduction
efforts. Because Kodak continued
to educate film processors on the
recyclability of
Kodak's one-time-
use cameras, cus-
tomer returns of
cameras increased
allowing the com-
pany to remanu-
facture these additional returns.
This activity prevented 1,800 tons
of plastic and 1,400 tons of print-
ed circuit boards from entering
the waste stream. Altogether, the
company reused and recycled
more than 110 million cameras!
Kodak also found various ways to
reuse internal wastes. In 2001,
the company distributed more
than 850 tons of furniture and
electrical equipment for reuse.
Through various onsite construc-
tion and demolition projects, it
harvested and reused more than
11,000 tons of concrete, asphalt,
and brick. It also continued its
film container recycling program,
which collected more than 370
million canisters in 2001 alone.
Kodak also continues to reinforce
its commitment to buy products
with recycled content. The com-
pany works with its suppliers to
help them better understand
Kodak's standards to promote
life-cycle thinking, waste mini-
mizing, and using products with
recycled content. In 2001, Kodak
spent $24 million on supplies
with recycled content.
— 20 —
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GM on the
Environmental Road
to the Future
In 2001, GENERAL MOTORS
CORPORATION (GM) completed
the development of one of its
newest 4x4 vehicles—the Hummer
H2—one of the most environmen-
tally friendly all-terrain vehicles
currently cruising into the market.
The environmental craze about
GM's work on this vehicle isn't
how it looks or how much power is
under the hood—it's about the fact
that the Hummer H2 is among one
of the most recyclable vehicles
ever manufactured! GM marked
nearly 5,000 tons of the vehicles'
molded plastic for recycling, which
will ease the recovery process
when the vehicle has reached the
end of its life. Among other devel-
opments, GM produced radiator
side air baffles that consist of
70 percent postconsumer recycled
materials, using 12.5 tons of rub-
ber from used tires!
GM's 2002 midsize sport utility
vehicles—the Trailblazer, Envoy,
and Bravada—got high marks in
waste prevention and recycling as
well. Engineers decreased the
amount of
waste pro-
duced during
manufactur-
ing, by an
estimated
2,000 tons
annually.
Plus, GM
used nearly
4,000 recy-
cled tires to produce the radiator
side air baffles, which not only
helps with waste reduction, but
also makes GM's midsize SUVs
more fuel efficient.
GM is also an industry leader in
vehicle disassembly for recycling.
In 2001, the company was the first
auto manufacturer to make its vehi-
cle disassembly information readily
available via the Internet. GM con-
tinues to post more end-of-life vehi-
cle manuals as they are produced
to provide dismantlers with infor-
mation on recyclable vehicle parts.
Pushing the Waste
Reduction Envelope
at the Disneyland Resort
WhenThE DISNEYLAND
RESORT evaluated its waste reduc-
tion successes, the resort found that
it diverted more than 37 percent of
its wastes! This success, however,
didn't stop these environmental
superstars. The Disneyland Resort
(located in Anaheim, California) is
evaluating opportunities that have
the potential to reduce waste gener-
ation by an additional 30 percent.
The company's main administra-
tion building houses more than
1,100 employees, so it was a per-
fect location to establish office sup-
ply reuse centers. The resort also
expanded its employee outreach
program,
which
increased par-
ticipation in a
videotape
return and
reuse pro-
gram—divert-
ing approxi-
mately 650
pounds of
videotapes from landfills. It also
established a program to reuse
usable alkaline batteries. The pro-
gram focused on the departments
that, because of operational
requirements, generate batteries
that can still be used in other
applications. Through the program,
staff redistributed these still power-
ful batteries to other business units
and employees.
The Disneyland Resort also con-
tinued activities to recycle and
buy recycled materials. In 2001,
the resort recycled more than
2,000 tons of paper and purchased
picnic benches, craft tables, and a
lifeguard station made from recy-
cled HOPE containing at least 76
percent postconsumer materials.
Entering the
Environmental
Information Age at
Verizon
VERIZON provides electronic
opportunities for its employees and
customers to become environmen-
tal stewards. The company promot-
ed the use of its online forms,
training, and personnel informa-
tion, which allowed employees to
decrease office paper use by 1,300
tons, saving the company $2.7 mil-
lion dollars. The use of electronic
purchase orders led to an addition-
al 47.5 tons of paper reduction.
Verizon also supports recycling—
from telecommunications materi-
als to office paper. Nearly 57,000
tons of telecommunications
equipment was either upgraded,
repaired, reused, or recycled in
2001—avoiding $47.6 million in
purchasing costs. These activities
also produced more than $36 mil-
lion in revenues for items and
materials that were sold or recy-
cled. Verizon's office paper recy-
cling program alone reduced
annual waste removal costs by
$1.4 million; furthermore, sales of
11,000 tons of office paper, previ-
ously considered refuse, produced
revenues of $54,300.
-------
Waste Wise 2002 P
AMD's Purchasing
Preferences
To help employees select office
equipment and supplies that have
minimum environmental impact,
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES,
INC. (AMD) developed Green
Procurement Guidelines that out-
line product
characteristics
such as pack-
aging materi-
als, end-of-life
disposal, and
energy usage.
These are
attributes that
AMD employ-
ees consider
before buying
these prod-
ucts. Seven
percent, or
more than
$100,000, of AMD's 2001 pur-
chases contained recycled materi-
als. The company has a goal of
annually purchasing 45,000 reams
of photocopier paper containing
postconsumer material, which
would more than double its envi-
ronmentally preferable purchases.
This semiconductor manufacturer
also looks at ways to reduce its
waste. Plastic items such as clean
room shoe covers, polypropylene
bouffants and beard covers, latex
gloves, and wafer carriers are recy-
cled. Plus, AMD steadily increased
the amount of textile clean room
wipers it launders and reuses each
year, to 7 tons in 2001.
This 6,700-person company per-
forms an impressive job with recy-
cling collection as well: 577 tons
of paper and cardboard, 145 tons
of plastic, and 330 tons of metals.
Battelle's Focus Shines
on Cleaning Products
Every year, BATTELLE
MEMORIAL INSTITUTE targets an
area within its company for envi-
ronmental improvement, and 2001
saw the birth of an environmental-
ly preferable purchasing program
for custodial products. This tech-
nology developer found that envi-
ronmentally preferable replace-
ments were available for all clean-
ing products it used. Battelle
spent $329,000 on recycled-con-
tent paper products including tow-
els, toilet tissue, and seat covers;
$35,000 on plastics such as traffic
barriers and trash can liners; and
$4,000 on biobased cleaners
made from corn, oats, and soy.
These replacements, in addition to
products already being purchased,
boosted Battelle's total spending
on environmentally preferable
products to nearly $1 million!
To increase green purchasing fur-
ther, this Ohio-based company
offers regular training and infor-
mation sharing sessions. It pub-
lishes a quarterly newsletter with
environmental news and
activities. Battelle even
coined the Rocky
Raccoon Recycled
Products Champion award
to be given to staff mem-
bers who promote envi-
ronmentally preferable
products. Other educa-
tional events held by
Battelle include an envi-
ronmental fair, a waste sort, and
an America Recycles Day.
A Snapshot of
Environmental
Caretakers at Canon
CANON U.S.A., INC. not only
manufacturers cameras, optical
products, and business machines,
but also proves to be a company
concerned with its waste streams
and how they affect the environ-
ment. As one of the country's
most recognized camera manufac-
turers, Canon took the initiative to
prevent 100,000 cameras from
entering landfills by collecting
used cameras for refurbishment,
sale, or remanufacture in 2001.
Canon's Consumer Products
Return Center recycled more than
1 million accessories, in turn sav-
ing the company more than $5
million dollars!
Canon also prevented packaging
materials from becoming waste.
In 2001, it reused incoming pack-
aging for its outgoing shipments,
and eliminated polystyrene use. If
its vendors shipped products with
polystyrene, Canon reused it and
worked with the vendor to help
them discontinue polystyrene use
as well.
The company continues to increase
efforts to educate its employees
-------
Waste Wise 2002 Progn
tcycl
about environ-
mental respon-
sibility. Canon
has even incor-
porated post-
consumer
materials into
new products.
For instance,
Canon reuses
plastics from
old machines and "sandwiches"
them between two pieces of virgin
plastics. Through this innovative
process, Canon skips the entire
pellet making process usually used
to recycle plastics. In addition, the
sandwich molding technology gives
consumers an aesthetically pleas-
ing product.
Employees also started designing
products to make future recycling
easier—providing quicker dis-
assembly time, material labeling,
and a decrease in the number of
adhesion points and tools needed
for disassembly. Educated employ-
ees have also influenced the com-
pany's procurement. Canon pur-
chases nearly 4,600 green-certi-
fied goods, from desks and chairs
to office supplies and toilet paper.
Employee Education
Pays Off at Con Ed
As the provider of electricity, nat-
ural gas, and steam for New York
City (and most parts of
Westchester County, New York),
CONSOLIDATED EDISON
COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC.
(CON ED) proved that it doesn't
just provide energy to its cus-
tomers, but it also cares about the
footprint that it leaves on the envi-
Vlr
Material
t»nal
ronment. Striving to increase
reuse of equipment and furniture
in 2001, the company succeeded
in reusing 687 pieces of office fur-
niture and 200 workstations. This
actually saved the company nearly
$550,000 and also prevented 171
tons of office furniture from enter-
ing the waste stream. Additionally,
the company worked with its local
vendor to remanufacture more
than 9 tons of toner cartridges!
Con Ed
understands
that employ-
ees play a
key role in
successfully
implement-
ing waste
reduction
activities. To
convey this
message,
the utility company produced a
video highlighting waste reduction
and the importance of segregating
wastes as well as describing activ-
ities in the company newsletter.
These actions demonstrate suc-
cess, and as the company bought
more than $1.2 million worth of
supplies containing recycled con-
tent, including office paper, file
folders, traffic cones, janitorial
supplies, and barricades, Con Ed
closed the recycling loop. Many
employees continue to learn about
buying recycled products from
active participation in monthly
meetings of the Buy Recycled
Alliance in New York.
Constellation Shoots
for the Stars
In addition to winning the 2002
Climate Change Waste Wise
Partner of the Year award,
CONSTELLATION ENERGY
GROUP'S (CEG'S) waste reduc-
tion program saved the company
$1.3 million in 2001. Through
reusing, reducing, and recycling,
CEG avoided disposal costs of
more than $500,000 and avoided
purchasing costs of $800,000.
One example of
this successful
waste reduction is
the group's ongoing
electronics pro-
gram. In 2001,
Constellation col-
lected and donated
31 tons of comput-
ers and recycled an
additional 1,000
tons of metal from
electronics.
CEG also advanced its paper
reduction and recycling programs.
The company converted many
publications to electronic formats
and made them available on the
company's Intranet in 2001,
including the employee handbook,
the daily cafeteria menu, and cor-
porate policies. CEG also collect-
ed 280 tons of paper for recycling
and purchased many paper items
containing recycled material.
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Waste Wise 2002 Progra
Reuse Activities
Abound at Florida
Power & Light
FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT
COMPANY (FPL) reuses materials
at every turn and saves money
doing it! For example, by refurbish-
ing its system equipment, this
Florida utility salvaged 758 tons
and $1.7 million worth of material
in 2001, avoiding an additional
$21,000 in tipping fees and multi-
ple trips to the dump. This high
salvage rate represents a 19 percent
increase from the previous year.
FPL avoided another
$6,000 dollars in tip-
ping fees by selling and
donating wooden utility
poles—nearly 153 tons
worth! The company
also continues to reuse
wooden reels, approxi-
mately 3,600 in 2001.
This reuse avoided
$20,000 in tipping fees.
FPL established an innovative
buy-back program in 2000, to
encourage participating vendors
to consider the entire lifespan of
their products. FPL's wire and
cable vendor, for example, bought
back nearly $3 million dollars
worth of processed aluminum and
copper from the utility in 2001.
Dianne Reale, FPL's corporate
recycling coordinator, explained,
"Buy-back agreements are chang-
ing the way industries do busi-
ness. . .These agreements save
money, reduce packaging, and
increase efficiency." In addition
to recycling an incredible 23,030
tons of materials generated by
FPL's facilities, the company
also donated several tons of non-
recyclable materials to schools for
creative learning experiences for
children and adults.
Herman Miller's
Quest for Zero
HERMAN MILLER, INC. is com-
ing closer to its goal of becoming
a "zero land-
fill compa-
ny." Standard
company pol-
icy dictates
that Herman
Miller prod-
ucts will con-
tain a large
amount of
recycled con-
tent products and materials,
which reduces the amount of
material it landfills in its produc-
tion processes by 86 percent. In
2001, Herman Miller recycled or
prevented more than 3,000 tons
of paper, 6,500 tons of steel,
2,900 tons of wood, 380 tons of
mixed plastics, and 700 tons of
textiles from entering landfills.
When designing work environ-
ments, the corporation worked
toward innovative environmental
stewardship by reducing the
amount of material landfilled dur-
ing production by 20 percent.
Herman Miller also recognized
through internal waste audits and
tracking that it generates a signif-
icant amount of paper as reports.
In response, the company is
switching to an electronic system
to reduce the amount of paper
reporting needed. So far, Herman
Miller's new system has eliminat-
ed about 40 percent of its paper
from entering the waste stream.
Planting a
Green Ethic:
Louisiana-Pacific
Lou ISIANA-PACI no
CORPORATION (LP) makes a
concerted effort to plant a green
ethic into its business practices.
In January 2001 alone, LP spent
more than
1,000 cumula-
tive hours on
environmental
training and
education of its
employees.
LP is at the
forefront of a
natural balance
approach to the wood products
industry, having recycled 2.8
million tons of wood by-products,
scrap metal, and plastics in 2001.
LP's corporate-wide waste pre-
vention and recycling efforts
included using more than 1.5
million tons of waste for energy
recovery, and a 37,000 ton reduc-
tion in total disposal. This effort
represented a 43 percent reduc-
tion from waste disposed in 2000.
The company also developed a
range of environmentally smart and
energy-conscious products made
from recycled content materials.
The company implemented an
environmental management system
(EMS) company-wide. By the end
of 2001, approximately 75 percent
of LP's manufacturing facilities had
fully implemented an EMS; full
implementation at all facilities will
be complete by 2003. LP has
received numerous awards, certifi-
cations, and environmental program
recognition in addition to being a
Waste Wise Program Champion.
-------
Waste Wise 2002 Progrc
Saving Money While
Helping Others,
Millipore Corporation
In 2001, MILLIPORE
CORPORATION donated 4.5 tons
of electronics equipment (com-
puters, monitors, and printers) to
local and regional schools and
third-world countries. Not only
did the donation fill a local and
international need, the corpora-
tion saved nearly $3,000 in
avoided disposal costs. Millipore
saved an additional $2,200 by
donating 5 tons of used office fur-
niture and industrial equipment,
and purchased 518 tons of corru-
gated material manufactured with
22 percent recycled-content
material. Millipore Corporation
also continued its excellence in
its recycling collection activities,
collecting 295.5 tons of corrugat-
ed containers, 62 tons of paper,
60 tons of plastic, 71 tons of
metal, more than 6 tons of
polypropylene, 366 tons of wood,
and 270 pounds of ink.
Pepco Moves Waste
Prevention into the
21st Century
Moving anytime soon? Need an
idea of how to keep relocation
costs down? Instead of using those
cardboard boxes to relocate, use
something reusable. That is what
PEPCO
did when it relo-
cated to its new
headquarters in
Washington, DC.
Using 4,700
reusable plastic
totes saved more
than $8,000 in moving costs! In
2001, Pepco redesigned its cable
splicing kits, preventing one ton of
wire waste each year. Pepco also
estimated a savings of $1.5 mil-
lion in disposal fees from its recy-
cling program, generating rev-
enues of $575,000 from the sale
of these recyclables. Pepco closes
the loop by purchasing recycled
content-products, including paper,
office products, remanufactured
parts, antifreeze, and tires.
PSEG Recycling Rate
Surpasses 90 Percent!
The PUBLIC SERVICE
ENTERPRISE GROUP (PSEG),
headquartered in New Jersey,
found that its waste prevention and
recycling activities not only benefit
the environment, but also benefit
the company, employees, and the
local community. By working with
its suppliers and employees, PSEG
reached a municipal solid waste
recycling rate of more than 92
percent, recycling 96,000 tons of
waste in 2001. This figure
includes more than 12,000 tons of
wood (e.g., tree limbs) cut to pre-
vent them from obstructing power
lines and rights-of-way. After cut-
ting down these safety hazards,
employees recycle or reuse th
wood in agricultural and landscap-
ing applications.
In 2001, PSEG also conducted a
pilot project to collect and recycle
ink-jet cartridges used in the
office. The pilot was so successful,
PSEG is now planing company-
wide implementation. PSEG also
recycles holiday cards. More than
300 pounds of cards were sent to
St. Judes Ranch for Children
where the backs of the old cards
were removed so the fronts could
be reused.
PSEG also supports the local com
munity by providing grants to
environmental
educators and by
participating in
environmental
fairs throughout
New Jersey and
even lectures at
schools and other
organizations.
SCE Rewards Energy
Efficient Customers
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
EDISON (SCE) is a large
investor-owned electric utility
company that not only thinks
about how its power generation
affects the environment, but also
how to help the environment by
reducing waste. During the 2001
California energy crisis, SCE pro-
vided an opportunity for its cus-
tomers to make some money,
lower their electric bills, and
reduce the number of appliances
entering landfills by offering free
pickup of unneeded refrigerators
and freezers for recycling. This
great offer came at a perfect time
for consumers to consider pur-
chasing more energy efficient
appliances that save cash and the
environment! SCE's recycling
program not only picks up the
refrigerators, but it also removes
CFC-11 and other hazardous
materials for proper disposal. The
organization reinforced the pro-
gram by presenting participants
with either a $35 check or a pack
of energy-efficient light bulbs.
— 25 —
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Waste Wise 2002 Progra
DTE Energy-
Modernizing Since 1886
Stemming from Detroit's first light-
bulb manufacturer and electric
utility, DTE ENERGY has innovated
new ideas for nearly 120 years, and
the company's environmental prac-
tices are no exception. This
Michigan-based energy provider
demonstrated its environmental
commitment in 1994 by becoming
a charter member of the Waste Wise
program, making annual advances
in waste prevention and recycling.
In 2001, the company formalized
its longstanding waste minimiza-
tion/pollution prevention program
by forming a committee to quantify
environmental expectations and
qualifications for contractors and
suppliers, assigning a pollution
prevention representative to each
plant, and completing a pollution
prevention survey for every coal-
fired generating plant.
The company expanded its use of
electronic media as a replacement
for paper in 2001. Two electronic
newsletters replaced paper copies,
along with the 10-page annual
internal survey, phone directory,
and company policies, which are
no longer available in paper form.
DTE Energy devoted a chapter of
the company's contract adminis-
trator training manual to pollution
prevention, waste reduction, and
environmental management.
DTE Energy's computer recovery
program completed another suc-
cessful year—generating zero
waste. The company donated 227
computers, recycled more than
8,000 CPUs, monitors, keyboards,
and circuit boards, and resold
$36,000 worth of parts. It also
generated $31,000 from used fur-
niture sales and nearly $7,000
from the sale of other items. The
company reached these increased
level of sales through a new part-
nership with Goodwill Industries
and the development of an online
sales Web site.
DTE Energy purchased large
amounts of paper towels and toilet
tissue containing postconsumer
recycled content, while collecting
huge quantities of various materi-
als for recycling. By recycling
metal within used computers
alone, the company avoided the
production of GHGs equivalent to
taking nearly 2,000 cars off the
road this past year! It recycled an
additional 500 tons of paper prod-
ucts, more than 221 tons of wood,
and large amounts of ash, glass,
and plastic.
SMALL BUSINESS
Kessler Practices
What It Preaches
For KESSLER CONSULTING, INC.,
reducing waste isn't just a busi-
ness—it's protocol! This environ-
mental planning firm creates inno-
vative reduction ideas for clients as
well as itself. When the company
moved into a new office last year, it
practiced many of the reduce,
reuse, and recycle efforts it preach-
es. To begin with,
the seven-person
staff purchased a
refurbished tele-
phone system.
Kessler also
stocked the new
kitchen with dish-
es, cups, and flatware to discourage
the use of disposable items.
Common procedure within this
Florida-based office is to reuse all
office supplies until they require
recycling. Envelopes, notebooks,
folders, and boxes are constantly
reused, and all paper is printed on
two sides. Through duplex print-
ing alone, the company has reused
nearly 780 pounds of paper.
In 2001, Kessler began a com-
posting program that collects food
scraps and yard trimmings and
uses the compost on premises for
landscaping. Because its policy is
to purchase items containing recy-
cled material whenever possible,
Kessler purchased a 10-seater,
100 percent recycled plastic pic-
nic table for lunch breaks. The
company also purchases recycled-
content paper, letterhead,
envelopes, and business cards.
Employees at Kessler clearly feel
pride in their WasteWise activi-
ties. The company displays
WasteWise posters in the kitchen,
conference room, and copy room,
as well as the WasteWise logo on
company reports and the Web site.
Based on the company's calcula-
tions, in 2001, it reused nearly 15
percent of all waste and recycled
an additional 60 percent. Only 25
percent of Kessler's trash actually
makes it to a disposal facility!
— 26 —
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Waste Wise 2002 Progn
1,000 Tons of
Plastic Recycled
by Seydel
Not every company can
boast such a high rate of
material collected for recy-
cling, but T>HE SEYDEL
COMPANIES worked hard
to achieve this honor. And the com-
pany certainly takes it seriously, as
Scott Seydel, CEO, said, "Our
efforts to lessen our impact on the
environment are a source of pride
for all the Seydel associates." The
company also maintains a waste
reduction relationship with its
industrial neighbors by pooling
recyclable material collection.
In 2001, Seydel collected enough
paper products to allow 200 trees
to keep growing and enough steel
to prevent energy losses equiva-
lent to 54 barrels of oil. This
Georgia-based company also
spent $372,000 on products con-
taining recycled material and
continues to work with its suppli-
ers to increase this amount. In
one of Seydel's products, the
company increased the amount of
PET (#1) plastic content from 38
to 40 percent, or 131 tons.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Sandia's Environmental
Purchasing Doubles
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
implemented an innovative method
to ensure its staff buys "green."
When employees try to order con-
ventional products, the laborato-
ry's purchasing system automati-
cally blocks the order and substi-
tutes an equivalent, greener prod-
uct. This system enabled Sandia to
double its level of compliance with
federal environmental purchasing
requirements. Additionally, the lab
saved $72,000 and increased
spending on recycled-content
materials from $200,000 to $1.6
million after implementing the
purchasing system.
In addition to buying products
with recycled content, the lab col-
lects large amounts of recyclables
every year. In 2001, Sandia col-
lected 800 tons of metals and 760
tons of paper products for recy-
cling. Collection of these materi-
als alone prevented the produc-
tion of GHGs equivalent to taking
1,000 cars off the road for an
entire year!
Sandia National Laboratory makes
great efforts to reuse materials as
well. Using the U.S. Department of
Energy's material exchange,
Sandia posted a notice for surplus
air monitors. The equipment
found new homes within 10 days.
Another creative reuse idea—
mulching wooden broom handles
for use in landscaping.
300 Percent Increase
in Composting for
Presidio!
THE PRESIDIO TRUST, a federal
management agency overseeing
the preservation and enhancement
of the Presidio National Park site,
works in harmony with the park it
protects. In 2001, the California-
based trust expanded its onsite
composting project by three times,
processing more than 250 tons of
manure, grass, and brush onsite
and saving the trust $4,500 in dis-
posal fees. The Presidio Trust
developed Green Building
Guidelines for the rehabilitation of
historic buildings and utilizes the
U.S. Green Building Council's
LEED rating for new construction.
It salvaged or donated $50,000
worth of materials to date.
In 2001, through recycling, sal-
vage, composting, and source
reduction, the Trust diverted more
than 3,750 tons of materials from
the waste stream. Metal recycling
alone saved $6,000 in avoided
disposal fees and prevented the
production of GHGs equivalent to
90 cars driving for a year.
Aimee Vincent, sustainabilty
manager, discussed the benefit of
the trust's WasteWise member-
ship. "Our affiliation
with WasteWise has
given our waste reduc-
tion program
increased exposure in
the federal govern-
ment and greater
credibility with
employees who
were originally
skeptical of
waste reduction
efforts."
— 27 —
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Waste Wise 2002 Progra
South Carolina Escapes
Inflation
The SOUTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
(DHEC) has reduced waste so
effectively it is paying the same
tipping fees today that it did in
1993! This escape from inflation
results from the state's efforts to
continuously increase levels of
both waste prevention and recy-
cling collection.
DHEC avoids a great deal of
waste through reductions in paper
use. The organization stresses the
importance of double-sided print-
ing within the office and has
switched to e-mail for routine
communication. DHEC no longer
prints important information, such
as phone numbers and directo-
ries, instead including it on the
agency's Intranet.
DHEC also achieved success in
its recycling and green purchas-
ing efforts. The department recy-
cled 150 tons of colored paper in
2001 and 34 tons of other paper
products, along with large quanti-
ties of plastic, aluminum, glass,
wood, and computers. DHEC pur-
chased $800,000 worth of prod-
ucts made from recycled material
in 2001. It also requested that its
vendors use less packaging for
office supplies and established a
buy-recycled policy that gives a
7.5 percent price preference to
recycled-content materials.
Double-Sided Printing
at Blue Lake Doubles
Success
THE BLUE LAKE RANCHERIA
OF CALIFORNIA has made
advances in reducing one of its
largest waste streams: paper. The
switch to duplex
printing, two-
sided copying,
and faxing saved
the California
tribal group large
amounts of
paper. Recycling
efforts collected
nearly 6 tons of
paper products,
allowing up to 93
trees to live and continue carbon
sequestration, an activity our
whole planet can be thankful for.
Blue Lake is also making
progress through green purchases:
98 percent of the paper it bought
in 2001 contains postconsumer
material. Paper isn't the only area
of success, though, as the
Rancheria collected nearly 1 ton
of steel and aluminum cans for
recycling.
Waste Reduction
Spreads Across
Robinson Rancheria
"Disposal fees have dramatically
dropped thanks to our recycling
efforts, and we expect them to
drop even more," says Irenia
Quitiquit. The Robinson
Environmental Center is spread-
ing the word about waste reduc-
tion and recycling across the
ROBINSON RANCHERIA OF
POMO INDIANS because it's not
only good for the environment, it's
also good for the economy. As part
of its efforts, the Rancheria con-
ducts workshops for each tribal
department and holds sessions to
educate youth and the entire com-
munity. Last year, this California-
based tribe incorporated recycling
and composting practices into the
operations of a newly expanded,
150-seat restaurant. It then used
the restaurant's compost, along
with compost collected from the
ongoing program at the
Rancheria's senior nutritional
center, in the environmental cen-
ter's community garden.
Waste reduction efforts spread to
paper in 2001, as the Robinson
Rancheria tribal employees set up
Internet services and an e-mail
system. Going global reduced the
use of paper, while improving col-
lection efforts increased paper
recycling—the Robinson
Rancheria recycled an impressive
20 tons of paper products in 2001.
-------
Waste Wise 2002 Progrc
City of Clifton,
New Jersey, A Triple
Crown Winner
In addition to winning the 2002
WasteWise Endorser of the Year
and receiving the Program
Champion Award for climate
change activities, the ClTY OF
CLIFTON, NEW JERSEY, also
made significant accomplish-
ments in the area of reducing
waste generated by the city gov-
ernment. For example, the
Department of Public Works uses
scrap paper
as fax paper
before recy-
cling. As a
result, the
department
saved $400
in fax paper
purchasing
costs. In
addition to
its waste
prevention
measures, the city has also
increased the amount of recycled
content products purchased
including adding approximately
2 tons of recycled content paper
in 2001 for use in its offices.
The City of
Fremont, California,
Chooses to Reuse
The CITY OF FREMONT,
CALIFORNIA, went on a diet at the
October 2001 Employee
Appreciation Picnic. But it wasn't
food the city cut down on, it was
waste. Fremont's Environmental
Services Division introduced
ceramic "snack plates" to 500
city staff members. The plates
bear the catchy title "Choose to
Re-Use!" along with the city logo
and are now being used at birth-
days, retirement parties, staff
meetings, and other events. Soon
the plates will be accompanied
with a complete "Choose to Re-
Use!" line in 2002, including
commuter mugs, cloth napkins,
lunch bags, recycling baskets, and
possibly recycled-content T-shirts.
Departments in all city facilities
have been making the choice to
reuse and recycle. For example, the
maintenance
division
chipped more
than 950 tons
of scrap wood
into mulch for
use on city
property. The informational servic-
es department auctioned scrap
computers and electronics for
reuse or refurbishment. The envi-
ronmental services department
installed beverage container recep-
tacles and paper recycling bins in
the common areas of city facilities.
Environmental services also
encouraged the East Bay Regional
Park District to make system-wide
changes in the specification of the
recycled-content of waste recepta-
cles and park benches.
Kitsap County Hits the
Target When It Conies
to Waste Reduction
KITSAP COUNTY, WASHINGTON,
continued to expand its waste
reduction and recycling efforts in
2001, by using 400 recycled tires
(approximately 3 tons of rubber)
in its shooting range for the
Sheriff's Department.
Kitsap County regularly recycles
at its main campus and offsite
facilities, including road shops,
maintenance facilities, and treat-
ment plants. In 2001, employees
recycled 294 tons of mixed paper,
61 tons of steel cans, 3 tons of
aluminum (primarily from road
signs) and 51 tons of concrete
and cement. County supervisors
and several departments complet-
ed a hands-on training for waste
prevention with employees, which
will continue into 2002. "The
Wa$te Exchange," an internal
exchange and donation system of
available surplus office supplies,
continues into its third year of
operation, saving more than
$5,000 in purchasing costs.
The Solid Waste Division used
modern technology to battle waste
by creating a credit card-sized
CD containing 45 publications on
topics such as recycling, com-
posting, household hazardous
waste disposal, and environmen-
tally friendly lawn and garden
care for distribution at the Kitsap
County Fair and Rodeo and Home
Show. In all, the CDs resulted in
a net savings of approximately
9,500 pieces of paper.
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Waste Wise 2002 P
Emory and Starbucks
Add Excitement to
Reusable Mugs
To promote the importance of
"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,"
EMORY UNIVERSITY partnered
with Rollins Environmental
Health Action Committee to buy
and distribute 250 reusable mugs
across its Atlanta campus. To get
students to use these mugs, the
local Starbucks gave a 50 percent
discount on any
beverage. This
mug and coffee
deal pushed
Emory students
into a reuse mind-
set. The school
then sponsored an
"Everything
Drive" during
move-out days,
through which
students donated
their extras to be
reused by people
in need. The Surplus Shop on
campus sells used office furniture
and supplies at greatly reduced
prices, saving employees nearly
$40,000 on equipment.
In 2001, Emory expanded its
toner cartridge collection program
to most academic and administra-
tive offices, recycling a total of
1,300 pounds of plastic car-
tridges. It also collected an
impressive 400 tons of paper
products. More than 75 tons of
metal cans and nearly 57 tons of
glass were also recycled. The
school also established a commu-
nity recycling drop-off site that is
so popular, it requires collection
three to four times every week.
Emory supports recycling mar-
kets by purchasing items contain-
ing recycled materials, such as
100 percent recycled toilet paper
and hand towels. In fact, 42 per-
cent of the products the universi-
ty bought in 2001 contained post-
consumer content, totaling $1.35
million spent on recycled-content
materials.
Ohio University's
Wastebusters
When OHIO UNIVERSITY
students move into their dorms,
they not only receive their room
keys, they also get an array of
recycling information—from out-
door recycling areas to displays
and information in the buildings
and even in their rooms. Some of
this visibility is assisted by
Wastebusters, which are recy-
cling liaisons between students
and Campus Recycling and
Energy Conservation
Departments. This corps of
Wastebusters is made up of stu-
dents and residence life staff.
In 2001, Ohio University
Facilities Management continued
to upgrade its buildings for the
smoothest and most efficient recy-
cling collection possible. It
obtained lightweight recycling
barrels for outdoor events where
recycling collection is often diffi-
cult. The university collected an
impressive 1,200 tons of paper
products for recycling in 2001,
plus 304 tons of metals, and a
huge amount of glass, yard trim-
Giuuntis, RRvdiitE & Rflteg
mings, wood, textiles, and a wide
array of other materials. The
school also collects reusable
items to be redistributed, includ-
ing art supplies and art work,
clothing and linens, and terrari-
ums and aquariums. These col-
lections enabled Ohio University
Facilities Management to recycle
nearly 50 percent of its overall
waste in 2001.
To promote reuse, the school is
generous with donations. The uni-
versity gave extra beds, chairs,
and desks to social agencies,
schools, and organizations in
2001, avoiding $2,000 in disposal
costs. Plans for next year include
working with the school's office
supply vendor to increase recy-
cled content in Ohio University's
office products. Ohio University
Facilities Management is also
working to meet its impressive
goal of recycling 80 percent of the
waste generated by its students,
faculty, and staff.
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Waste Wise 2002 Progn
Seattle University
LEEDs by
Building Green
In April 2001, SEATTLE
UNIVERSITY broke ground for an
innovative student center. Seattle
University is one of the few
organizations in the country to
construct a building that achieves
LEED certification by taking the
entire life cycle of this student
center into consideration. The
school met this "green" goal by
deconstruct-
ing the old
student cen-
ter building,
salvaging as
many materi-
als as possi-
ble for reuse
in the new
structure,
and recy-
cling much of the rest. In only the
first nine months, the building
team recycled 54 tons of con-
struction and demolition debris.
As seen with the construction of
the student center, reuse activities
are not hard to find at Seattle
University. The school has a sur-
plus store where used items like
tables, blackboards, computers,
and office equipment are sold to
the public at "bargain basement
prices," saving more than 13 tons
of extras from landfills. The uni-
versity hosted a moving-out cloth-
ing drive, which collected
1,450 pounds of clothes. Plus, the
Environmental Services Office
gives away reusable mugs to
incoming freshmen, and Food
Services sells reusable mugs with
which people get discounts on
drinks across campus.
Seattle University knows that pur-
chasing recycled products is just as
important as recycling. Not only did
Seattle University spend $17,000
on products with recycled content
in 2001, it followed the policy that
no purchases would be made from
any vendor
that does not
recycle.
preconsumer
food scraps.
In 2001,
more than
46 tons of
food went to
a local com-
posting facility. Starting in 2002,
the school will compost onsite
and use the enriched soil on cam-
pus grounds.
"Claim Your Can"
and Win a Tee at UVA!
The UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
(UVA) has found catchy ways to
interest students in recycling. In
a "Claim Your Can" contest held
in 2001, students wrote their
names on aluminum cans before
recycling them. Across campus,
cans were drawn from recycling
bins and the lucky winners
received T-shirts, gift certifi-
cates, and the grand prize of a
CD player. This contest allowed
the school to collect and recycle
enough aluminum to prevent
GHG emissions equivalent to
35 fewer cars driven in 2001.
UVA will hold the contest again
in 2002, with 100 percent
recycled-content T-shirts as
some of the prizes.
UVA also
launched
Printing
Awareness
Week, during
which it pro-
moted the
conservation
of paper
through
activities
such as duplex printing and
education about the impact of
over-printing. Only one month
after this campaign, paper usage
in the campus computer labs was
down by more than one-third,
saving nearly one ton of paper.
The school recycled an additional
1,700 tons of paper products.
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WasteWise 2002 Honorable Mentions
WasteWise is proud to recognize the accomplishments of the following partners in 2002:
City of Clifton, New Jersey—Electronics
Tennessee Valley Authority—Electronics
Allergan, Inc.—Large Business
Amgen, Inc.—Large Business
Dominion Semiconductor, LLC—Large Business
Panasonic—Large Business
Spartech Corporation—Large Business
Steelcase Inc.- Large Business
Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc.—Small Business
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Academy of Sciences—Small Business
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation—State Government
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians—Tribal Government
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin—Tribal Government
City of Alexandria, Virginia—Local Government
City of Fairhope, Alabama—Local Government
City of Newport News, Virginia—Local Government
Port of Seattle, Landscape Department—Local Government
CONTACT WASTEWISE
WWW. EPA. GOV/WASTEWISE
8OO EPA-WISE (8OO 372-9473)
E-MAIL: WW(O)CAIS.NET
Preserving Resources,
Preventing Waste
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Member Index
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc 22
Allergan Sales, Inc 17
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. . .6
Bank of America 20
Battelle Memorial Institute 22
The Blue Lake Rancheria
of California 28
Canon U.S.A., Inc 22-23
City of Alexandria, Virginia 15
City of Clifton, New Jersey—
Recycling Program 17, 18, 29
City of Fremont, California 29
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation 11
Consolidated Edison Company of
New York, Inc 23
Constellation Energy Group . . .16, 23
Creative Office Systems, Inc 9
The Disneyland Resort 21
DTE Energy 26
Eastern Illinois University 13
Eastman Kodak Company 20
Emory University 30
Evelyn Hill Inc 9
Florida Power & Light Company . . .24
General Motors Corporation 21
Guardian Industries-Ligonier Plant . .8
Herman Miller, Inc 24
Jackson County, Missouri 12
Kessler Consulting, Inc 26
King County, Washington 12
Kitsap County, Washington 29
Los Angeles Unified School
District 13
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation 24
Millipore Corporation 25
NEC Electronics, Inc.—Roseville
Facility 8
Ohio University 30
Panasonic 14
Pepco 25
Pitney Bowes Inc 7
The Presidio Trust . . . .27
Public Service Enterprise
Group 14, 17, 25
Robinson Rancheria Environmental
Center 28
Sandia National Laboratories 27
Seattle University 31
The Seydel Companies 17, 27
South Carolina Department of Health
and Environmental Control . .19, 28
Southern California Edison 25
State of Ohio 11
U. S. Government Printing Office . .15
U.S. Postal Service—Alabama
District . . .10, 15
U.S. Postal Service—Northeast
Area . .
.10
University of Virginia 31
Verizon 21
Virco Mfg. Corporation 7, 16
The Walt Disney Company 6
Washoe County Government,
Nevada . . . .19
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