United States Environmental Protection Agency 0ctober1990 Solid Waste & Emergency Response (OS-305) Printed on Recycled Paper ------- ------- n recent years, citizens, industry, and.' _ government at all levels have begun using innovative approaches to challenge the "throwaway" ethic that has dominated the. nation's solid waste management practices. Recycling is an increasingly attractive option, and has gained support in communities across the country, because it can help conserve natural resources, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, reduce disposal costs, and provide an alternative source of raw materials for industry. As part of a nationwide strategy, the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) set a goal of recycling and reducing at least 25 percent of the nation's solid waste by 1992. In many areas of the country, including the District of Columbia, .state and local laws require that government agencies .and private organiza- . tions recycle. .'•'•> . Federal agencies can play a strong leader- ship role in promoting recycling'oy setting up programs within their organizations that are positive examples for their local communi- ties, other agencies, and the rest of the nation. . The immediate benefits of such efforts can be impressive as well. Most federal offices, for example, could reduce their waste disposal costs by as much as 50 percent simply by separating out their high-grade office'paper for recycling. Collecting recyclable materials is only part of the recycling "loop," however. Procure- ment of recycled goods is also necessary to stimulate markets and complete the recycling "loop." EPA has established procurement guidelines requiring the federal government to buy certain products made from recycled materials. Many state and local governments are also actively procuring products made with recycled materials. Many federal agencies have already im- plemented recycling programs; others are just beginning. This brochure describes several successful and innovative programs that have been initiated in the federal government, and lists some of the resources available to federal agencies to help them establish or expand a recycling program. ------- ------- ince 1988, a group of volunteers at EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC, has worked to instill a recycling ethic in the Agency. EPA's office paper recovery program is now collecting an average of 65 tons of paper per month, sorted into high-grade (such as letterhead, publications, white copier, and computer paper), low-grade (such as colored paper and file folders), and newspaper. Each employee receives a two-part desktop container for the collection of high- and low- grade paper. Office areas are equipped with central collection bins where employees deposit the contents of their desktop contain- ers. Copy centers are supplied with 44-gaIlon barrels for paper collection. Collection bins have also been set up for old newspapers. *=*. A voluntary glass recycling program has also been initiated at EPA Headquarters. Seven glass collection containers or "igloos," provided to EPA by the DC Council of Churches and the Glass Packaging Institute, are located outside EPA's main building. These igloos are available for community as well as employee use; many residents drop off glass during the weekends. EPA is now the largest recycler of glass in the DC area, collecting 22,000 pounds of alass per month. .Proceeds from the glass collection are shared by EPA,and the Council of Churches. The funds received by EPA (about $2,500 in FY 1989) have been donated to EPA's Early En- vironments Child Daycare Center. Another component of EPA's in-house program is the aluminum can collection program begun in July 1990. An average of 500 pounds of aluminum cans are collected each month. Proceeds from aluminum can recycling also go to the daycare center. The Agency also ran a 14-week program called "Operation Cleanup" during the spring/ summer of 1990. Employees were asked to clean up their file cabinets and desks and separate their recyclables from the trash. Over 170 tons of recyclable paper were collected— more than twice the amount of trash collected during the cleanup. Reusable supplies (such as vinyl folders, computer paper, and file folders) also were collected and will be recycled through the Agency's supply store. Many of EPA's regional offices also have active recycling programs. Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia), for example, collected'almost 139,000 pounds of paper, glass, and alumi- num in the first year of its recycling program. Region 4 is also initiating a volunteer speakers program for outreach to schools and community and business groups. Region 7 (Kansas Gity, Kansas) is working to promote a "recycling ethic" through its program, which targets paper, aluminum, and laser toner cartridges. ' he General Services Administration (GSA) provides technical assistance to federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area in developing and implementing office recycling programs. GSA-assisted paper recycling programs are already operating, and programs for bottles and cans are planned to begin in the fall of 1990. To date, GSA has assisted federal agencies establish paper recycling programs at over 140 locations. Employees use desktop collection containers to sort high-grade recy- clable paper and empty these containers into centralized containers located in each office, copy center, or computer center. The custodial-crew then takes the paper to a loadingjiock or appropriate storage area for pickup by a GSA contractor. Over 250,000 federal employees in the Washington, DC, area generate recyclable paper, and GSA expects to collect 25,000 to 30,000 tons of paper in FY 1990. As of May 1990, GSA had sold 212,000 desktop containers and 17,000 centralized containers for use by agencies in the DC area as well as several other regions. GSA also encourages agencies to collect lower grades of paper ir> large quantities, and will be expanding its program to include newspaper in the near future. ------- ------- he U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service (NPS) has initi- ated recycling programs in national parks throughout the country. Over 100 national parks currently have recycling programs; this number is expected to grow as NPS imple- ments a new, comprehensive solid waste management program. Materials collected at national parks each year include aluminum (over 76,000 pounds); glass (more than 345,000 pounds); paper (nearly 160,000 pounds); oil (over 12,000 pounds); plastic (730 pounds); and miscellaneous materials such as cardboard, chipboard, and newspaper (over 570,000 pounds). These recycling efforts are not only valuable to the Park Service, but also serve as excellent examples to the thousands of people who visit national parks each day. **• Materials Collected Annually at National Parks for Recycling Yosemite National Park, for example, has had an arrangement with its concessioner for over 12 years to jointly collect and recycle solid waste. The materials collected and recycled include aluminum, glass, paper, waste oil, plastics, and cardboard. The conces- sioner uses the profits from the recycling effort forspecial projects to benefit the park, such as revegetation of meadows. Another park, the Statue of Liberty National Monu- ment (STLI), recently initiated a compost program for organic lawn wastes (such as grass clippings and leaves) which were previ- ously sent to a landfill. The compost is an eco- nomical source of soil amendment for the #*!> park's horticultural needs, and reduces the solid waste generated at STLI by about 4 toi or 20 cubic yards per year. In an innovative cooperative effort betwe government and industry, Dow Chemical Company is arranging for the collection, tra portation, separation, and recycling of plasti aluminum, and glass waste for selected national parks. Dow is also developing, in c operation with NFS, a public education program aimed at encouraging park visitors participate in the recycling effort. Pilot projects are beginning in 1990 at Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Grand Canyon National Park. o stimulate and strengthen the markets for recyclable materials, EPA has issue procurement guidelines requiring federal agencies, grantees, and contractors to buy certain products made of recycled materials To date, guidelines have been issued for fiv product types: building insulation products, cement and concrete containing fly ash, paper and paper products, lubricating oils containing re-refined oils, and retread tires. Additional guidelines are also being plannei A number of federal agencies are now suc- cessfully implementing these procurement guidelines. For example, EPA buys recyclec paper for printing 95 percent of all EPA pul lications. All of EPA's letterhead is also recycled paper. "The Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), the Congressional committee responsible fc setting standards for printing paper bought 1 the federal government, recently issued specifications for government procurement recycled paper. This action makes the feder government one of the largest purchasers oi recycled photocopying, printing, and writin papers in.the world. It also sends a message to the paper industry that the federal government (which buys about 2.5 percent the paper industry's production, including 486,000 tons of printing paper each year) is ready market for competitively priced recycled paper products. The first truckload of newly purchased recycled copier paper will be delivered to EPA and several other federal agencies in the Washington, DC, ari in the early fall of 1990. € ------- ------- A wealth of information and assistance is j[\. available to guide federal agencies that wish to begin or expand recycling efforts— collecting materials for recycling, procuring goods made with recycled materials, or both. The listing below describes several new resources that can help an agency make its recycling program a success. This EPA handbook providei; detailed guidance for personnel responsi ble for developing and implementing office paper recovery programs. It includes information on assessing an agency's recycling potential, finding markets for paper, and educating- employees. A case study of EPA's. paper recovery program explains how that program became a success. The manual is particularly useful for recycling coordinators in federal institutions and agencies since it explains federal regula- tions and-policies, as well as the assistance available from the General Services Admini- stration. In addition, the principles outlined in the manual would be helpful to anyone planning an office paper recovery program, - including state'and local government agencies, commercial businesses, and other private organizations. To'order, call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 and ask for EPA/ 530-.SW-90-001. This handbook presents general information about developing .and implementing an office recycling program (for paper, glass, alumi- num, plastics, and other materials). It addresses the five key components of a comprehensive office recycling program: . education, collection, marketing, procure- ment, and monitoring and evaluation. It provides step-by-step guidance for beginnin a recycling program as well as useful infor- mation for fine-tuning programs that are already operating. To order, call the EPA Headquarters Recycling Office at (202) 382-6980. This handbook provides a general'intro- duction to office recycling, and describes th steps that make up a successful program: selecting a coordinator, evaluating the office's waste stream, deciding what materi als to recycle, minimizing waste generation and educating employees. Detailed.appendi ces include information on topics such as waste collection options, waste hauling, cor monly recycled materials, contaminants in the recycling stream, and sample kickoff memos. A list of helpful references and publications and a glossary of recycling ten are also included. To order, contact the Waste Managemer, Division of EPA Region 5 at (312) 886-097> ' EPA developed this Guide primarily to help state and local solid waste decision- makers. It.should also assist managers of large federal installations and those interest in integrating federal recycling programs ar local community programs. The Guide re- flects the multi-faceted nature of today's evolving waste management technology. Volume 1, which is now available, contains .information to help decision-makers under- stand and evaluate their current waste man- agement problems. It also presents possible solutions, and describes the interrelationshi; among recycling and other waste manage- ment options. Volume 2, which is expected be available in the winter of 1991, will ------- ------- contain detailed information directed at managers responsible for implementing and integrating the chosen waste management ap- proaches. To order, call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 and ask for EPA/ 530-SW-89-072. • EPA is developing training materials to educate recycling coordinators and building managers about what they need to know to develop, implement, and maintain a recycling program. Tfiese materials include course materials for seminars to train recycling coordinators and educational/pro- motional materials for individual employees, such as slide shows, postersji'aiMl brochures;' In a series of pilot programs, EPA;'will.help set up recycling programs in federal facilities and will monitor me succesS;Of the training and educational materials. / • : For more information, contact the U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste at-.(2Q2) 382- 6261. (3S A provides technical assistance to federal agencies in the Washington, UC, area that are interested in developing recycling programs for office paper, newspaper, aluminum cans, and glass. GSA works one- on-one with federal agency representatives who wish to set up recycling programs, and provides additional training sessions, including a slide show and/or a. video presentation, for individuals assigned to implement recycling within agency offices (or for all employees, if desired). GSA also offers use of existing waste hauling contracts for removal of recyclables. For more information, contact GSA's Federal Recycling Program at (202) 501- 0348. The Federal Agency Recycling Confer- ence, cosponsored by EPA and GSA, is bringing together senior-level administrators from the 197 federal agencies in the Wash- ington, DC, area to promote recycling, and t< discuss regulations, policies, and issues regarding pollution prevention, waste man- agement, and procurement of recycled goods in government agencies. A second confer- ence will be held for directors of facilities and directors of procurement in federal agencies. It will provide detailed guidance for developing and implementing recycling and procurement programs. For more information, contact the EPA Headquarters Recycling Office at (202) 382- 6980. EPA's procurement guidelines require th federal government to buy certain products made of recycled materials. EPA has estab- lished a telephone hotline to respond to questions about the guidelines from agencies vendors, and the general public. Copies of tt guidelines are also available through the hotline. For more information, call the Procure- ment Guidelines Hotline at (703) 941-4452. & s demonstrated by the many successful /JL programs being implemented in agencies across the country and the wealth < helpful resources, recycling can be done am done effectively. But collecting recyclable materials is not enough. Federal agencies must be knowledgeable about all aspects of developing, implementing, and operating a recycling program. They must also do their part to complete the recycling loop by buyii products made from recycled materials. Through recycling and procurement, the federal community can lead the country in solving the solid waste dilemma. ------- ------- |