WasteWise
                              Conserving Resources, Preventing Waste
"/ attended the 2008
WasteWise Conference
and walked away with
several exciting ideas
for waste reduction
from our networking
and conversations at the
conference."
              - Mariah Title
            snior Environmen
            ogram Coordina
                   Genzyr
  hievements converted
  • greenhouse gases is
   
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                                    WasteWise
                                     Offers a
                                     Full Service
                                     Helpline
Why Does Waste Reduction
Makes Sense?
Waste reduction makes good business sense because it
helps your organization promote environmental stewardship,
reduce its climate footprint, and save money.
Promotes environmental stewardship. In today's world,
consumers are increasingly interested in organizations'
environmental profiles. By joining WasteWise, you can show
your employees, shareholders, customers, and communities
that your organization cares about conserving resources,
preventing waste, and saving money.
Reduces climate footprint. Through waste prevention
and recycling, you can greatly reduce your greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions by conserving raw materials and the energy
needed to retrieve and process those materials for use in
manufacturing new products.
Saves money. Waste reduction saves your organization
money through reduced purchasing and disposal costs and
improved operating efficiency.

"By participating in EPA's WasteWise

Program, we have been able to enhance

our commitment to reduce, reuse,

and recycle by utilizing the program's

experience, expertise, and support"
    -Todd Johnson, Recycling/Environmental Coordinator,
                          NEC Electronics America, Inc.
How  Does WasteWise  Help?
As a WasteWise partner, you can access a wealth of free
technical assistance that will help you design and implement
effective waste reduction activities. Through our network
of experts and peers, you will learn cost-cutting waste
reduction strategies and gain valuable insight from other
partners. Key benefits include access to:
•  WasteWise Technical Assistance Team helps you design
   and implement your unique WasteWise program.
•  WasteWise Helpline offers toll-free access to information
   specialists trained to answer programmatic as well as
   technical questions about WasteWise.
•  WasteWise Web site contains a variety of resources,
   including publications, program  news, and links to
   additional waste reduction Web  sites.
•  WasteWise Re-TRAC, our free data management and
   reporting system, allows you to track your organization's
   waste generation and reduction activities. Through this
   automated, secure system, you can input data, track
   waste reduction activities, and generate customized
   reports whenever the need arises. You can also calculate
   your GHG emission reductions and their environmental
   impacts.
•  Educational webinars provide information and training on
   technical topics.
•  WasteWise Awards Program offers special  recognition fo
   partners that demonstrate outstanding efforts in all areas
   of the program.
•  Meetings and mentoring opportunities allow you to
   exchange information with and learn directly from other
   partners.


•  Personalized Climate Profiles provide you with
   information on your organization's GHG emission
   reduction efforts.
•  Publications guide you in developing and implementing
   your WasteWise program through partner case studies,
   discussions of specialized topics, and coverage of specific
   business sectors.

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How Can I Become a Successful

WasteWise Partner?
Joining WasteWise is easy! To join, register online at
www.epa.gov/wastewise. Once you sign up, just follow
these steps:
1.  Identify your waste reduction opportunities. One
   of the first steps in designing a successful waste
   reduction program is identifying areas where waste
   can be reduced. A waste audit is not expensive or time
   consuming and will likely save you money in the long run.
   WasteWise can provide tips for conducting a successful
   waste audit.
2.  Plan your program. The WasteWise Technical
   Assistance Team will help you identify waste reduction
   opportunities in three key areas:
   •  Waste prevention
   •  Recycling and composting
   •  Buying/manufacturing recycled-content products
3.  Educate your employees. An employee education
   campaign can boost program success through increased
   awareness and participation.
4.  Track and measure your progress. Knowing how far
   you've come will help you assess your current efforts
   and plan your next steps. With the WasteWise Re-TRAC
   data management system, you can easily manage waste
   reduction activities at multiple facilities and run real-time
   reports to determine the environmental and economic
   benefits of your program.
5.  Report your progress. As a WasteWise  partner,
   you will be required to report baseline and annual data.
   With WasteWise Re-TRAC, you can submit these data
   with a click.
"The Helpline is great for networking

opportunities with other WasteWise

partners. They inform me of what other

partners are doing, so I can model our

waste reduction efforts after them."
                                     - Ed Abrams,
                 Environmental Programs Coordinator,
                  U.S. Postal Service-Alabama District
What Is a WasteWise
Endorser?
EPA launched the WasteWise endorser program to help
spread the WasteWise message to more organizations.
Endorsers are state and local government agencies, trade
associations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses that
help their members, constituents, or customers realize
that reducing solid waste makes good business sense.
WasteWise endorsers commit to recruiting organizations to
become WasteWise partners and providing members with
ongoing promotional or technical information.
Where Can I Get
More Information?
                                                                                  ion is available
                                                     online at www.epa.gov/wastewise and through the
                                                     WasteWise Helpline at 1-800-EPA-WISE (372-9473).

                                                     WasteWise - Conserving Resources, Preventing Waste

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WasteWise Success  Stories

Lawyers Go Electronic - Through its Law Office Climate
Challenge, the American Bar Association is challenging
law offices across the country to prevent paper waste by
instituting electronic document and double-sided printing
and copying policies.
Furniture Giant Strives for Zero Waste - Merman Miller,
Inc., is looking to send zero waste to the landfill by 2020.
The company has already reduced its waste to landfill by
more than 88 percent, or from 12,500 to 1,500 tons per
year, from its 1994 baseline, and generated $3.3 million in
recycling income in one year. This performance is part of
Herman Miller's overall sustainability goals for 2020.
Subaru Reduces GHG Emissions - Subaru of Indiana
Automotive has implemented extensive waste prevention
and recycling initiatives. Subaru is now able to recycle 99.9
percent of waste generated from its manufacturing  process,
reducing its GHG emissions by approximately 46,000 metric
tons of carbon equivalents.
Waste Reduction Saves Verizon $31 Million - In 2009,
Verizon Wireless'  HopeLineฎ program collected, refurbished,
or recycled nearly 1.1 million used cell phones. Other Verizon
programs have allowed the company to realize more than $31
million in waste prevention savings and recycling revenues.
Book Reseller Generates $22 Million - In 2008, Better
World Books generated more than $22.5 million in revenues
and avoided $192,585 in disposal costs from the resale/
reuse of 5,255 tons of books and other materials. In addition
to benefiting the environment, a portion of the proceeds
from every book sold helps fund literacy programs around
the world.
College Food Feeds Livestock - Each year, Rutgers
University sends  more than 3,800 tons of food waste to a
local farm for cattle feed, saving the university more than
$200,000 a year in operational, maintenance, storage, and
hauling costs.
Webcor Tackles Construction Wastes - Webcor Builders
has demonstrated innovation and commitment to waste
reduction in the construction industry by diverting 75 to
95 percent of wastes generated during its construction
and demolition projects. The builder frequently reuses
materials from its demolition projects as raw materials for its
construction projects, and often donates reusable materials
to local charities.
Steelcase Offers 100 Percent Recycled - Steelcase offers
furniture with environmentally friendly options including
fabric made with 100 percent recycled beverage bottles,
components made from biobased materials, and particleboard
made with 100 percent pre-consumer recycled wood fiber.
Massachusetts Spreads the Word - The Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection has expanded its
WasteWise program to the state's 351 cities and towns.
Every year, this endorser reaches out to organizations
through forums, municipal workshops, business
associations, and its own WasteWise Web site.

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