Case Study: Electronic Waste Recycling
Increases Waste  Diversion
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board headquarters in Chicago
recycled more than 3,200 pounds of electronic waste in one year, a
nearly 10 percent increase over its baseline the previous year. This
was accomplished by finding additional recycling or repurposing
options for the agency's equipment through the property
management process and the Computers for Learning program.

RRB's electronic waste reuse and recycling is driven by two federal
programs. The agency began donating excess computers in 1997
upon enactment of Executive Order 12999, Computers for
Learning. This order established a registry of schools in need of
computer equipment and streamlined the disposition  process.
Because RRB is a small, independent agency with minimal staff, the
Computers for Learning program's efficiency was appealing. The
schools receiving the computer equipment were thrilled and
                                  expressed their
                                  gratitude, which
                                  boosted RRB staff
                                  morale and provided an
                                  incentive to continue
                                  and improve the
                                  initiative. Since 1997,
                                  all surplus desktop
                                  equipment in good
                                  condition has been
                                  donated through the
                                  program.

                                  Most other electronic
                                  equipment, including
                                  televisions, computer
                                  servers and networking
                                  equipment, is recycled
                                  by a certified electronics
 The Railroad Retirement Board is in the Lipinski    recycler Which ensures
 Federal Building in Chicago.                that best management
                                                          Key Topics

                                                           • Electronics recycling.

                                                           • Property management.
                                                          Results
                                                           •  Recycled over 3,200 pounds of
                                                              electronics.
                                                          Facility at a Glance

                                                           •  Housed in a 12-story building
                                                              on a city block in downtown
                                                              Chicago.

                                                           •  Primary federal tenant in a
                                                              GSA-owned building
                                                              maintained by RRB with
                                                              businesses leasing space on
                                                              the first floor.

                                                           •  Small, independent agency,
                                                              headquartered in Chicago, IL
                                                              with a staff of 940.

                                                           •  Participant since 2011 in the
                                                              FGC water and electronics
                                                              categories.

                                                           •  Recipient of two 2012 EPA
                                                              Region 5 FGC Awards: Water
                                                              and Electronics.
Sustainable Materials Management
Federal  Green Challenge
       CHANGING HOW WE THINK ABOUT OUR RESOURCES FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
                                                                  www.epa.gov/smm

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 Waste  Diversion  Increased
practices are met.

Using certified electronics recyclers offers a way to
assess the environmental, worker health and
security practices of the recyclers. RRB collects the
items, follows property management practices that
might identify other agencies that can reuse them,
packages them for shipment, and acquires cost
proposals from the electronic recyclers to find the
most economical solution.

Finally, RRB rounds out its electronics recycling
activities by sending reusable mobile devices back
to the telecommunications provider where it
receives credit on its bill.

RRB tracks disposition results in GSAXCESS and on
the Computers for Learning website. Electronic
recycling data is uploaded and available to agency
personnel to track and download data and create
reports required by RRB.

While the agency has been successful in its
electronic waste recycling program, the program
has not been without challenges.

One challenge was ensuring consistent and
complete removal of data from equipment hard
drives. To address this, the agency's property
management group met with IT departments to
establish processes and procedures to ensure
compliance with security requirements prior to
placing electronic equipment in surplus storage
areas for recycling.

Another challenge was finding sufficient storage
space for temporarily housing equipment until
recycling occurs. Mobile and utility racks  were
adapted to use as much vertical space as possible
and to facilitate efficient transfer of equipment
when retrieved by the receiving party.

Finally, requirements for disposition change.  To
hear about these changes, trends in electronics
recycling, and new tools and resources, RRB
property staff attends property management and
disposition training offered by GSA.
  About the Federal Green Challenge

  The Federal Green Challenge, part of EPA's Sustainable Materials
  Management Program, is designed to challenge federal agencies
  throughout the country to lead by example in reducing the federal
  government's environmental impact. It helps agencies meet obligations
  under Executive Orders 13514 and 13423.
  In 2012, nearly 300 federal agencies, representing more than 500,000
  employees participated in the Federal Green Challenge. Their combined
  efforts resulted in an estimated cost savings of more than $31 million to
  U.S. taxpayers.
Region 5, Land and Chemicals Division, Materials Management Branch
EPA-905-F-14-006
February 2014
                 For More
                 Information

                 RRB contact:

                 Sally Mui
                 312-751-4711
                 sally.mui@rrb.gov

                 Federal Green Challenge:
                 http://epa.gov/fgc

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