Sustainable Materials Management in Action: Chumash Casino Resort
The Chumash Casino Resort in California is owned and operated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash
Indians. According to the Resort, it generated 6.44 million pounds of waste and spent $255,000 on waste
management in 2012, and generated 2.3 million pounds of
waste and reduced total waste management costs to $165,000
in 2017. This change reflects a nearly 65 percent waste
reduction and a 35 percent cost reduction in only five years.
This impressive accomplishment was the result of continuous
efforts to find and implement Sustainable Materials
Management (SMM) solutions.
Mark Funkhouser, the Resort's custodial services manager,
explained that auditing waste streams and making decisions Photograph credit: Chumash Casino Resort
based on return on investment (ROI) is the path to successful
SMM. Some of the Resort's projects have taken 12 years or
longer, with a few failures and lessons learned along the way, so persistence is important. "The Resort
learns from each project and gains knowledge for future initiatives," Funkhouser said.
According to the Resort, a 2006 internal audit of its 40-yard roll-off dumpster found that most Resort
recyclables came from the casino floor and parking structures. The Resort and its waste hauler developed a
color-coded bag system to sort wastes and more easily retrieve recyclables. Use of the system reduced
waste materials sent to the landfill by 6 percent in 2007. Later, the Resort partnered with a composting
company to compost kitchen and food waste, and to collect dry solids produced by the Resort's wastewater
treatment plant.
The Resort's facility department conducts annual audits and each year focuses on areas of highest
potential. The department selected its projects partly based on anticipated ROI, with the expectation that
the projects will pay for themselves over the long run. In the meantime, project teams gain valuable
experience and explore efficiencies. The department gets approval from senior management by
documenting and sharing data and visuals on current conditions and expectations for the future.
The Resort currently partners with other groups on a number of other recycling efforts on site. A textile
recycler recycles employee uniforms; a nonprofit organization recycles discarded hotel soaps and hygiene
products and distributes them to places in need; and other partners recycle e-waste, batteries, cardboard,
carpets, polystyrene foam and plastic bags. Also, the Resort is enrolled in a program for the recycling of its
post-consumer polystyrene cups.
Today, the Resort continues to develop innovative ways to manage its materials efficiently by minimizing
waste stream expenditures, maximizing recycling revenue, and partnering with other organizations.
To learn more, visit these EPA websites:
Sustainable Materials Management:
https://www. epa. gov/sm m
Integrated Waste Management Plans:
https://www.epa.gov/tribal-lands/developing-tribal-integrated-waste-management-plans
&EPA
Computers
Television Recycling
l suable Building Material
Sustainable Materials Management (SMM)
On Tribal Lands
A Life-Cycle Approach to
Managing Materials
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	February 2019
EPA 530-F-19-001

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Overview
We are surrounded by products and materials in our daily lives. Food, paper, building materials and
packaging are a few examples. Paying attention to how these products are made and what happens after
we use them is vital to ensuring that we have sufficient resources to meet today's needs and tomorrow's
priorities.
Tribal decision makers often use the Seventh Generation Principle, which says decision makers should con-
sider the effects of their actions and decisions for seven generations into the future. This philosophy is inte-
gral to many Native American cultures. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) takes a similarly holistic,
life-cycle approach to materials and waste management. SMM helps us choose and handle materials in a
way that preserves resources for future generations.
Applying SMM approaches can reduce costs, save resources and re-
duce waste by considering each stage of a product's life cycle—from ex-
traction, production, design and manufacturing through use and reuse to
recycling and disposal. Each life-cycle stage requires energy, water and
materials, and produces environmental impacts such as wastes and
emissions, and may have societal or economic costs. The Chumash Ca-
sino Resort, one of our featured case studies in the "SMM in Action" sec-
tion of this brochure, realized a return on investment using SMM princi-
ples and practices.
Through SMM, tribal governments and communities can use and reuse
materials as efficiently as possible while also minimizing the amount of
materials used and their environmental impacts.
A Typical Product Life-Cycle Diagram
Natural
resources
Incineration and
landfilling

Recovery
Disposal
11
X
Reuse
Extraction of
raw materials
w Recycling of materials and
components
In each life-cycle stage,
there is the potential to
reduce resource con-
sumption and improve
performance of products.
\
Design and
production
Use and
maintenance
~
Packaging and
distribution
What You Can Do
Start small or go big!
Incorporate SMM into your
Tribal Integrated Waste
Management Plan. Ask
yourself these questions:
How can you or your
tribe purchase and use
fewer materials, or use
materials with a smaller
impact on the
environment?
How can you waste
less? How can you
reuse or recycle waste
materials?
• Are there others you can
partner with to leverage
resources?
Are there organizations
that could use your
byproducts, trimmings,
excess or what would
traditionally be
considered waste?
What are the costs and
benefits of your
decisions? For example,
what are the costs and
benefits of purchasing
more efficient equipment
or less impactful
materials?
Graphic: UN Environment's Life Cycle
www.lifecycleinitiative.org
Sustainable Materials Management in Action: Miigwech Aki
Miigwech Aki, which translates to "Thank You Earth," is an environmentally conscious social enterprise in
Bemidji, Minnesota. Started in 2012 and part of the Northwest Indian Community Development Center, the
company provides deconstruction services for residential and
commercial buildings. The organization addresses a major tribal
priority—abandoned structures—using an SMM approach that
provides social, economic and environmental benefits. The
company's success to date has been built on a strong foundation
of local and regional partnerships, extensive community outreach,
and creative resource leveraging.
According to Miigwech Aki, its innovative by-hand approach
extends the life cycle of a wide range of construction materials
(e.g., sheetrock, lumber, joists, flooring, cabinetry), keeping them
out of landfills. The organization targets a reclamation rate of 85
percent across its projects. Reclaimed materials are then resold to
clients and the general public. Miigwech Aki provides clients with a summary that documents their materials
diverted from landfills, as well as the greenhouse gas reductions made possible by their recycling. The
company's approach also provides tax benefits for clients based on the value of the donated materials.
"As part of the Anishinaabe people, we're doing this because this is what we do, we value Mother Earth," said
Christopher Bedeau, Miigwech Aki's Crew Chief. "We saw a clear opportunity to reduce widespread waste by
reclaiming building products within our communities. We are helping to preserve our greatest resource,
Mother Earth, one building at a time."
The company focuses on making a difference in area communities in other ways as well. It prioritizes job
training, higher wages and safe working conditions for employees. The company helps staff build career skills
and serves as a reference for future employment. "We value our employees," Bedeau said. "They make
everything possible, and our approach gives people a sense of broader well-being. This is not just about a
paycheck. This is about taking care of the planet and providing for the next generation."
Local and regional partnerships with tribal and local governments and nonprofits have been key to Miigwech
Aki's work. Partnering with Better Futures Minnesota, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit, leveraged grant funding
and training resources. The Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota-Duluth helps
the company find high-value markets for reclaimed materials. The American Indian Opportunities
Industrialization Center in Minneapolis provides classroom space for trainings. A memorandum of
understanding with the U.S. Forest Service led to major deconstruction projects of former housing buildings in
the Chippewa National Forest. "We also work with private firms that have an environmental focus, to access
additional capacities," noted Bedeau. "For example, an excavation company may come in and recycle
concrete from building foundations." Through these efforts and a multi-year track record, Miigwech Aki is now
well-established and growing steadily. According to the company, it went from two projects in 2012 to
currently averaging five to 10 projects a year. The scale and scope of the projects have grown as well. As of
2018, some projects employ as many as 18 people.
Looking forward, Miigwech Aki is seeking to apply SMM approaches in new ways to reduce costs and save
resources. The company is doing this by expanding its services to include energy assistance initiatives.
These initiatives include providing energy audits and solar panel installations. "With more projects, we can
help more people find work and keep more materials out of the landfill," Bedeau reflected. "We are looking to
help this kind of work grow, locally and nationally."
Photograph credit: Miigwech Aki

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