Zero Waste OC 2013

Ready for nothing?

The time is now. The possibilities exist (or should/could, with our leadership).

The reasons are clear.

 Introduction To Waste-Management and Materials-Recovery Program Design Concepts and Methods

The Orange County Sustainability CollaborativeMarch 1, 2013

Marialyce Pedersen, Adjunct Faculty, Golden West College

Mind the hierarchy!reduce

(waste prevention or “source reduction”)

reuserecycle

compostanaerobic digestion

Waste-to-energy (incineration)

disposal

Diffi

cult/More Sustainable Easiest/Least Sustainable

MAXIMUM ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

SOME ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

NO ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT

Business Recycling Choices to Meet AB 341 – Pay for “Easy” or Design for Economic Benefits

Easy BUT businesses must pay for service and seldom reap benefits from recyclables.

May take extra effort to set up collection systems and locate processors, but businesses directly reap financial and “closed loop” (return of materials) benefits.

Subscribe to a recycling service that may include mixed waste processing that yields diversion results comparable to source separation.

Arrange for the pickup of recyclable materials or self-haul to recyclers.

Business Waste Composition (US EPA)

preventing waste is the top of the hierarchy

plastic bag bans are good.

but what about all the other single-use plastics in all of our lives?

easy individual solutions:• duplex copying; minimizing

paper• super-portable reusable

bags• reusable utensil kits• water bottle• reusable mug (10 cent

savings!)• patronizing businesses that

utilize reusable dishware• encouraging those that don’t

yet to provide reusable dishware

Reuse is the Second Priority

There are Treasures in our Waste StreamReuse is about extracting the highest value possible from used items – preserving and even enhancing the integrity of materials through imagination, creativity and intelligence. From designers breathing new life into vintage fabrics, to developers working on downtown revitalization, there is an increasing recognition of reuse—not just as a concept, but as a movement.

The Renaissance of ReuseReuse Alliance is building a community of like-minded individuals and organizations across the country that is revolutionizing the way we look at waste.

Recycling & Composting Are Third

(US EPA)

Add It Up: Avoided Disposal, Reuse & Recycling Savings

Avoided disposal

Free recycling collection

Reduced cost collections

$$ savings

Sample Avoided Disposal Savings

ITEM/ACTIVIT

Y

Reuse/ donation

tons

Recycling tons

Collection +

disposal costs/to

n*

Less processing costs

Estimated

savings

Food Bank donations

4.5 $77 None $346.50

Grasscycling

12,000 $77 None $924,000

Bottle and can recycling

10 $200 <$1,000>

$1,000

Furniture donations

300 $200 <$12,000>

$48,000

ZW Assessment Steps

1 •Conduct visual waste assessment, facility walk-through; dialogue with leadership & employees; make personal observations.

2 •Identify waste prevention and reuse initiatives (e.g., packaging take-back requirements in contracts, electronic information distribution, reusable mug incentives, duplexing, etc.).

3 •Identify additional potential diversion of currently unrecovered recyclable and compostable materials .

4 •Select best service option(s) for currently unrecyclable and uncompostable materials.

Business Waste Assessment Steps

Target central trash collection areas

Conduct Visual Audit for all container

types

Document/Record– Map Location– Assess major discard-streams,

opportunities– Estimate Volumes/Weights

Photograph your findings Create discard analysis report

(columnar) Highest & best use recommendations Existing costs, estimated cost savings

Develop Recommendations for improvements

Potential Diversion Opportunities Assessment

Material Current Recovery (tons, % of total)

Estimated Additional Recovery Potential

Proposed Management Plan•Improve existing program•Create new program (internally, w/ local gov’t, private service providers)

Cardboard

Paper

Plastic (bottles)

Plastic (film)

Metal

Glass

Wood

Landscape

Food scraps

Etc.

Now, Calculate Your GhG (and other environmental) Savings!