1. Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Waste In The Workplace
Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
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2. Keep America Beautiful National, nonprofit organization
More than 580 local, state and international affiliates
Mission: engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving community environment
Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, Inc. is a national, nonprofit organization whose network of local, statewide and international affiliate programs educate individuals about litter prevention and ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and properly manage waste materials. KAB’s redefined its mission in 2004 to the action oriented words of engage and improve.
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3. Prevent litter – goal of prevention rather than cleanup
The focus of education materials, training and research, and resources for KAB:
Prevent litter – goal of prevention rather than cleanup
Beautification – landscaping and community improvement such as graffiti removal and building appearance improvement
Waste reduction and recycling, - properly disposing of waste and giving options for waste handling reduces litter and improves communities
All of these have an impact on quality of life and improve communities.
Your organization may choose to be involved in other topics but these are the ones that KAB will provide information about and resources to implement projects.
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4. The Issue: 230 million tons of trash are created each year in the U.S.
Commercial waste is almost ½ of MSW
The Issue:
230 million tons of trash are created each year in the U.S.
Commercial waste is almost ½ of MSW
MSW = Municipal Solid Waste
(Note to presenter: insert local example if figures can be obtained. For example, our community’s MSW is 60% commercial.)
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5. What Can We Do? The answer is in: Waste In The Workplace
Small business waste audit guide
Developed with the assistance of the solid waste community
The answer is in:
Waste In The Workplace
KAB small business waste audit guide
Developed with the assistance of the solid waste community (Note to presenter: cite a few from the list below)
American Public Works Association
American Society of Civil Engineers
Association of State & Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials
Council of State Governments
General Federation of Women’s Clubs
International City Management Association
National Association of Counties
National Association of Regional Councils
National League of Cities
The Procter & Gamble Company
Scott Paper Company
Tennessee Valley Authority
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Conference of Mayors
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S.D.I.
National Park Service
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6. Why Minimize Your Waste?
3 Good Reasons:
1. Good for the Environment
2. Good for Your Bottom Line
3. Good for Public Relations
Why Minimize Your Waste?
Three Good Reasons
1. Good for the Environment : Commercial waste is as high as 1/2 the waste stream in some communities
2. Good for Your Bottom Line: Cost savings and cost avoidance
3. Good for Public Relations
Environmentally sound (reduces waste overall).
It makes good financial sense to reduce waste disposal costs.
Can be cost effective (reduce disposal costs, reduce unnecessary internal waste, reduce unnecessary purchases).
Commercial waste is a prime target for waste minimization efforts.
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7. The Bottom Line:
Waste minimization will make your business more efficient and competitive.
Bottom line: Waste minimization will make your business more efficient and competitive.
You will select a representative group of employees to help in sorting and analyzing your business’ trash.
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8. The KAB Way Get the Facts Involve the People Develop a Plan
Focus on Results
Provide Positive Reinforcement
The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB system; Builds sustainability
Get the Facts
Involve the People
Develop a Plan
Focus on Results
Provide Positive Reinforcement
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9. Get the Facts The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB affiliate; Builds sustainability
Get the Facts
Research the issue in your community. Gather local information. Interview field professionals those in and leadership roles. Assemble all pertinent data in writing. KAB affiliates may use Community Appearance Index and Focus Area Survey.
Start at the end of the waste stream and look back. A company in TN looked at their trash going to the landfill and 1/3 of it was product rejects.
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10. Involve the People The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB affiliate; Builds sustainability
Involve the People
Identify the people who have the most influence over this particular issue. Let them know what you would like to do. Find how it can match their own interests, and capitalize on that interest. Involve people they know and with whom they work. The volunteer network will spread. Delegation is the key.
Be sure to involve representatives from all areas of your business.
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11. Develop a Plan The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB affiliate; Builds sustainability
Develop a Plan
Once the leadership and other key individuals are in agreement, develop a plan of action. Utilizing effective management techniques, the group commits to this plan of action with the aid of KAB programs and resource guides.
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12. Focus on Results The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB affiliate; Builds sustainability
Focus on Results
Your goal will be to achieve measurable results. All activities and projects should be planned programs designed to target and change negative attitudes and practices.
The best way to quantify results is to keep accurate records.
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13. Provide Positive Reinforcement
The KAB Way (5 Step Process)
Used in every KAB affiliate; Builds sustainability
Provide Positive Reinforcement
Give those who worked on the project appropriate recognition. This can take many forms, but a sincere “thank you” is a first step. People must feel positive about their efforts with you if they are to sustain their interest.
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14. Waste In The Workplace: The Guide
Commercial Waste Overview
Chapter 1: Conducting a Waste Audit
Chapter 2: Implementing a Waste
Minimization Plan
Appendices
The Waste in the Workplace guide consists of basically 2 parts:
AUDIT and IMPLEMENT
To assist with these two parts, the guide contains a brief:
Overview of Commercial Waste
Two detailed chapters:
Conducting a Waste Audit
Implementing a Waste Minimization Plan
Appendices
And helpful Checklists
(See Table of Contents in the guide.)
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15. Here are sample pages from the Waste In The Workplace guide.
(Note to presenter: you might choose to stop the presentation at this point and give everyone a chance to thumb through the guide.)
Please open your guides, now.
Familiarize yourself with the Table of Contents, and each of the major components.
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16. Chapter 1: Conducting A Waste Audit
Select a waste audit team to begin collecting background information about your current waste status.
Chapter One: Conducting a Waste Audit
Select a waste audit team to begin collecting background information about your current waste status.
Background information such as:
Who is your waste hauler?
What are your costs?
How often are pickups?
Current recycling efforts?
The first step is a “waste audit,” a systematic procedure to review operations and waste generation to define the composition of your discards by examining how materials enter and exit your facility.
An audit alone will not reduce your business’ waste, an audit is a starting point to make informed decisions on how to allocate resources for source reduction and recycling programs.
Current and accurate information on the quantity and composition of the waste stream
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17. Select A Waste Audit Team
Represent all areas of your business
Team size will vary
Select A Waste Audit Team
(Involve the People)
Perhaps the most important step
Select a Waste Audit Team
Members should represent all areas of your business
Team size will vary depending on the size of your business
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18. The Waste Audit Team
Maintenance
Cleaning
Mailroom
Purchasing
Building Manager
Clerical
Management
Production Line
Include representatives from each area of your business.
The Waste Audit team
(Involve the People)
A representative of each area of your business –
maintenance,
cleaning,
mailroom,
purchasing,
production line,
the building manager, and
management
– must be included, because each is responsible for the waste stream.
Choose two or three people to head up the waste audit team.
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19. Top Management Top management must be involved
Need decision-making authority
Top Management
(Involve the People)
Top management must be involved.
You will need someone with decision-making authority.
If top management spends a little time walking around the business looking into the trash bins, you can bet employees will pay more attention to what’s going in there.
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20. The Walk-through Profile 1
Inspect where, how and how much materials are being received.
What is thrown away in each area?
The Walk-through
Fill out Profile 1 (Note to presenter: refer to the profile page in the guide.)
Then the team will conduct a walk-through of the facility.
Inspect where, how and how much materials are being received.
What is thrown away in each area?
Receiving area
Lounge
Stock room
Cafeteria, kitchen and lunchroom
Individual offices and desks
Assembly lines
Copy and fax machines
Shipping
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21. The Trash Sort Profile 2 Sort through the waste generated in one day:
Spread out a large plastic sheet
Dump the day’s waste on it
Estimate the % of each category in the waste stream
Clean up afterwards
The Trash Sort
Wearing protective clothing, the audit team will meet at the end of a workday or shift to physically sort through waste generated during that day.
Spread out a large plastic sheet.
Dump the day’s waste on it.
Using “Materials Background,” and Profile 2 estimate the percentage of each category in the waste stream.
(Note to presenter: refer to these pages in the guide.)
Clean up afterwards.
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22. Materials Quantification Profile 2
Identify Waste
Determine the % of the waste stream represented by each type of waste
Conduct a trash sort
If waste changes over time, you may need to repeat the trash sort
Materials Quantification
(Get the Facts)
Profile 2
Identify Waste
Determine the percentage of the waste stream represented by each type of waste.
Conduct a trash sort.
If waste types/amounts change over time you may need to do more than one trash sort.
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23. Materials Quantification Profiles 3A & 3B
Purchasing records will help
What products are ordered?
What is used?
What is recycled?
What is left to throw away?
Materials Quantification
(Get the Facts)
Purchasing records will help
What products are ordered?
What is used?
What is recycled?
What is left to throw away?
Profile 3, Option A focuses on information obtained from purchasing records (Profile 2)  
The amount of material received - (material not discarded + amount recycled)
= The amount of material discarded.
(Note to presenter: refer to pages in the guide.)
Profile 3, Option B uses a volume-to-weight conversion chart to determine monthly tonnage of each component.
Complete Option B at the end of the Trash Sort.
Weigh each component and use this form to determine monthly weights.
If there is no scale available, estimate the volume in cubic yards and use the volume to weight conversion chart to determine weight.
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24. You do the Math + Material received – Material not discarded
– Amount recycled
= Amount of material discarded
(waste you PAY to have disposed)
The amount of material received - (material not discarded + amount recycled)
= The amount of material discarded.
+ Products/materials in
– Products/materials out
– Products/materials stored
= Trash
(materials you PAY to have disposed
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25. MSW MSW Pie Graph Create a visual of your waste stream.
What you find out may surprise you.
Cardboard if not broken down takes up space
Pallets are part of the wood slice
Categories of MSW, national % state % local %
Paper 38.1%
Yard waste 12.1%
Food waste 10.9%
Plastics 10.5%
Metals 7.8%
Rubber, Leather, Textiles 6.6%
Glass 5.5%
Wood 5.3%
Other 3.2%
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26. Paying to dispose of air.
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27. Pallets are part of the wood slice of the MSW pie chart and are an area where many businesses can reduce their waste.
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28. Chapter 2: Implementing A Waste Minimization Plan
Analyze Waste Audit Results
Evaluate source reduction options first
Consider largest % of the waste stream
After considering reduction and reuse options then, look at recycling options
Start with simple reduction goals
Chapter Two: Developing and Implementing a Waste Minimization Plan
 (Now that you have the Facts):
Audit team begins by analyzing the waste audit results. Largest percentage of the waste stream should be considered first. It may be tempting to start a recycling program because of its popularity, but it is important to evaluate source reduction options first. By preventing material from entering the waste stream, the need for management is avoided. Reducing the quantity of waste to be managed is always less expensive than any management option, including recycling.
After reduction and reuse options for applicable materials, recycling options can be considered.
Start with simple, modest waste reduction goals.
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29. Developing the Plan Identify expectations Identify responsibilities
Establish a timetable
Gather data
Analyze results
Make recommendations
Developing the Plan
Employees must know expectations.
Lay out specific responsibilities.
Establish a timetable for collecting data.
After the audit, a team should analyze results and
recommend target areas of the waste stream for reducing, reusing or recycling
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30. Work Systematically Consider: Quantity generated
Probability of success
Regulations or state laws and
Economics (which will cost you the least to recycle)
Work Systematically
Consider:
Quantity generated,
Probability of success,
Regulations or state laws, and
Economics (which will cost you the least to recycle). Use standard measures of profitability – payback period, return on investment, net value, capital and operating costs. Remember that even if the plan does not now break even, waste management costs continue to rise. An investment now will likely pay back in the near future.
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31. Waste reduction is a company-wide effort.
Educate and Inform:
all employees, including management, of the plan and its goals.
Involve the People
Waste reduction is a company-wide effort.
Inform all employees, including management, of the plan and its goals.
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32. Ways to raise employee awareness:
Continuous Education
Small Division Meetings
Trainings (production line, copier, etc.)
Updates
Posters
Mascot
Ways to raise employee awareness:
(Involve the People)
As a team, work together to identify ways to inform and involve all employees in your business’ waste minimization efforts:
Small Division Meetings
Production Line Training
Copier Training – e.g., Are new employees instructed to copy on both sides of paper; instructed to run one copy to proof, before running a whole job?
Updates
Posters
Mascot
Continuous Education – e.g., KAB workshops on related issues
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33. Focus on Results Keep good records Conduct periodic samplings
Measure the waste being diverted from disposal
Focus on Results
Establish a record-keeping system to track effectiveness.
Conduct periodic samplings to measure the amount and quantity of waste being diverted from disposal.
Measurement: After waste reduction measures are implemented, follow-up and determine impact.
Goals: Look for tonnage decreases/ cost avoidance.
I.e., an auto maker was able to save $90,000 per day by switching to reusable plastic packaging in their assembly plant.
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34. Celebrate Your Success
Reward those who make the plan work
Give recognition to the audit team
Reward suggestions and/or actions
Offer financial incentives
Celebrate Your Success
Reward those who make the plan work.
Give recognition to the audit team,
Reward suggestions and/or actions,
Offer financial incentives (a percentage of the dollars saved to a key employee or a favorite charity)
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35. Have a party! Positive Reinforcement Thank employees for participation
Your employees’ participation is critical, don’t forget to thank them.
Do something for your employees with the money saved - have a luncheon, give awards etc.
It doesn’t have to be expensive – for example, award a prime parking space.
Be creative and have fun.
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36. Waste Minimization Tips
Educate all employees
Gain upper management support
Organize an audit task force
Establish a baseline to measure progress
Commit to accurate waste accounting
Incorporate a source reduction ethic into corporate culture
Evaluate the program
Waste Minimization Tips
Upper management support is a necessity for success.
Organize an audit task force.
Establish a baseline to measure progress, using information from the initial audit.
Commit to accurate waste accounting over time; review records and re-audit.
Incorporate a source reduction ethic into corporate culture
(I.e., encourage suppliers to back haul items such as packaging and pallets; 2-sided copying)
Review program effectiveness versus its stated objective.
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37. Source Reduction and Reuse
The three R’s:
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Recycling should be the last of the three that you do.
Source Reduction and Reuse
Designate reduction strategies as official company policy. Make sure appropriate staff fully understand all policies adopted. Set specific goals for volume and weight reduction.
The guide provides Reduction and Reuse Strategies, such as:
Store documents on computer disks instead of making hard file copies.
Route memos instead of making duplicates for each person.
Avoid using softwood disposable pallets. Hardwood pallets can be reused five or six times; plastic pallets can be reused hundreds of times.
Work with all suppliers to back haul shipping materials, crates, cartons, and other packaging for reuse.
Shred mixed paper and send to shipping department for packing material.
Resource Exchange One company’s “waste” becomes another company’s “resource.”
Involve the person responsible for purchasing supplies in the audit process and in developing a reduction program.
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38. Before you commit to a recycling program:
Are you willing to:
Accept initial and on-going costs?
Assign staff to oversee the program on a long-term basis?
Join forces with a neighboring office or business, if needed?
Before you commit to a recycling program:
Are you willing to:
Accept the initial and perhaps on-going costs?
(A recycling program may cost a considerable amount of money, particularly in the start-up phase.)
Assign staff to oversee the program on a long-term basis?
(And/or designate a staff person to take recyclables to a community drop-off center?)
If you produce materials that are recyclable, but not a sufficient quantity, consider joining forces with a neighboring office or business.
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39. Recycling Considerations Appendix A
Markets
Volume
Security
Equipment
Composting
Recycling Considerations
(Note to presenter: Refer to Appendix A “Materials Background” )
Take the information from the waste audit and determine if there are markets for any or all of these materials in your region.
Important to the potential recycler: quality and quantity of material produced, and your ability to prepare the materials for collection.
Markets - Market requirements - Check with your market first, how do they need to have items collected?
Volume - collect materials as required, partner with others
Security
Equipment - Up front cost - Items such as balers might pay for themselves in the long run.
Compost - Retail food service companies and food manufacturers: send food waste, excluding dairy products and meats, to municipal or private compost program.
Businesses generating large quantities of yard waste from grounds keeping: look at composting that material on site or sending it to a composting facility.
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40. Commercial Recycling Tips
Educate and involve all employees
Conduct a Waste Audit
Research Markets (Appendix B)
Identify and contact hauler
Determine space, container, equipment needs (Appendix C)
Publicize revenues and costs
Purchase materials that can be recycled locally
Purchase materials that contain recycled content (Appendix D)
Tips for a Commercial Recycling Program
Educate employees and promote participation.
Determine what recyclables are in the waste stream through the audit.
. Research markets for those recyclables in the quantities that you generate. (Appendix B)
4. Determine space, container, and equipment needs. For example, baler, compactor, crushers.
5. Some recyclers will ask that you process the materials (baling corrugated cardboard, or flattening aluminum cans). This equipment also requires considerable space. (Appendix C)
6. Find out what assistance might be available through municipal agencies.
7. Ask your hauler to lower your disposal fee because material is diverted for recycling. Some haulers might market your recyclables for you and provide storage containers and equipment for a fee.
8. Monitor recovery rates, revenues, and costs, and publicize results.
9. Try to purchase products that can be recycled in your community and emphasize the purchase of recycled material. (Appendix D)
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41. PERSISTENCE Keys to Success CREATIVITY FLEXIBILITY Keys to Success
Be creative - you and your employees know your business best, encourage ideas from others - don’t be caught saying, “We’ve always done it this way”
Persistence is key
Remember manual and rules can be changed, be flexible, try again.
50 Ohio businesses, utilities, and institutions documented #1.3 million savings in waste disposal costs in 1995 through waste audits conducted by a KAB affiliate and local university, based on the use of this guide.
PERSISTENCE
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42. Waste in the Workplace
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