U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response EPA 530-R-02-015 September 2002 20002 Annual Report Celebrating the Innovations of Our Partners WasteWise 8th Year A Message from Christine Todd Whitman, EPA Administrator As a former Governor and county official who has dealt with the solid waste arena, I understand the many challenges organizations face in reducing waste. In talking with WasteWise award winners at last year's recognition ceremony, I was struck by their commitment to the goal of reducing waste and the wide variety of programs they have implemented. Partners described impressive waste reduction accomplishments achieved across their organizations -- from mail rooms to boardrooms to shop floors. Partners received awards, not only for internal waste reduction activities, but also for activities that reached far beyond their own facilities -- working with suppliers and customers and citizens to build innovative partnerships to reduce waste. I welcome this opportunity to present to you, in this report, the 2002 WasteWise award winners. Once again our partners have achieved impressive results and clearly demonstrated their waste reduction leadership in the corporate, governmental, and nonprofit worlds. Congratulations to this year's award winners and to all WasteWise participants! Together we show that, through voluntary partnerships, business success and environmental stewardship can be mutually achieved. For those of you who are not yet a part of WasteWise, I personally encourage you to sign up for the program and demonstrate your commitment to waste reduction. For those already participating in WasteWise, I wish you continued success in your programs. CONTENTS The Year in Review 2002 WasteWise Award Winners WasteWise 2002 Partners of the Year Very Large Business Large Business Midsize Business Small Business Federal Government State Government Tribal Government Local Government School/School District College/University WasteWise Electronics Challenge Awards Climate Change Award Winners WasteWise Endorser Program WasteWise 2002 Program Champions Very Large Business Large Business Midsize Business Small Business Federal Government State Government Tribal Government Local Government College/University WasteWise 2002 Honorable Mentions Index of Articles by Member Name THE YEAR IN REVIEW Record-Breaking Award Winners Since last year's awards ceremony, much has occurred in WasteWise and with our partners and endorsers. WasteWise is delighted to report its 8th year of accomplishments and celebrate the innovations of our members! We were thrilled with the nearly 50 percent increase in awards applications -- and very impressed with the quality of the applications and the breadth of activities our partners undertook this past year. There were many tough decisions to make -- so many that we decided to add an additional recognition category,"Honorable Mention," in addition to our Partners of the Year and Program Champions so your hard work would not go unrecognized. We are also saluting the Electronics Challenge winners and added a new awards category: the Climate Change Award. Partner Feedback After listening to feedback from the 2001 partner roundtable, we evolved the WasteWise program to be responsive to our partners' needs. We developed the new campaigns described below, in addition to improving our core WasteWise services (technical assistance, Web-based resources, publications, and more). You can find more information about all of these programs on our newly redesigned Web site , in addition to some new features, such as the Partner Spotlight. (Contact: Grist.Terry@epa.gov) Climate Change Campaign As part of our nationwide effort to promote education on the connection between solid waste and climate change, we are encouraging partners to use EPA's Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to calculate their waste-related greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, as well as to set and achieve climate goals. With the creation of the Climate Change Award, EPA is now able to recognize our partners' climate achievements. We are partnering with other EPA voluntary climate programs and external climate organizations, such as the PEW Center on Global Climate Change and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), to further these efforts. (Contact: Canterbury.Janice@epa.gov) Industry Sector Campaign In response to our partners' suggestions, WasteWise plans to work in-depth with several industry sectors. We completed initial research to target industrial sectors with the greatest potential to reduce solid waste and GHGs, and plan to launch a campaign to work with the utility industry in the Fall of 2002. By partnering with the Utility Solid Waste Activity Group (USWAG), the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA), and other stakeholders that manufacture, purchase, or use coal combustion products (CCPs), the WasteWise program will enhance CCP diversion from disposal and explore the beneficial use of these valuable products. WasteWise is collaborating with EPA's Industrial and Extractive Wastes Branch to identify barriers to boosting the use of CCPs and implement program initiatives to help increase the recycling of these materials. Heightened use of CCPs has the potential for reducing millions of tons of GHGs. (Contact: Glenn.John@epa.gov) States Campaign WasteWise is pursuing new collaborations with states to enhance partner services, reduce duplication of effort between the federal and state governments and encourage prospective organizations to join the program. EPA is exploring the following ideas with states: Advocacy: These states will promote WasteWise at the state level through state conferences, workshops, and meetings with organizations potentially interested in WasteWise. EPA will provide electronic copies of materials that states can tailor to meet their own needs. Partnership: These states will coordinate state waste reduction programs with the federal WasteWise program. For those states that already offer programs similar to WasteWise, EPA will work with the state to coordinate membership responsibilities and benefits. For those states interested in modeling a state-level program after EPA's WasteWise, EPA will provide assistance. EPA envisions that these types of partnerships will enable organizations to seamlessly participate in both state and federal programs with minimal paperwork and maximum benefits. Currently, WasteWise is in discussions with Massachusetts to be the first pilot "partnership" state, and South Carolina has agreed to be our pilot "advocate" state. We believe that these partnerships begin a new era of collaboration with states for the WasteWise program. (Contact: Laing.Susan@epa.gov) Voluntary Programs Campaign WasteWise has expanded efforts to work with other EPA voluntary programs, and to explore the mutual benefits of collaboration. These programs include Performance Track, Climate Leaders, ENERGYSTAR, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment -- H2E, and the pilot program underway in the Office of Solid Waste, the National Waste Minimization Partnership Program. Many WasteWise partners are aware of, and participate in, some of these programs. These joint efforts within EPA will provide partners with greater benefits and more recognition opportunities. (Contact: Heizenroth.Charles@epa.gov) Note: Office of Solid Waste, OSW, was renamed Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, ORCR, on January 18, 2009. Resource Management An increasing number of WasteWise partners are beginning to use resource management (RM) contracting, pioneered by General Motors Corp., to increase resource efficiency and save money. By changing the way in which organizations demand and pay for integrated waste management services, RM has the potential to align the incentives of waste disposal contractors with those of organizations desiring waste reduction. WasteWise is now working with three pilot organizations: Northeast Utilities, Farview Hospital, and Raytheon. These organizations have all signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the program and have pledged to consider putting RM systems in place. We will work with these organizations to develop RM bid specifications, assist in evaluating proposals, and monitor each organization over the course of a year to document resource efficiency gains. (Contact: Leith.Angie@epa.gov) Building Challenge Because billions of tons of materials are used every year to construct and rework buildings, WasteWise launched the Building Challenge to provide program partners with the opportunity to gain technical assistance and recognition for reducing construction and demolition waste and purchasing recycled-content building products. WasteWise expects this to be a growing and vital challenge in 2003, and invites all interested partners to get on board! Thus far, 16 partners have made Building Challenge pledges and received information on how to develop and implement Building Challenge programs, which will be featured in next year's awards program. EPA is giving each participant a CD containing all issues (1992-2000) of the green building newsletter, Environmental Building News. (Contact: Sandler.Ken@epa.gov) Endorser Program During the past year, EPA developed several new resources for organizations that actively promote the WasteWise program by participating as endorsers. These resources include a revised tool kit for newly enlisted organizations, a new section of the WasteWise Web site designed specifically for endorsers, and a ready-to-publish newsletter article about WasteWise. Additionally, EPA created a new promotional flyer to help recruit new organizations to the endorser program. (Contact: Gallman.Deb@epa.gov) Satellite Forum: "Communities: Setting Trends in Waste Prevention and Recycling" On May 1, 2002, WasteWise, along with EPA's Office of Solid Waste, the National Recycling Coalition, and the Solid Waste Association of North America, sponsored a live two-hour national satellite forum, "Communities: Setting Trends in Waste Prevention and Recycling," for state, local, and tribal solid waste managers. Panelists, including WasteWise Endorser Alameda County Waste Management Authority and Source Reduction and Recycling Board and WasteWise Partner Baltimore County Department of Public Works, provided valuable insights on successful government waste prevention and recycling programs. For more information, go to the Resources link of our Web site at . 2002 WASTEWISE AWARD WINNERS Partners and Endorser of the Year Electronics Panasonic Public Service Enterprise Group Climate Change Constellation Energy Group Virco Mfg. Corporation Endorser City of Clifton, New Jersey -- Recycling Program Very Large Business Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. The Walt Disney Company Large Business Pitney Bowes Inc. Virco Mfg. Corporation Midsize Business Guardian Industries -- Ligonier Plant NEC Electronics, Inc. -- Roseville Facility Small Business Creative Office Systems, Inc. Evelyn Hill Inc. Federal Government U.S. Postal Service -- Alabama District U.S. Postal Service -- Northeast Area State Government State of Ohio Tribal Government Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Tribal Transfer Station Local Government Jackson County, Missouri King County, Washington School/School District Los Angeles Unified School District College/University Eastern Illinois University Program Champions Electronics City of Alexandria, Virginia U.S. Government Printing Office U.S. Postal Service -- Alabama District Climate Change Allergan Sales, Inc. City of Clifton, New Jersey -- Recycling Program Public Service Enterprise Group The Seydel Companies Endorser South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Washoe County Government, Nevada Very Large Business Bank of America Eastman Kodak Company General Motors Corporation The Disneyland Resort Verizon Large Business Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Battelle Memorial Institute Canon U.S.A., Inc. Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. Constellation Energy Group Florida Power & Light Company Herman Miller, Inc. Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Millipore Corporation Pepco Public Service Enterprise Group Southern California Edison Midsize Business DTE Energy Small Business Kessler Consulting, Inc. The Seydel Companies Federal Government Sandia National Laboratories The Presidio Trust State Government South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Tribal Government The Blue Lake Rancheria of California Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center Local Government City of Clifton, New Jersey -- Recycling Program City of Fremont, California Kitsap County, Washington College/University Emory University Ohio University Facilities Management Seattle University University of Virginia WASTEWISE 2002 PARTNERS OF THE YEAR VERY LARGE BUSINESS Anheuser-Busch Kicks the Can Out of Waste Reduction Even with 23,000 employees and multiple subsidiaries, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. operates its WasteWise program as easily as enjoying a cold beverage on a hot summer day. Anheuser-Busch's waste reduction program includes its breweries, theme parks, aluminum can manufacturer, agriculture operations, transportation outfits, recycling corporation, and other subsidiaries. Since 1994, when Anheuser-Busch joined as a charter partner, the company has been particularly successful with its composting activities. In 2001, Busch Agricultural Resources composted more than 325,000 tons of farm materials, and Busch Entertainment Theme Parks composted 4,200 tons of yard and animal stable waste for reuse in the parks for landscaping projects. Likewise, the breweries reused 5,450 tons of spent beechwood chips, a byproduct of the brewing process, as compost and mulch. Other waste prevention activities at Anheuser-Busch include lightweighting cans to save 465 tons of aluminum, having phone books available on the company's Intranet, saving approximately 4 tons of materials, and converting 300 hard-copy forms to an electronic format used by approximately 5,000 employees. Of course, Anheuser-Busch also achieved impressive results from its recycling collection efforts, totaling more than 2 million tons! Disney Is Overflowing With Green Employees The Walt Disney Company made strides in its waste reduction activities in 2001 by working with employees to educate them on being environmentally conscious, even when eating at Disney's commissaries. Disney posts signs asking employees and guests to minimize their use of disposables and to take only the condiments that they need. In addition, employees are encouraged to use reusable beverage mugs which are available for purchase at the commissary. A discounted beverage refill is offered as an incentive. These processes have helped minimize the waste created at the commissaries, and the company continues to work closely with staff to evaluate other waste minimization activities. The Walt Disney Company also recognized the benefit of reusing materials and equipment. The company worked with its various facilities and warehouses to clean out unwanted inventory and supplies including computers, electronics, scrap metals, wood, paint, and videotapes. Employees distributed these items internally, donated the usable leftovers, and recycled the rest, diverting more than 90 tons from the landfill. Disney even looked into greener ways to send its annual holiday cards. As Disney transitions from mailing the cards, envelopes, and inserts to sending cards electronically, the company reduced its paper use by more than 6 tons, and saved more than $100,000 in purchasing and related activities! The company also worked with its office supply company to conduct electronic ordering and billing, saving $156,000 in incentives and rebates. LARGE BUSINESS Buying Green Pays Off for Pitney Bowes When spending the company's money, employees at Pitney Bowes do it right! Pitney Bowes Inc., headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, continues to decrease its burden on the environment by reducing wastes, recycling, and buying products made of recycled materials. In conjunction with designing products that are easier to disassemble, reuse, and recycle, Pitney Bowes recycled more than 2,800 tons of materials in 2001. Furthermore, it purchased food-service supplies, paper, toner cartridges, and other office supplies that contain 30 to 100 percent recycled content! These products total more than 1,500 tons, constituting 15 percent of total annual purchases. Pitney Bowes continues to identify products containing postconsumer recycled content in their supply catalogues to facilitate purchasing activities, and it encourages employees to purchase materials with the highest recycled content available. Pitney Bowes didn't stop there! An employee environmental education program reinforces the company's environmental mission at all levels. The program covered topics such as environmentally preferable purchasing, shortening the paper trail, reuse of office supplies, and tips for recycling white versus mixed paper. The company distributed nearly 20 percent of its 230 environmental communications electronically. From bins to great marketing signs, Pitney Bowes makes recycling educational and fun -- so much so that many employees started to recycle at home! The recycling program's success is due in part to the fact that recycling isn't just encouraged around the snack rooms and by the printers. Pitney Bowes also placed recycling bins in conference rooms, breakout rooms, copy centers, pantries, and other office areas where waste is produced. Community Gains When Virco Recycles "Virco's commitment is a credit to our community as well as to our state and to industry in general," said Debbie Plopper of the City of Conway's recycling division. When the City of Conway, Arkansas, collected more cardboard than it could handle, Virco Mfg. Corporation volunteered to bale and sell all of it, giving the profits to the city. Virco built corrals from used pallets when the local PTA realized schools in the area needed collection bins for cardboard. The company now collects cardboard every week from all the schools in the area, sells it for recycling, and divides the proceeds among schools in need of funding. In 2001, Virco recycled 1,000 tons of corrugated cardboard. This Arkansas-based furniture manufacturer is making environmental commitments within its walls as well. Through Virco's Document Retention Policy, the company focused on reducing paper waste, collecting 34 tons of paper for recycling in 2001. Virco also purchases recycled material, spending an incredible $30 million on products with recycled content in 2001. The company eliminated a line of furniture that was producing nearly 48 tons of waste each year, decreased its use of inter-polystyrene packaging material, and even donated recycling equipment to the city to assist with the city-wide recycling initiative. Since 1991, Virco has recycled more than 75 million tons of materials, and keeps on counting! MIDSIZE BUSINESS Guardian Industries Innovates, Continues WasteWise Success As a WasteWise award winner for 4 years running, this Indiana-based automotive glass manufacturer shows its continued commitment to reducing waste through the newly established Guardian Industries -- Ligonier Plant's Recycling Center. The center has enabled the company to increase its processing of recyclables in 2001, including 74 tons of corrugated cardboard that saved the company more than $5,600. Guardian also collected and recycled 250 tons of steel, along with large amounts of paper, plastic, and non-ferrous metals. In 2001, Guardian Industries stopped 515 tons of material from being disposed of and saved more than $111,000. Guardian continued a glove reuse program that launders and reuses nearly 3 tons of gloves, preventing an additional 2 tons of new gloves from ending up in the trash and saving Guardian Industries almost $48,000! The company switched from disposable paper towels to a washable material, avoiding more than 1 ton of landfilled wiping cloths. In addition, Guardian Industries sends its leftover wood scraps to a recycler that chips it to be used as animal bedding and landscape material, preventing nearly 132 tons of wood from incineration. As for internal WasteWise promotion, and to thank its employees for their recycling efforts, Guardian purchased shirts bearing the WasteWise logo for each employee! Online Auction Garners 100K While Reducing Waste at NEC Rather than throwing away surplus inventory this past year, NEC Electronics, Inc. sold equipment, furniture, and other extras through a public online auction that resulted in $100,000 of direct revenue for the innovative company. NEC employees also purchased electronics and furniture through a private auction. Through these measures, the company sold nearly 18 tons of materials for reuse and then donated several tons of furniture to classrooms. NEC also established the Employee Re-Use Center, providing a means for employees to obtain used office supplies rather than purchase new replacements. The company is progressing with plans to establish an Intranet site with recycling information and events, such as the 2001 Earth Day celebration that more than 600 people attended. This California-based company also made innovative advances in reducing waste from office products. NEC continued its toner cartridge reuse program, which diverted the disposal of 500 pounds of printer cartridges and allowed NEC to purchase toner at lower prices. The company networked many of its computers so employees can print directly to the copy machine, reducing paper use, toner use, and equipment maintenance, and saving NEC $20,000 in 2001. As for reducing semiconductor production materials, NEC used a pilot program to sell more than 9 tons of material no longer useable in production for reuse in other areas. The company also distributed new recycling containers in one of its cafeterias and placed bins in every office. Widespread distribution of mixed paper collection boxes increased paper recycling by an estimated 15 to 20 percent, and newspaper bins placed in parking lots encouraged workers to bring in old issues from home. NEC refined its practice for recycling lawn and tree clippings, saving nearly $4,000 per year. The company also increased its purchase of products made from recycled material, including 100 percent recycled-content toilet paper and trash bags containing half the plastic of traditional liners. As a result of successfully achieving WasteWise goals, NEC diverted more than 247 tons of waste from disposal in 2001. SMALL BUSINESS Creative Office Systems: In the Business of Reuse Creative Office Systems, Inc. (COS) does not just recycle as a side activity -- its business is recycling! This California-based company developed a program focused on minimizing waste by following the priority of reduce/remanufacture/reuse/recycle. Through this process, COS has managed to save more than 70,000 tons of waste from disposal in the last four years -- equivalent to enough conserved energy to power 1,072 homes for an entire day. For the fabric used to upholster its furniture, COS lives up to its name by using recycled soda bottles (PET) as 45 percent of the material content, a 9 percent increase in recycled material content from last year. Within the lunchroom, the company has switched to reusable dishes and flatware. It minimizes shipping waste by reusing incoming packing and leftover textiles for outgoing packaging products. The company also strives to involve all workers in its environmental plans, which it effectively does through scheduling a speaker series. Recycling Under the Statue of Liberty for Free Evelyn Hill Inc., the gift shop and food service nestled at the base of Lady Liberty, operates a $50,000 per year recycling center -- at no cost! Rather than dispose of food baskets and trays after each use, the company cleans them for reuse, saving enough money to pay the operating costs of the recycling center. This progressive store recycled 395 tons of cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and glass. In 2001, Evelyn Hill Inc. recycled 63 percent of the company's trash and reduced carting fees by more than 17 percent. In 2002, Evelyn Hill aims to maintain a recycling rate of more than 75 percent! Changes in the company's purchasing practices enabled Evelyn Hill to achieve such an impressive recycling rate. For example, the company switched from paper cups to recyclable PET (#1) plastic cups for its beverages. All used PET plastic cups and bottles are sent to South Carolina where they are made into fabric. Evelyn Hill Inc. demonstrates closed-loop recycling by using this fabric for its signature tote bag. In addition, new composting projects boosted the recycled rate. In only six months, the concessioner collected nearly 1 ton of used coffee grounds for composting. Recycling is not the only area where Evelyn Hill excels. The company also uses innovation to prevent waste, such as ordering 12" x 12" napkins rather than 12" x 13." This one-inch difference eliminated 1 ton of paper. Evelyn Hill also installed a pump system to dispense condiments and creamers, eliminating the need for more than 2 million single-serving condiment packets and 330,000 single- serving creamer cups. To close the recycling loop, the company spent $250,000 on recycled-content goods, such as 100 percent recycled toilet paper and 20 percent recycled giftbags that can also be recycled. Progress isn't close to stopping at Evelyn Hill after 2001's successes. Plans for 2002 and beyond include the construction of a geothermal system for cleaner climate control! FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Alabama District's Cradle to Grave Commitment: Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk "How do you portray environmental stewardship in a stamp?" The U.S. Postal Service -- Alabama District posed this question in 2001 with a "Design an Environmental Stamp" contest, one of the many ways the Alabama District is leading efforts in environmental stewardship within its offices. In addition, the district printed nearly 9,000 calendars this past year on recycled paper to encourage and inform workers about waste reduction and recycling. To curb paper waste, the Alabama District expanded its Paperless Society, formed last year to replace paper timesheets with electronic time-clocks. In 2001, the postal district created electronic forms to replace paper tracking of personnel forms, memos, vending reports, and budget and travel information. These actions, along with a steady increase of e-mail communication, helped the Alabama District save nearly 85 tons of paper and $137,000. Additionally, the district recycled 4,000 tons of bulk mail in 2001. The Paperless Society activities, which generated $18,000 in recycling revenue, helped finance the more than $100,000 spent on postconsumer recycled-content paper purchased in 2001. To further reduce waste, the Alabama District organized a swap shop through which multiple postal offices shared and reused resources and supplies. Participants exchanged more than $40,000 worth of office supplies, furniture, and equipment. Rather than using disposable mail carrier containers in 2001, the district acquired 320 reusable containers made of 50 percent recycled material along with nearly 12,000 recycled, reusable shipping pallets. Northeast Area of the U.S. Postal Service Defines Environmental Excellence Through Education For the past five years, the U.S. Postal Service - Northeast Area has upheld the definition of environmental excellence with continuous efforts to reduce its waste. In 2001, waste reduction efforts enabled the Northeast Area to save $2.6 million in avoided disposal costs. Building its waste reduction program around education, the Northeast Area recognizes the vital role its postmasters play in achieving WasteWise goals. To ensure environmentally responsible practices in all Northeast Area post offices, each postmaster received a copy of its Pollution Prevention Plan, which creates measurable goals for each postmaster. Over the past three years, the Northeast Area audited more than half of its facilities, creating the opportunity to personally educate many postmasters on its environmentally progressive policies. The continued growth of the discarded lobby mail collection program marks another major success for the Northeast Area. More than 2,800 facilities participate in the recycling program, a 91 percent participation rate, which is higher than any other postal area. The Northeast Area increased the recycling participation rate for undeliverable bulk business mail to 98 percent throughout the region, collecting 8,500 tons for recycling in 2001. The Northeast Area recycles its own materials as well, collecting more than 2,750 tons of corrugated cardboard and 34,000 tons of mixed paper. For this area, recycling pays -- literally. The Northeast Area generated a revenue of more than $300,000 in 2001 from recycling cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum, and other materials. The Northeast Area is also diligent at closing the recycling loop, spending nearly $6 million on recycled content products. In fact, the contract with its supplier limits the purchase of office supplies to only those products containing recycled material. STATE GOVERNMENT Ohio Considers the Entire Life of Products When the State of Ohio purchases products, it considers more than just the immediate impact of the product on the environment. The state considers the entire life cycle -- from creation to decomposition -- of each product purchased. This consideration of each item helped the state purchase more than $2 million worth of products with recycled content in 2001. Through a contract developed with DuPont Flooring this past year, the State Purchasing Division and Ohio State University bought recycled-content carpeting and a product life-extension service for 623 tons of carpeting. The State of Ohio's environmental commitment is also displayed through its high levels of recycling. In 2001, the state collected more than 1,472 tons of paper products for recycling! In addition to mounds of plastics, metals, and glass, Ohio recycled more than 448 tons of computers. The state awarded the Ohio Penal Industries a $100,000 grant to set up a computer recycling center in which inmates refurbish computers that are donated to schools. Equipment that is not usable is disassembled for recycling. The state is currently helping communities deal with their concerns about recycling electronics by adding this issue to the 2001 State Solid Waste Management Plan and by offering electronics collection grants. Ohio also realizes that documenting waste reduction success spurs additional activity. Ohio's Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention compiles waste reduction statistics for the state and is constantly encouraging other state divisions to report their reductions. In 2001, the Office of Quality allied with the Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention to promote documentation of waste prevention throughout the state's departments. To further inspire waste reduction, Ohio produced its first report detailing the waste prevention, recycling, and recycled-content procurement efforts of each reporting agency location. This report was distributed to the governor, legislators, agency directors, and fiscal officers to inform and inspire. TRIBAL GOVERNMENT Milk Jugs Cure All on Umatilla Reservation! In Pendleton, Oregon, tribal members are reusing their trash not only usefully, but creatively. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation reuse milk jugs, for instance, as slow-watering irrigation devices and as warning signs to cattle near barbed-wire fences. The tribal operations manager promotes reuse by running an informal materials exchange via e-mail. A resident once brought the manager 500 flea-and-tick spray bottles, almost all of which were then redistributed to willing takers in the community. The reservation's quarterly newsletter, The Tribal Environmental Recovery Facility, educates residents about waste prevention and highlights the community's progress in reaching its substantial waste reduction goals. With the installation of a new recycling and waste disposal facility, residents now have the option of dropping off recyclables or ordering curb-side pick-up. This center collected nearly 15 tons of paper products and 30 tons of metal for recycling in 2001. The tribe purchases recycled products whenever possible. In fact, in 2001, 85 percent of the products bought contained recycled material! Items like toner cartridges, storage drums, and recycling totes all contain 100 percent recycled material. LOCAL GOVERNMENT Jackson County Receives Accolades for Cleaning Out Its Files In 2001, Jackson County, Missouri, took the lead role in organizing a Clean Out Your Files Day event along with 25 other organizations. Jackson County recycled 55 tons of mixed paper through the event, and the United States Conference of Mayors recognized the successful event as the best Clean Out Your Files Day in the nation! The county also teamed up with ReStart, Inc. and the Court Appointed Community Service Program to provide county employees the opportunity to recycle aluminum cans. Partnering with Mid-Missouri Recycling also allowed the county to reuse printers. In addition to using solely rerefined oil in its fleet vehicles, Jackson County's Parks & Recreation Department heats its buildings with used motor oil from fleet and employee vehicles. This practice enabled the county to reuse 900 gallons of oil in 2001. Jackson County also encourages purchasing officers to procure recycled-content or remanufactured products. In 2001, the county spent more than $12,000 on recycled-content products. Dispelling a common myth about the higher cost of buying recycled, the county saved more than $121,000 by purchasing 30 percent postconsumer recycled copy paper instead of virgin paper! During the past 7 years, Jackson County saved more than $700,000 through its environmental programs. The County Executive, Katheryn Shields, routinely quips, "In Jackson County, we don't just hug trees, we squeeze money out of them." King County Recycles Surplus In 2001, King County, Washington's WasteWise activities expanded to included all county government agencies. One element of the county's waste prevention efforts is its internal Surplus Program, which, for the first time in 2001, began tracking the value of the items reissued through the program. Surplus redistributed more than 4,000 items to county agencies, with a total value of more than $1.5 million. On just one floor of one county office building, the county saved an estimated $2,600 from reusing office supplies. Donation projects are another feature of the county's 2001 waste prevention program. One county office building collected 219 pounds of polystyrene packing materials and supplied them to a local shipping business for reuse. A county division donated used binders to a non-profit program, "Backpacks for Kids," that provides backpacks, binders, and other school supplies for children in need. Additionally, King County Transit gave away nearly 15 tons of glass window panels from bus shelters to the public for reuse. The Department of Finance stopped distributing printed financial reports to county agencies in 2001. Instead, the department now makes the reports available on the county's Intranet. This process change saves the county an estimated $16,000 and conserves 600,000 pages of paper annually. Buying recycled products was a priority for the local government in 2001. King County spent more than $2.6 million on recycled-content products and saved an estimated $580,000 by using environmentally preferable items. The county also saved $40,000 by reconfiguring and reusing a group of computers in the Solid Waste Division. SCHOOL/SCHOOL DISTRICT Reusing Outdoor Materials Generates Internal Savings for LA Schools Rather than dumping construction-site asphalt and concrete, the Los Angeles Unified School District ships leftover materials back to a manufacturer for reuse in new asphalt-based products that the district then purchases. The school district, which projected that it will construct 150 new schools in the next 5 to 10 years, uses this "new" material from the manufacturer for use on future construction sites. In 2001 alone, the district diverted 9,000 tons of construction material from landfills. In addition, the district requires landscapers to compost all grass clippings, 6,750 tons of which were composted in 2001. In 2002, the district will expand this effort by collecting milk cartons and food waste for composting. With all the outdoor excitement, the school district remembers to promote efficiency within its buildings as well. Through a reuse program for computer and office products, such as laser toner, inkjet, fax, and copier cartridges, schools sell used cartridges for $2 each and use the savings to buy the remanufactured cartridges back. This activity diverted more than 313 tons of plastic from the landfill. To further advance recycling, the school district plans to implement a closed-loop program for polystyrene lunch trays. It will select 50 schools for initial trials, and hopes to eventually divert 114 tons of polystyrene trays from disposal each year. In 2001, the district recycled 3,600 tons of paper and 3,024 tons of cardboard, and it plans to increase these figures as it expands its successful mixed-paper recycling program to all schools and administrative offices. COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY Eastern Illinois Doesn't Flush Money Away Eastern Illinois University had the right idea when it avoided more than $26,000 in disposal costs by donating toilets and washing machines to Habitat for Humanity, but the reuse activities didn't stop with household appliances. Instead of sending them to landfills, Eastern Illinois distributed nearly 400 tons of coal ash from the school's power generator to various government agencies to spread on roads for added traction in winter conditions. Other donations include giving used textbooks to third world countries to replace reading material decades out of date. Eastern Illinois University also achieved an impressive recycling rate in 2001 -- 56 percent of its total waste! Collection of paper seems to be the school's speciality - 374 tons of paper products were recycled in 2001. Allan Rathe, the school's recycling coordinator, captured the administration's sentiments on paper collection when he said, "We are greedy in the Recycling Department; we want all of Eastern's paperwork to come to us!" As for recycling other materials, Eastern Illinois collected nearly 140 tons of steel and nearly 83 tons of wood, along with impressive amounts of plastic, aluminum, and yard trimmings. The school also does its part in creating demand in the recycling market by purchasing $194,000 worth of products containing recycled materials. These recycled-content products made up 36 percent of the university's purchases in 2001. WASTEWISE ELECTRONICS CHALLENGE AWARDS More than 20 million computers became obsolete in 1998, and 250 million more will be retired in the next five years. But very few of these computers are recycled. With today's increasing demand for faster computers, small cellular phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream. These materials take up valuable landfill space and can contain hazardous materials, such as lead and mercury. Reusing or recycling these devices saves valuable resources, including energy, and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fortunately, many of these devices have the potential for reuse, remanufacture, and upgrades. WasteWise designed the Electronics Challenge to inspire partners to develop electronic waste reduction goals, initiate projects to meet these goals, and report on their progress through the annual reporting process. WasteWise partners who participated in this initiative not only took the opportunity to extend the life of their electronic equipment, but some also realized cost savings! PSEG's Reused Cell Phones Protect Seniors [Partner of the Year: Electronics] Recognizing the rise in cellular phone use, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) recently hosted a collection drive throughout the company to collect used cell phones. PSEG collected more than 700 phones, plus their chargers and extra batteries, and then donated the phones to the local sheriff's office. The sheriff's office distributed the reprogrammed phones to senior citizens in the area for emergency use. This activity helped ensure the security of the senior citizens and also prevented 550 pounds of electronics from entering a landfill. PSEG also sees the value in reusing and recycling other electronic equipment, such as computers. The company collected more than 66 tons of computer equipment in 2001, including CPUs, monitors, keyboards, and peripherals from offices throughout the company. PSEG sorted the equipment into categories -- either recoverable or ready to be demanufactured/recycled. The company assigned nearly 28 tons of equipment to the recovery program and found a number of uses for the equipment. After refurbishment, PSEG reused equipment internally in stand-alone applications; sold to employees or the general public; or donated to local charitable organizations, schools, churches, government, and community groups. The company then recycled the remaining 39 tons. Panasonic Helps Consumers Recycle the Old When Buying New [Partner of the Year: Electronics] Going shopping for a new DVD player today? Bring in your old VCR and we'll recycle it. Sounds crazy, but it worked for Panasonic and the Best Buy Electronics Recycling Program. Panasonic demonstrated its commitment to the environment by signing on as the first manufacturer to support this exciting venture. As Panasonic increased its efforts to develop its collection and recycling infrastructure and design products for efficient disassembly and recycling, it wanted to bring together consumers and retailers to reduce the amount of electronic waste entering local landfills. The Best Buy Program was the first of its type -- a retailer initiating a store-based program where customers drop off old or unwanted equipment. Panasonic's support funded advertising and promotional materials for the event. With 11 two-day events occurring at various locations, the program succeeded in piling up more than 125 tons of electronic equipment for recycling. Panasonic not only focuses on what to do once it produces electronic waste, but also how to prevent the equipment from becoming waste. In 2001, Panasonic extended its Design for the Environment program by expanding several different areas of work: implementing a product assessment process based on life-cycle assessment, increasing energy efficiency, and increasing television recyclability. Outcomes from this assessment include redesigning television sets for easier disassembly and standardizing plastic resins to make them easier to identify and recycle. Alexandria Pilots Electronic Collection Events [Program Champion: Electronics] In September 2001, the City of Alexandria, Virginia, partnered with EPA Region 3 and held a one-day pilot event to collect and recycle electronics. Alexandria encouraged residents to drop off idle monitors, CPUs, printers, televisions, radios, and VCRs free of charge! The event not only prevented the electronic equipment from entering landfills, but also allowed the city and EPA Region 3 to determine how to best manage an electronics collection/recycling program. Alexandria collected more than 7 tons of electronic equipment through the event. The success of this program led to weekly collections from October through the end of the year -- collecting more than 4 tons of equipment from the community. USPS Delivers on Electronics Recycling [Program Champion: Electronics] The U.S. Postal Service -- Alabama District efficiently delivers the mail and, likewise, uses and reuses its computer equipment. In 2001 alone, the Alabama District upgraded and rebuilt nearly 500 computers rather than disposing of them. This exercise diverted more than 21 tons of electronic waste from landfills. Additionally, the Post Office recycled computer equipment no longer used or needed. The Alabama District located piles of old electronic equipment stacked in storage and cleaned up its warehouses by collecting the equipment for recycling. With help from scrap metal and electronics recyclers, the Alabama District recycled nearly 3,000 computers, 20 laptops, 100 monitors, 65 printers, 3 copy/fax machines, and nearly 3,700 miscellaneous computer accessories in 2001. "We take responsibility for our electronics from cradle to grave," said Ed Abrams, the district recycling coordinator, who is responsible for recycling an amazing and creative array of materials. GPO Swap Meet [Program Champion: Electronics] When not printing new government publications, employees from the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) rushed to shop at an internal swap meet. GPO asked employees, once in the spring and once in the fall, to gather excess computer equipment as well as furniture and supplies and leave them at the swap meet for others to collect. GPO limited items to those with a value of $500 or less to eliminate the need for paperwork. One other perk -- employees didn't have to bring something to take something. The event drew a nice crowd and educated employees on environmental responsibility, while saving the government thousands of dollars in avoided purchasing and disposal costs. GPO also held two property sales, with a great emphasis on computer equipment. Items sold for reuse included more than 200 computers, 15 printers, 4 fax machines, 10 typewriters, 11 other office machines, plus 7 skidloads of miscellaneous parts. GPO diverted a total of 7 tons of electronic equipment from the landfill! CLIMATE CHANGE AWARD WINNERS In 2001, for the first time, WasteWise has added a new climate award, for significant actions leading to reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There is an important and measurable link between waste reduction efforts and global climate change, recognized through this award. EPA is incorporating climate change education and technical assistance throughout the WasteWise program. Today, as more and more organizations are interested in their global environmental impacts and in opportunities for reducing their ecological footprints, this award provides a way that these companies can link their local actions with a truly global program. WasteWise recognizes the following first-time climate award-winning companies for their significant achievements in reducing their impact on climate change. Constellation's Pollution Prevention Power Plan Team [Partner of the Year: Climate] Constellation Energy Group (CEG) reaches for the stars when doing its share of environmental protection. To help educate employees about the relationship between climate change and waste reduction, CEG brought together a group of employees to analyze WasteWise Waste reduction data and to keep employees involved in environmental efforts. By evaluating the company's waste minimization activities that result in decreasing GHG emissions, this new group, the Pollution Prevention Power Plan (P4) Team, raised employee awareness on how their waste management activities help decrease GHG emissions. In 2001, the P4 Team successfully developed and promoted the P4 Intranet site where interested employees find information on reducing, reusing, and recycling wastes; success stories; buying recycled; and links to further information. Additionally, CEG's Web site contains an overview of the company's WasteWise activities and how its successful waste prevention and recycling activities led to reductions in GHG emissions. In 2001, CEG prevented nearly 2,500 tons of waste from entering landfills and recycled 31,500 tons of materials. These waste reduction actions cut GHG emissions by approximately the same amount of emissions released in one year resulting from the powering of more than 1,200 households. Documenting Climate Connection Spurs Results for Virco [Partner of the Year: Climate] "WasteWise's commitment to measuring and recording recycling efforts and activities and GHG emission reductions has enabled our program to achieve higher goals with more efficiency and accuracy," says Don Curran, Virco Mfg. Corporation's Resource Recovery Recycling Manager. The Arkansas-based company looks to waste prevention and recycling to reduce climate impacts. Through the 35 items Virco collects, it recycled 11,000 tons of materials and prevented the release of GHGs equal to the removal of 4,400 cars from the road for one year. Virco positively impacts the environment in other ways as well. Take, for example, Virco's newest facility surrounded by 15,000 reforested trees and 4 acres of wetlands! The company mows only 3 of the 35 total acres of landscape surrounding the building. All of these healthy systems remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Further reducing Virco's climate footprint. Allergan Educates Employees on Climate-Waste Linkage [Program Champion: Climate] Allergan, Inc., a global specialty pharmaceutical company, understands the connection between waste reduction and climate change and educates its employees on this important link. On Earth Day, for example, Allergan explained the connection to employees. In 2001, as a result of the company's waste reduction efforts, Allergan reduced GHG emissions by 1,765 MTCEs equivalent to the amount of emissions produced from 1,300 cars each year. Additionally, the company's comprehensive communications plan includes discussion of the climate-waste link. How did Allergan first become aware of the connection? Michael Whaley, Allergan's director of environmental health and safety, notes that "The WasteWise estimates of GHG emissions reductions were the first quantifications we received directly attributable to our actions." Allergan shares EPA's estimate of reductions, generated by EPA's WASTE Reduction Model (WARM), with management as well as with environmental health and safety managers at each site. Allergan encourages all WasteWise partners to consider the climate-waste link as part of their communication efforts. Look for your WARM reports in the mail -- all partners reporting 2001 data will soon receive notice of their organization's contribution to reducing GHG emissions via waste reduction efforts. Clifton's Future WasteWisers [Program Champion: Climate] The City of Clifton, New Jersey, knows that the future of environmental stewardship lies in the hands of everyday people -- local residents, school children, and civic group leaders. In 2001, Clifton educated more than 750 adults and students through classroom education, health fairs, posters, and newsletters on what causes climate change and, more importantly, what individuals can do to help prevent GHGs that cause climate change. During 2001, the city discussed various topics, including source reduction, GHG reduction, solid waste management, and how these topics are connected to climate change. The city used an EPA video on climate change as a supplement to meetings and presentations to the community. Fast Food Helps Seydel Meet Environmental Challenges [Program Champion: Climate] Can reused fast food fryer oils be used to manufacture water repellent fabric? That is exactly what The Seydel Companies has been doing to decrease its impact on climate change. The company combined modified PET (#1) plastic with used vegetable oil from fast food fryers, efficiently developing a water repellent that it uses not only on textiles, but also on paper and wood! This new process decreases the amount of money used on virgin materials, while also greatly reducing GHG emissions, as less gas is emitted when products are manufactured with recycled materials instead of virgin materials. PSEG's Power to Decrease Climate Change [Program Champion: Climate] Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) developed its Resource Recovery Process as a means to meet its aggressive waste prevention and recycling goals with the underlying theme of reducing the company's impact on climate change. The program operates on two levels: reuse, recovery, and recycling; and waste accounting and resource management. PSEG views all waste as a resource for potential reuse, remanufacture, or recycling and documents the cost of waste to identify missed opportunities, promote further reductions, and improve procurement practices. This focus enables PSEG to more efficiently generate and distribute electric power and reduce its impact on the environment. The company educates its employees on these issues and how they help reduce GHG emissions. In turn, PSEG receives support in recycling scrap metal, cardboard, and paper; reusing or donating computers and furniture; reusing and recycling street lights; as well as buying vehicle tires, office products, and furniture made with recycled materials. WASTEWISE ENDORSER PROGRAM The WasteWise endorser program, with more than 130 participants, continues to grow in numbers and activism. Most endorsers are government agencies, trade associations, and business groups that play an important role in waste reduction by spreading the word out about waste reduction, the WasteWise program, and its associated benefits. Many endorsers disseminate promotional or technical materials, conduct waste reduction workshops, sponsor award programs, or facilitate sharing among their members or constituents. The Model Clean Community, Clifton, New Jersey [Endorser of the Year] In a nation increasingly inundated with disposable conveniences, the City of Clifton, New Jersey, believes in setting a better example by educating and motivating its businesses, students, and citizens to act with the environment in mind. Clifton works to educate all members of its community on the importance of waste reduction, recycling, and GHG reduction through a variety of activities and programs. In 2001, Clifton broadcasted two videos covering climate change and its relation to solid waste to civic groups and schools, reaching more than 750 adults and students in the community. In 2001, the city continued its commitment to spread the message that waste reduction makes both business and environmental sense to the community, government, and business leaders through a variety of promotional activities. In addition to distributing waste reduction information and displaying the WasteWise logo on posters, newsletters, and brochures, Clifton went a step further by working one-on-one with businesses to generate interest in WasteWise. As a result, approximately 25 businesses submitted requests for additional program information and many joined the program. Clifton's dedication to reducing waste, recycling, and buying recycled within its own offices and to educating others in the community has earned Clifton much deserved recognition in the last several years and has made Clifton the 2002 WasteWise Endorser of the Year. ************************************************************ "Clifton has a goal of motivating 25 businesses to join WasteWise by the end of 2002." Alfred Du Bois, Clifton Recycling Coordinator ************************************************************ Perfect Promoting of Pollution Prevention: the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control [Endorser Program Champion] While the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reduced its own waste and received recognition for these efforts as a state government Program Champion, it also focused on helping others reduce Waste. DHEC incorporated WasteWise into South Carolina's newly-formed technical assistance partnership, the Business Recycling Assistance Program, and linked its Web site to the WasteWise site. When talking with local businesses, DHEC often suggests the benefits of becoming a WasteWise member. The department celebrated America Recycles Day and Earth Day and promoted the ideas of reducing waste and buying recycled at various conferences and training sessions throughout the past year, as well as within its own offices at employee meetings. Various publications distributed throughout South Carolina, such as the DHEC newsletter, Options newsletter, and the South Carolina Recycles magazine, help DHEC inspire further waste reduction. DHEC continued excellence with the award-winning "Recycle Guys" public awareness campaign and "Action for a Cleaner Tomorrow," an interdisciplinary curriculum supplement for elementary and high school students. ************************************************************ "We promote WasteWise because it is a one-stop program that is simple to do yet provides in-depth information, support, examples to follow and the necessary tools for businesses to set and meet waste reduction goals. WasteWise enhances and supports our mission. It's a perfect fit." Eric Melaro, South Carolina DHEC WasteWise Coordinator ************************************************************ Carpet Squares of a Different Kind in Washoe County, Nevada [Endorser Program Champion] When Washoe County Government, Nevada, decided to become an active endorser, it already had an award-winning waste reduction program using many ingenious approaches to tackling internal waste, such as only replacing squares of carpet affected by wear and tear rather than the whole carpet. In 2000 to 2001, the county decided to hit the road and re-carpet the country with the message of its waste reduction program, passing on its knowledge through national speaking engagements in Atlanta, Seattle, Tucson, Reno, and Las Vegas. As a result, the county directly solicited more than 40 prospective organizations for participation in the WasteWise program. The county also promoted waste reduction and the WasteWise program in a number of publications, radio interviews, press releases, and on television. ************************************************************ "WasteWise is an empowering program. By showing cost savings through waste reduction, partners are able to protect the environment and at the same time save their employers money. Everyone wins: taxpayers, businesses, and most importantly, the environment, which is our legacy to the next generation." John Fuller, Washoe County, Nevada ************************************************************ WASTEWISE 2002 PROGRAM CHAMPIONS VERY LARGE BUSINESS Bank of America: Treading Lightly on the Environment Bank of America brings environmental consciousness right under its employees' feet. In 2001, it began purchasing new products with recycled content, including carpeting for a new office building. By working with an office carpeting manufacturer and explaining its environmental concerns, Bank of America purchased carpet made of nylon face containing 82 percent recycled content and carpet backing containing 100 percent recycled materials. Furthermore, Bank of America partnered with DuPont to take back and recycle old carpeting. The recycled carpet is used in a variety of products including carpet cushion, sod reinforcement, and even automobile parts! Bank of America's 40 environmental network teams enable the bank to achieve impressive environmental results. On an ongoing basis, the teams provide employees with resources on environmental issues via a Web site, a monthly newsletter, and various events. Its office supply cleanup day, during which employees collected excess office supplies and arranged them in central supply rooms, was one of the many successful activities in 2001. During the day, employees also gathered old office equipment for refurbishment or donation to local nonprofit organizations. Throughout the year, many offices also participated in donate-a-phone programs, through which they collected hundreds of cellular phones and accessories for donation to victims of domestic violence. Bank of America also began a new waste reduction campaign. By educating its employees to incorporate waste prevention activities into their daily tasks, the company saw a reduction in the numbers of forms used, a reduction in copying, and an increase in the development of online tools for employees. The bank also eliminated nearly 23 tons of paper use by subscribing to online magazines and newspapers, and partnered with Compaq in a computer takeback program that refreshes the computers every three years. Kodak's Education Efforts Net More Cameras for Reuse In 2001, Eastman Kodak Company found innovative ways to help amplify waste reduction efforts. Because Kodak continued to educate film processors on the recyclability of Kodak's one-time use cameras, customer returns of cameras increased allowing the company to remanufacture these additional returns. This activity prevented 1,800 tons of plastic and 1,400 tons of printed circuit boards from entering the waste stream. Altogether, the company reused and recycled more than 110 million cameras! Kodak also found various ways to reuse internal wastes. In 2001, the company distributed more than 850 tons of furniture and electrical equipment for reuse. Through various onsite construction and demolition projects, it harvested and reused more than 11,000 tons of concrete, asphalt, and brick. It also continued its film container recycling program, which collected more than 370 million canisters in 2001 alone. Kodak also continues to reinforce its commitment to buy products with recycled content. The company works with its suppliers to help them better understand Kodak's standards to promote life-cycle thinking, waste minimizing, and using products with recycled content. In 2001, Kodak spent $24 million on supplies with recycled content. GM on the Environmental Road to the Future In 2001, General Motors Corporation (GM) completed the development of one of its newest 4x4 vehicles -- the Hummer H2 -- one of the most environmentally friendly all-terrain vehicles currently cruising into the market. The environmental craze about GM's work on this vehicle isn't how it looks or how much power is under the hood -- it's about the fact that the Hummer H2 is among one of the most recyclable vehicles ever manufactured! GM marked nearly 5,000 tons of the vehicles' molded plastic for recycling, which will ease the recovery process when the vehicle has reached the end of its life. Among other developments, GM produced radiator side air baffles that consist of 70 percent postconsumer recycled materials, using 12.5 tons of rubber from used tires! GM's 2002 midsize sport utility vehicles -- the Trailblazer, Envoy, and Bravada -- got high marks in waste prevention and recycling as well. Engineers decreased the amount of waste produced during manufacturing, by an estimated 2,000 tons annually. Plus, GM used nearly 4,000 recycled tires to produce the radiator side air baffles, which not only helps with waste reduction, but also makes GM's midsize SUVs more fuel efficient. GM is also an industry leader in vehicle disassembly for recycling. In 2001, the company was the first auto manufacturer to make its vehicle disassembly information readily available via the Internet. GM continues to post more end-of-life vehicle manuals as they are produced to provide dismantlers with information on recyclable vehicle parts. Pushing the Waste Reduction Envelope at the Disneyland Resort When The Disneyland Resort evaluated its waste reduction successes, the resort found that it diverted more than 37 percent of its wastes! This success, however, didn't stop these environmental superstars. The Disneyland Resort (located in Anaheim, California) is evaluating opportunities that have the potential to reduce waste generation by an additional 30 percent. The company's main administration building houses more than 1,100 employees, so it was a perfect location to establish office supply reuse centers. The resort also expanded its employee outreach program, which increased participation in a videotape return and reuse program -- diverting approximately 650 pounds of videotapes from landfills. It also established a program to reuse usable alkaline batteries. The program focused on the departments that, because of operational requirements, generate batteries that can still be used in other applications. Through the program, staff redistributed these still powerful batteries to other business units and employees. The Disneyland Resort also continued activities to recycle and buy recycled materials. In 2001, the resort recycled more than 2,000 tons of paper and purchased picnic benches, craft tables, and a lifeguard station made from recycled HDPE containing at least 76 percent postconsumer materials. Entering the Environmental Information Age at Verizon Verizon provides electronic opportunities for its employees and customers to become environmental stewards. The company promoted the use of its online forms, training, and personnel information, which allowed employees to decrease office paper use by 1,300 tons, saving the company $2.7 million dollars. The use of electronic purchase orders led to an additional 47.5 tons of paper reduction. Verizon also supports recycling from telecommunications materials to office paper. Nearly 57,000 tons of telecommunications equipment was either upgraded, repaired, reused, or recycled in 2001 -- avoiding $47.6 million in purchasing costs. These activities also produced more than $36 million in revenues for items and materials that were sold or recycled. Verizon's office paper recycling program alone reduced annual waste removal costs by $1.4 million; furthermore, sales of 11,000 tons of office paper, previously considered refuse, produced revenues of $54,300. LARGE BUSINESS AMD's Purchasing Preferences To help employees select office equipment and supplies that have minimum environmental impact, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) developed Green Procurement Guidelines that outline product characteristics such as packaging materials, end-of-life disposal, and energy usage. These are attributes that AMD employees consider before buying these products. Seven percent, or more than $100,000, of AMD's 2001 purchases contained recycled materials. The company has a goal of annually purchasing 45,000 reams of photocopier paper containing postconsumer material, which would more than double its environmentally preferable purchases. This semiconductor manufacturer also looks at ways to reduce its waste. Plastic items such as clean room shoe covers, polypropylene bouffants and beard covers, latex gloves, and wafer carriers are recycled. Plus, AMD steadily increased the amount of textile clean room wipers it launders and reuses each year, to 7 tons in 2001. This 6,700-person company performs an impressive job with recycling collection as well: 577 tons of paper and cardboard, 145 tons of plastic, and 330 tons of metals. Battelle's Focus Shines on Cleaning Products Every year, Battelle Memorial Institute targets an area within its company for environmental improvement, and 2001 saw the birth of an environmentally preferable purchasing program for custodial products. This technology developer found that environmentally preferable replacements were available for all cleaning products it used. Battelle spent $329,000 on recycled-content paper products including towels, toilet tissue, and seat covers; $35,000 on plastics such as traffic barriers and trash can liners; and $4,000 on biobased cleaners made from corn, oats, and soy. These replacements, in addition to products already being purchased, boosted Battelle's total spending on environmentally preferable products to nearly $1 million! To increase green purchasing further, this Ohio-based company offers regular training and information sharing sessions. It publishes a quarterly newsletter with environmental news and activities. Battelle even coined the Rocky Raccoon Recycled Products Champion award to be given to staff members who promote environmentally preferable products. Other educational events held by Battelle include an environmental fair, a waste sort, and an America Recycles Day. A Snapshot of Environmental Caretakers at Canon Canon U.S.A., Inc. not only manufacturers cameras, optical products, and business machines, but also proves to be a company concerned with its waste streams and how they affect the environment. As one of the country's most recognized camera manufacturers, Canon took the initiative to prevent 100,000 cameras from entering landfills by collecting used cameras for refurbishment, sale, or remanufacture in 2001. Canon's Consumer Products Return Center recycled more than 1 million accessories, in turn saving the company more than $5 million dollars! Canon also prevented packaging materials from becoming waste. In 2001, it reused incoming packaging for its outgoing shipments, and eliminated polystyrene use. If its vendors shipped products with polystyrene, Canon reused it and worked with the vendor to help them discontinue polystyrene use as well. The company continues to increase efforts to educate its employees about environmental responsibility. Canon has even incorporated postconsumer materials into new products. For instance, Canon reuses plastics from old machines and "sandwiches" them between two pieces of virgin plastics. Through this innovative process, Canon skips the entire pellet making process usually used to recycle plastics. In addition, the sandwich molding technology gives consumers an aesthetically pleasing product. Employees also started designing products to make future recycling easier -- providing quicker disassembly time, material labeling, and a decrease in the number of adhesion points and tools needed for disassembly. Educated employees have also influenced the company's procurement. Canon purchases nearly 4,600 green-certified goods, from desks and chairs to office supplies and toilet paper. Employee Education Pays Off at Con Ed As the provider of electricity, natural gas, and steam for New York City (and most parts of Westchester County, New York), Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Ed) proved that it doesn't just provide energy to its customers, but it also cares about the footprint that it leaves on the environment. Striving to increase reuse of equipment and furniture in 2001, the company succeeded in reusing 687 pieces of office furniture and 200 workstations. This actually saved the company nearly $550,000 and also prevented 171 tons of office furniture from entering the waste stream. Additionally, the company worked with its local vendor to remanufacture more than 9 tons of toner cartridges! Con Ed understands that employees play a key role in successfully implementing waste reduction activities. To convey this message, the utility company produced a video highlighting waste reduction and the importance of segregating wastes as well as describing activities in the company newsletter. These actions demonstrate success, and as the company bought more than $1.2 million worth of supplies containing recycled content, including office paper, file folders, traffic cones, janitorial supplies, and barricades, Con Ed closed the recycling loop. Many employees continue to learn about buying recycled products from active participation in monthly meetings of the Buy Recycled Alliance in New York. Constellation Shoots for the Stars In addition to winning the 2002 Climate Change WasteWise Partner of the Year award, Constellation Energy Group's (CEG's) Waste reduction program saved the company $1.3 million in 2001. Through reusing, reducing, and recycling, CEG avoided disposal costs of more than $500,000 and avoided purchasing costs of $800,000. One example of this successful waste reduction is the group's ongoing electronics program. In 2001, Constellation collected and donated 31 tons of computers and recycled an additional 1,000 tons of metal from electronics. CEG also advanced its paper reduction and recycling programs. The company converted many publications to electronic formats and made them available on the company's Intranet in 2001, including the employee handbook, the daily cafeteria menu, and corporate policies. CEG also collected 280 tons of paper for recycling and purchased many paper items containing recycled material. Reuse Activities Abound at Florida Power & Light Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) reuses materials at every turn and saves money doing it! For example, by refurbishing its system equipment, this Florida utility salvaged 758 tons and $1.7 million worth of material in 2001, avoiding an additional $21,000 in tipping fees and multiple trips to the dump. This high salvage rate represents a 19 percent increase from the previous year. FPL avoided another $6,000 dollars in tipping fees by selling and donating wooden utility poles -- nearly 153 tons worth! The company also continues to reuse wooden reels, approximately 3,600 in 2001. This reuse avoided $20,000 in tipping fees. FPL established an innovative buy-back program in 2000, to encourage participating vendors to consider the entire lifespan of their products. FPL's wire and cable vendor, for example, bought back nearly $3 million dollars worth of processed aluminum and copper from the utility in 2001. Dianne Reale, FPL's corporate recycling coordinator, explained, "Buy-back agreements are changing the way industries do business. These agreements save money, reduce packaging, and increase efficiency." In addition to recycling an incredible 23,030 tons of materials generated by FPL's facilities, the company also donated several tons of nonrecyclable materials to schools for creative learning experiences for children and adults. Herman Miller's Quest for Zero Herman Miller, Inc. is coming closer to its goal of becoming a "zero landfill company." Standard company policy dictates that Herman Miller products will contain a large amount of recycled content products and materials, which reduces the amount of material it landfills in its production processes by 86 percent. In 2001, Herman Miller recycled or prevented more than 3,000 tons of paper, 6,500 tons of steel, 2,900 tons of wood, 380 tons of mixed plastics, and 700 tons of textiles from entering landfills. When designing work environments, the corporation worked toward innovative environmental stewardship by reducing the amount of material landfilled during production by 20 percent. Herman Miller also recognized through internal waste audits and tracking that it generates a significant amount of paper as reports. In response, the company is switching to an electronic system to reduce the amount of paper reporting needed. So far, Herman Miller's new system has eliminated about 40 percent of its paper from entering the waste stream. Planting a Green Ethic: Louisiana-Pacific Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) makes a concerted effort to plant a green ethic into its business practices. In January 2001 alone, LP spent more than 1,000 cumulative hours on environmental training and education of its employees. LP is at the forefront of a natural balance approach to the wood products industry, having recycled 2.8 million tons of wood by-products, scrap metal, and plastics in 2001. LP's corporate-wide waste prevention and recycling efforts included using more than 1.5 million tons of waste for energy recovery, and a 37,000 ton reduction in total disposal. This effort represented a 43 percent reduction from waste disposed in 2000. The company also developed a range of environmentally smart and energy-conscious products made from recycled content materials. The company implemented an environmental management system (EMS) company-wide. By the end of 2001, approximately 75 percent of LP's manufacturing facilities had fully implemented an EMS; full implementation at all facilities will be complete by 2003. LP has received numerous awards, certifications, and environmental program recognition in addition to being a WasteWise Program Champion. Saving Money While Helping Others, Millipore Corporation In 2001, Millipore Corporation donated 4.5 tons of electronics equipment (computers, monitors, and printers) to local and regional schools and third-world countries. Not only did the donation fill a local and international need, the corporation saved nearly $3,000 in avoided disposal costs. Millipore saved an additional $2,200 by donating 5 tons of used office furniture and industrial equipment, and purchased 518 tons of corrugated material manufactured with 22 percent recycled-content material. Millipore Corporation also continued its excellence in its recycling collection activities, collecting 295.5 tons of corrugated containers, 62 tons of paper, 60 tons of plastic, 71 tons of metal, more than 6 tons of polypropylene, 366 tons of wood, and 270 pounds of ink. Pepco Moves Waste Prevention into the 21st Century Moving anytime soon? Need an idea of how to keep relocation costs down? Instead of using those cardboard boxes to relocate, use something reusable. That is what Pepco did when it relocated to its new headquarters in Washington, DC. Using 4,700 reusable plastic totes saved more than $8,000 in moving costs! In 2001, Pepco redesigned its cable splicing kits, preventing one ton of wire waste each year. Pepco also estimated a savings of $1.5 million in disposal fees from its recycling program, generating revenues of $575,000 from the sale of these recyclables. Pepco closes the loop by purchasing recycled content-products, including paper, office products, remanufactured parts, antifreeze, and tires. PSEG Recycling Rate Surpasses 90 Percent! The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), headquartered in New Jersey, found that its waste prevention and recycling activities not only benefit the environment, but also benefit the company, employees, and the local community. By working with its suppliers and employees, PSEG reached a municipal solid waste recycling rate of more than 92 percent, recycling 96,000 tons of waste in 2001. This figure includes more than 12,000 tons of wood (e.g., tree limbs) cut to prevent them from obstructing power lines and rights-of-way. After cutting down these safety hazards, employees recycle or reuse the wood in agricultural and landscaping applications. In 2001, PSEG also conducted a pilot project to collect and recycle ink-jet cartridges used in the office. The pilot was so successful, PSEG is now planing companywide implementation. PSEG also recycles holiday cards. More than 300 pounds of cards were sent to St. Judes Ranch for Children where the backs of the old cards were removed so the fronts could be reused. PSEG also supports the local community by providing grants to environmental educators and by participating in environmental fairs throughout New Jersey and even lectures at schools and other organizations. SCE Rewards Energy Efficient Customers Southern California Edison (SCE) is a large investor-owned electric utility company that not only thinks about how its power generation affects the environment, but also how to help the environment by reducing waste. During the 2001 California energy crisis, SCE provided an opportunity for its customers to make some money, lower their electric bills, and reduce the number of appliances entering landfills by offering free pickup of unneeded refrigerators and freezers for recycling. This great offer came at a perfect time for consumers to consider purchasing more energy efficient appliances that save cash and the environment! SCE's recycling program not only picks up the refrigerators, but it also removes CFC-11 and other hazardous materials for proper disposal. The organization reinforced the program by presenting participants with either a $35 check or a pack of energy-efficient light bulbs. MIDSIZE BUSINESS DTE Energy -- Modernizing Since 1886 Stemming from Detroit's first lightbulb manufacturer and electric utility, DTE Energy has innovated new ideas for nearly 120 years, and the company's environmental practices are no exception. This Michigan-based energy provider demonstrated its environmental commitment in 1994 by becoming a charter member of the WasteWise program, making annual advances in waste prevention and recycling. In 2001, the company formalized its longstanding waste minimization/ pollution prevention program by forming a committee to quantify environmental expectations and qualifications for contractors and suppliers, assigning a pollution prevention representative to each plant, and completing a pollution prevention survey for every coalfired generating plant. The company expanded its use of electronic media as a replacement for paper in 2001. Two electronic newsletters replaced paper copies, along with the 10-page annual internal survey, phone directory, and company policies, which are no longer available in paper form. DTE Energy devoted a chapter of the company's contract administrator training manual to pollution prevention, waste reduction, and environmental management. DTE Energy's computer recovery program completed another successful year -- generating zero waste. The company donated 227 computers, recycled more than 8,000 CPUs, monitors, keyboards, and circuit boards, and resold $36,000 worth of parts. It also generated $31,000 from used furniture sales and nearly $7,000 from the sale of other items. The company reached these increased level of sales through a new partnership with Goodwill Industries and the development of an online sales Web site. DTE Energy purchased large amounts of paper towels and toilet tissue containing postconsumer recycled content, while collecting huge quantities of various materials for recycling. By recycling metal within used computers alone, the company avoided the production of GHGs equivalent to taking nearly 2,000 cars off the road this past year! It recycled an additional 500 tons of paper products, more than 221 tons of wood, and large amounts of ash, glass, and plastic. SMALL BUSINESS Kessler Practices What It Preaches For Kessler Consulting, Inc., reducing waste isn't just a business -- it's protocol! This environmental planning firm creates innovative reduction ideas for clients as well as itself. When the company moved into a new office last year, it practiced many of the reduce, reuse, and recycle efforts it preaches. To begin with, the seven-person staff purchased a refurbished telephone system. Kessler also stocked the new kitchen with dishes, cups, and flatware to discourage the use of disposable items. Common procedure within this Florida-based office is to reuse all office supplies until they require recycling. Envelopes, notebooks, folders, and boxes are constantly reused, and all paper is printed on two sides. Through duplex printing alone, the company has reused nearly 780 pounds of paper. In 2001, Kessler began a composting program that collects food scraps and yard trimmings and uses the compost on premises for landscaping. Because its policy is to purchase items containing recycled material whenever possible, Kessler purchased a 10-seater, 100 percent recycled plastic picnic table for lunch breaks. The company also purchases recycled-content paper, letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. Employees at Kessler clearly feel pride in their WasteWise activities. The company displays WasteWise posters in the kitchen, conference room, and copy room, as well as the WasteWise logo on company reports and the Web site. Based on the company's calculations, in 2001, it reused nearly 15 percent of all waste and recycled an additional 60 percent. Only 25 percent of Kessler's trash actually makes it to a disposal facility! 1,000 Tons of Plastic Recycled by Seydel Not every company can boast such a high rate of material collected for recycling, but The Seydel Companies worked hard to achieve this honor. And the company certainly takes it seriously, as Scott Seydel, CEO, said, "Our efforts to lessen our impact on the environment are a source of pride for all the Seydel associates." The company also maintains a waste reduction relationship with its industrial neighbors by pooling recyclable material collection. In 2001, Seydel collected enough paper products to allow 200 trees to keep growing and enough steel to prevent energy losses equivalent to 54 barrels of oil. This Georgia-based company also spent $372,000 on products containing recycled material and continues to work with its suppliers to increase this amount. In one of Seydel's products, the company increased the amount of PET (#1) plastic content from 38 to 40 percent, or 131 tons. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Sandia's Environmental Purchasing Doubles Sandia National Laboratories implemented an innovative method to ensure its staff buys "green." When employees try to order conventional products, the laboratory's purchasing system automatically blocks the order and substitutes an equivalent, greener product. This system enabled Sandia to double its level of compliance with federal environmental purchasing requirements. Additionally, the lab saved $72,000 and increased spending on recycled-content materials from $200,000 to $1.6 million after implementing the purchasing system. In addition to buying products with recycled content, the lab collects large amounts of recyclables every year. In 2001, Sandia collected 800 tons of metals and 760 tons of paper products for recycling. Collection of these materials alone prevented the production of GHGs equivalent to taking 1,000 cars off the road for an entire year! Sandia National Laboratory makes great efforts to reuse materials as well. Using the U.S. Department of Energy's material exchange, Sandia posted a notice for surplus air monitors. The equipment found new homes within 10 days. Another creative reuse idea -- mulching wooden broom handles for use in landscaping. 300 Percent Increase in Composting for Presidio! The Presidio Trust, a federal management agency overseeing the preservation and enhancement of the Presidio National Park site, works in harmony with the park it protects. In 2001, the California-based trust expanded its onsite composting project by three times, processing more than 250 tons of manure, grass, and brush onsite and saving the trust $4,500 in disposal fees. The Presidio Trust developed Green Building Guidelines for the rehabilitation of historic buildings and utilizes the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating for new construction. It salvaged or donated $50,000 worth of materials to date. In 2001, through recycling, salvage, composting, and source reduction, the Trust diverted more than 3,750 tons of materials from the waste stream. Metal recycling alone saved $6,000 in avoided disposal fees and prevented the production of GHGs equivalent to 90 cars driving for a year. Aimee Vincent, sustainability manager, discussed the benefit of the trust's WasteWise membership. "Our affiliation with WasteWise has given our waste reduction program increased exposure in the federal government and greater credibility with employees who were originally skeptical of waste reduction efforts." STATE GOVERNMENT South Carolina Escapes Inflation The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has reduced waste so effectively it is paying the same tipping fees today that it did in 1993! This escape from inflation results from the state's efforts to continuously increase levels of both waste prevention and recycling collection. DHEC avoids a great deal of waste through reductions in paper use. The organization stresses the importance of double-sided printing within the office and has switched to e-mail for routine communication. DHEC no longer prints important information, such as phone numbers and directories, instead including it on the agency's Intranet. DHEC also achieved success in its recycling and green purchasing efforts. The department recycled 150 tons of colored paper in 2001 and 34 tons of other paper products, along with large quantities of plastic, aluminum, glass, wood, and computers. DHEC purchased $800,000 worth of products made from recycled material in 2001. It also requested that its vendors use less packaging for office supplies and established a buy-recycled policy that gives a 7.5 percent price preference to recycled-content materials. TRIBAL GOVERNMENT Double-Sided Printing at Blue Lake Doubles Success The Blue Lake Rancheria of California has made advances in reducing one of its largest waste streams: paper. The switch to duplex printing, two-sided copying, and faxing saved the California tribal group large amounts of paper. Recycling efforts collected nearly 6 tons of paper products, allowing up to 93 trees to live and continue carbon sequestration, an activity our whole planet can be thankful for. Blue Lake is also making progress through green purchases: 98 percent of the paper it bought in 2001 contains postconsumer material. Paper isn't the only area of success, though, as the Rancheria collected nearly 1 ton of steel and aluminum cans for recycling. Waste Reduction Spreads Across Robinson Rancheria "Disposal fees have dramatically dropped thanks to our recycling efforts, and we expect them to drop even more," says Irenia Quitiquit. The Robinson Environmental Center is spreading the word about waste reduction and recycling across the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians because it's not only good for the environment, it's also good for the economy. As part of its efforts, the Rancheria conducts workshops for each tribal department and holds sessions to educate youth and the entire community. Last year, this California-based tribe incorporated recycling and composting practices into the operations of a newly expanded, 150-seat restaurant. It then used the restaurant's compost, along with compost collected from the ongoing program at the Rancheria's senior nutritional center, in the environmental center's community garden. Waste reduction efforts spread to paper in 2001, as the Robinson Rancheria tribal employees set up Internet services and an e-mail system. Going global reduced the use of paper, while improving collection efforts increased paper recycling -- the Robinson Rancheria recycled an impressive 20 tons of paper products in 2001. LOCAL GOVERNMENT City of Clifton, New Jersey, A Triple Crown Winner In addition to winning the 2002 WasteWise Endorser of the Year and receiving the Program Champion Award for climate change activities, the City of Clifton, New Jersey, also made significant accomplishments in the area of reducing waste generated by the city government. For example, the Department of Public Works uses scrap paper as fax paper before recycling. As a result, the department saved $400 in fax paper purchasing costs. In addition to its waste prevention measures, the city has also increased the amount of recycled content products purchased including adding approximately 2 tons of recycled content paper in 2001 for use in its offices. The City of Fremont, California, Chooses to Reuse The City of Fremont, California, went on a diet at the October 2001 Employee Appreciation Picnic. But it wasn't food the city cut down on, it was waste. Fremont's Environmental Services Division introduced ceramic "snack plates" to 500 city staff members. The plates bear the catchy title "Choose to Re-Use!" along with the city logo and are now being used at birthdays, retirement parties, staff meetings, and other events. Soon the plates will be accompanied with a complete "Choose to Re- Use!" line in 2002, including commuter mugs, cloth napkins, lunch bags, recycling baskets, and possibly recycled-content T-shirts. Departments in all city facilities have been making the choice to reuse and recycle. For example, the maintenance division chipped more than 950 tons of scrap wood into mulch for use on city property. The informational services department auctioned scrap computers and electronics for reuse or refurbishment. The environmental services department installed beverage container receptacles and paper recycling bins in the common areas of city facilities. Environmental services also encouraged the East Bay Regional Park District to make system-wide changes in the specification of the recycled-content of waste receptacles and park benches. Kitsap County Hits the Target When It Comes to Waste Reduction Kitsap County, Washington, continued to expand its waste reduction and recycling efforts in 2001, by using 400 recycled tires (approximately 3 tons of rubber) in its shooting range for the Sheriff's Department. Kitsap County regularly recycles at its main campus and offsite facilities, including road shops, maintenance facilities, and treatment plants. In 2001, employees recycled 294 tons of mixed paper, 61 tons of steel cans, 3 tons of aluminum (primarily from road signs) and 51 tons of concrete and cement. County supervisors and several departments completed a hands-on training for waste prevention with employees, which will continue into 2002. "The Wa$te Exchange," an internal exchange and donation system of available surplus office supplies, continues into its third year of operation, saving more than $5,000 in purchasing costs. The Solid Waste Division used modern technology to battle waste by creating a credit card-sized CD containing 45 publications on topics such as recycling, composting, household hazardous waste disposal, and environmentally friendly lawn and garden care for distribution at the Kitsap County Fair and Rodeo and Home Show. In all, the CDs resulted in a net savings of approximately 9,500 pieces of paper. COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY Emory and Starbucks Add Excitement to Reusable Mugs To promote the importance of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," Emory University partnered with Rollins Environmental Health Action Committee to buy and distribute 250 reusable mugs across its Atlanta campus. To get students to use these mugs, the local Starbucks gave a 50 percent discount on any beverage. This mug and coffee deal pushed Emory students into a reuse mindset. The school then sponsored an "Everything Drive" during move-out days, through which students donated their extras to be reused by people in need. The Surplus Shop on campus sells used office furniture and supplies at greatly reduced prices, saving employees nearly $40,000 on equipment. In 2001, Emory expanded its toner cartridge collection program to most academic and administrative offices, recycling a total of 1,300 pounds of plastic cartridges. It also collected an impressive 400 tons of paper products. More than 75 tons of metal cans and nearly 57 tons of glass were also recycled. The school also established a community recycling drop-off site that is so popular, it requires collection three to four times every week. Emory supports recycling markets by purchasing items containing recycled materials, such as 100 percent recycled toilet paper and hand towels. In fact, 42 percent of the products the university bought in 2001 contained postconsumer content, totaling $1.35 million spent on recycled-content materials. Ohio University's Wastebusters When Ohio University students move into their dorms, they not only receive their room keys, they also get an array of recycling information -- from outdoor recycling areas to displays and information in the buildings and even in their rooms. Some of this visibility is assisted by Wastebusters, which are recycling liaisons between students and Campus Recycling and Energy Conservation Departments. This corps of Wastebusters is made up of students and residence life staff. In 2001, Ohio University Facilities Management continued to upgrade its buildings for the smoothest and most efficient recycling collection possible. It obtained lightweight recycling barrels for outdoor events where recycling collection is often difficult. The university collected an impressive 1,200 tons of paper products for recycling in 2001, plus 304 tons of metals, and a huge amount of glass, yard trimmings, wood, textiles, and a wide array of other materials. The school also collects reusable items to be redistributed, including art supplies and art work, clothing and linens, and terrariums and aquariums. These collections enabled Ohio University Facilities Management to recycle nearly 50 percent of its overall waste in 2001. To promote reuse, the school is generous with donations. The university gave extra beds, chairs, and desks to social agencies, schools, and organizations in 2001, avoiding $2,000 in disposal costs. Plans for next year include working with the school's office supply vendor to increase recycled content in Ohio University's office products. Ohio University Facilities Management is also working to meet its impressive goal of recycling 80 percent of the waste generated by its students, faculty, and staff. Seattle University LEEDs by Building Green In April 2001, Seattle University broke ground for an innovative student center. Seattle University is one of the few organizations in the country to construct a building that achieves LEED certification by taking the entire life cycle of this student center into consideration. The school met this "green" goal by deconstructing the old student center building, salvaging as many materials as possible for reuse in the new structure, and recycling much of the rest. In only the first nine months, the building team recycled 54 tons of construction and demolition debris. As seen with the construction of the student center, reuse activities are not hard to find at Seattle University. The school has a surplus store where used items like tables, blackboards, computers, and office equipment are sold to the public at "bargain basement prices," saving more than 13 tons of extras from landfills. The university hosted a moving-out clothing drive, which collected 1,450 pounds of clothes. Plus, the Environmental Services Office gives away reusable mugs to incoming freshmen, and Food Services sells reusable mugs with which people get discounts on drinks across campus. Seattle University knows that purchasing recycled products is just as important as recycling. Not only did Seattle University spend $17,000 on products with recycled content in 2001, it followed the policy that no purchases would be made from any vendor that does not recycle. Looking to the future, Seattle University is constructing an onsite composting center for preconsumer food scraps. In 2001, more than 46 tons of food went to a local composting facility. Starting in 2002, the school will compost onsite and use the enriched soil on campus grounds. "Claim Your Can" and Win a Tee at UVA! The University of Virginia (UVA) has found catchy ways to interest students in recycling. In a "Claim Your Can" contest held in 2001, students wrote their names on aluminum cans before recycling them. Across campus, cans were drawn from recycling bins and the lucky winners received T-shirts, gift certificates, and the grand prize of a CD player. This contest allowed the school to collect and recycle enough aluminum to prevent GHG emissions equivalent to 35 fewer cars driven in 2001. UVA will hold the contest again in 2002, with 100 percent recycled-content T-shirts as some of the prizes. UVA also launched Printing Awareness Week, during which it promoted the conservation of paper through activities such as duplex printing and education about the impact of over-printing. Only one month after this campaign, paper usage in the campus computer labs was down by more than ne-third, saving nearly one ton of paper. The school recycled an additional 1,700 tons of paper products. WASTEWISE 2002 HONORABLE MENTIONS WasteWise is proud to recognize the accomplishments of the following partners in 2002: City of Clifton, New Jersey -- Electronics Tennessee Valley Authority -- Electronics Allergan, Inc. -- Large Business Amgen, Inc. -- Large Business Dominion Semiconductor, LLC Large Business Panasonic -- Large Business Spartech Corporation -- Large Business Steelcase Inc.-- Large Business Lake Shore Cryotronics, Inc. -- Small Business Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Academy of Sciences -- Small Business Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation -- State Government Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians -- Tribal Government Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin -- Tribal Government City of Alexandria, Virginia -- Local Government City of Fairhope, Alabama -- Local Government City of Newport News, Virginia -- Local Government Port of Seattle, Landscape Department -- Local Government Contact WasteWise www.epa.gov/wastewise 800 EPA-WISE (800 372-9473) E-mail: ww@cais.net MEMBER INDEX Advanced Micro Devices, Inc Allergan Sales, Inc Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc Bank of America Battelle Memorial Institute The Blue Lake Rancheria of California Canon U.S.A., Inc City of Alexandria, Virginia City of Clifton, New Jersey -- Recycling Program City of Fremont, California Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc Constellation Energy Group Creative Office Systems, Inc The Disneyland Resort DTE Energy Eastern Illinois University Eastman Kodak Company Emory University Evelyn Hill Inc Florida Power & Light Company General Motors Corporation Guardian Industries-Ligonier Plant Herman Miller, Inc Jackson County, Missouri Kessler Consulting, Inc King County, Washington Kitsap County, Washington Los Angeles Unified School District Louisiana-Pacific Corporation Millipore Corporation NEC Electronics, Inc. -- Roseville Facility Ohio University Panasonic Pepco Pitney Bowes Inc The Presidio Trust Public Service Enterprise Group Robinson Rancheria Environmental Center Sandia National Laboratories Seattle University The Seydel Companies South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Southern California Edison State of Ohio U.S. Government Printing Office U.S. Postal Service -- Alabama District U.S. Postal Service -- Northeast Area University of Virginia Verizon Virco Mfg. Corporation The Walt Disney Company Washoe County Government, Nevada