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35 Percent Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste Action Plan
RCC 2005 Action Plan
This action plan lays out a framework or road map for increasing the rate of municipal solid waste recycling and helping the country meet a national goal of 35 percent. It identifies targeted waste streams, proposes 2008 goals for each of the targeted streams, lists criteria for identifying projects that will help us achieve our goals, and discusses tools and approaches to consider. We expect the projects that EPA and other stakeholders carry out will create a national culture that emphasizes recycling and will help build the infrastructure that successful recycling programs demand.
- Scope
- Targets
- Project Criteria
- Regional Action Plans
- Quick Start for this Fiscal Year
- Tools & Approaches
Scope
While this action plan addresses municipal solid waste (MSW) as defined in the 2002 Waste Characterization Report, we selected targeted streams for special emphasis based on generation and recovery rates and the potential for increased recovery or diversion. We identified these waste streams (and targets) as the most effective focus to achieve a 35 percent national recycling rate (see Table 1 below and section on targets). Specifically, we will have a national focus on the following streams:
- Paper
and paperboard: The scope
of this plan encompasses all paper and paperboard products,
including office papers, books, magazines, mail, telephone
directories, newsprint and inserts, corrugated boxes, commercial
printing, bags and sacks, and folding cartons.
- Organic
waste: Food waste is food preparation wastes
and uneaten food from residences, grocery stores, restaurants,
cafeterias, and lunchrooms. We are not focusing on food
waste generated during the preparation and packaging of
food products, since this waste is not included in the definition
of MSW. Yard waste includes grass, leaves, and tree and
brush trimmings from residential, institutional, and commercial
sources.
- Packaging/containers: The following
categories of packaging waste are included in the scope
of this plan: paper folding cartons (e.g., detergent boxes),
wood packaging, polymer wraps/films (used, for example,
to secure loads to pallets in transport packaging), and
shipping containers (e.g., wax corrugated cardboard, pallets).
We are including all beverage containers (aluminum,
glass,
and plastic)
in the scope of this plan. For the purposes of tracking
progress, folding cartons will be tracked under paper
and paperboard products.
We will decide whether to target additional waste streams as we accomplish our goals for paper, organic waste, and packaging/containers or whether to increase our goals and targets for these three streams. The criteria for targeting additional waste streams will be the same as the criteria for targeting the initial waste streams: generation and recovery rates and the potential for increased recovery or diversion.
While almost every municipal and commercial sector generates one or more of these wastes, we selected several sectors on which to focus based on the following criteria: generation of more than one of the targeted waste streams, opportunities for recycling; and established partnerships or viable potential partners. Based on these criteria, we will target the following sectors:
- Schools;
- Office buildings;
- Landscapers;
- Establishments that serve food (e.g., food courts, restaurants);
- The hospitality sector;
- Recycling on the Go venues (e.g., shopping centers, ball parks, special events, convenience stores, health clubs, recreation centers, parks);
- Tribally operated facilities; and
- Federal government agencies.
NOTE: Given the total 2001 MSW generation of 229.2 MT and the 2001 recovery of 68 MT, our 2008 goal of an 11.5 MT increase in recovery or diversion will result in a 2008 total recovery of 79.5 MT. Assuming that the generation remains the same as in 2001, this plan will achieve a recovery rate in 2008 of approximately 35 percent compared to a recovery rate of XX percent in 2001. NOTE: We've adjusted some of these targeted streams and will need to revisit these numbers.
Targets
- Government
Performance and Results Act (GPRA): Each year
through 2008, maintain the national average MSW generation
rate at not more than 4.5 pounds per person per day.
- GPRA: By 2008, increase recycling of
the total annual MSW produced to 35 percent from 31 percent
in 2002.
These goals would be met through the following increases in recycling in key waste categories:
- Paper
and paperboard: An increase in the recovery
of paper and paperboard products from 36.7 million tons
in 2001 to 44.1 million tons in 2008 (an increase in recycling
of total paper/paperboard materials from 44.9 to 53.8 percent).
- Food
waste: An increase in the recovery/diversion
of food waste from .7 million tons in 2001 to 1.28 million
tons in 2008 (an increase in recycling from 2.8 to 5.0 percent).
- Yard
trimmings: An increase in the recovery/diversion
of yard waste from 15.8 million tons in 2001 to 16.8 million
tons in 2008 (an increase from 56.5 to 60.0 percent).
- Paper
folding cartons: An increase
in the recovery/diversion of paper folding cartons from
.48 million tons in 2001 to .8 million tons in 2008 (an
increase from 8.7 to 14 percent). These figures are included
in the paper and paperboard figures above.
- Wood packaging: An increase in the recovery/diversion of wood packaging from 1.25 million tons in 2001 to 2.0 million tons in 2008 (an increase from 15 to 24 percent).
- Plastic
wraps: An increase in the recovery/diversion
of plastic wraps from .17 million tons in 2001 to .5 million
tons in 2008 (an increase from 6.6 to 19 percent).
- Beverage containers: An increase in the
recovery/diversion of beverage containers from 2.93 million
tons in 2001 to 4.36 million tons in 2008 (an increase from
26 to 39 percent).
We will continue to measure these results using the measurement
methodology from the Waste
Characterization Report. This Report has been our primary
source of generation and recycling rates. We also hope to
use data from the Hospitals
for a Healthy Environment (H2E)
effort, performance
track data, and Supplemental
Environmental Projects (SEPs). We also will be analyzing
and comparing state data, as well as other measurement methodologies
and data sources, such as Biocycle, to better understand
trends. We will work with the regions to determine the need
and ability to regionalize the data from the Waste Characterization
Report.
In the next 3 months, we will meet with states, tribes, and appropriate national and local stakeholders to ground-truth these goals and further identify specific opportunities and strategies for promoting them.
More broadly, EPA will work at the national and regional level to enhance public commitment to recycling, increase public access to recycling opportunities, and engage national stakeholders in the national recycling goal. In doing so, we'll work closely with states and local governments, and we'll target our efforts strategically, toward the commodity streams identified above and toward the commercial and municipal sectors that provide the greatest opportunities for success.
Project Criteria
We will apply the criteria listed below to current projects as well as potential new projects to help us meet our goals and to help us use resources more efficiently and effectively. Projects should be designed to:
- Make new, significant contributions to the national goals;
- Be measurable;
- Be sustainable (i.e., maintained into the future);
- Have a national impact or be replicable.;
- Focus on what we do best (e.g., EPA as a convener or facilitator); and
- Demonstrate a new approach that leads to a significant increase in recycling MSW.
Regional Action Plans
This action plan lays out a framework or set of parameters to achieve national targets. Each region is expected to work with the states, tribes, local governments, and other partners and stakeholders to develop a plan identifying specific projects and commitments (e.g., deadlines for completion, numerical commitments) that will contribute to the national targets and that reflect the specifics of their regions. These plans will reflect matrixes provided by March 24, 2005. Plans should be provided by June 1, 2005, and will focus on work in Fiscal Year 2006 (FY06) and beyond.
In developing these plans, regions should consider the principles outlined below (e.g., work with existing programs) and identify what they hope to accomplish (e.g., 10 new WasteWise members with total targets of XX pounds of paper recycled). Not all regions will be able to commit to all streams, all existing programs, etc. We expect ORCR and the regions to dedicate their resources to increasing recovery of the streams targeted in this action plan. We will reduce or close out activities that do not target these streams, shift resources as necessary, and undertake new activities that meet the criteria listed above. Recognizing the difficulty in reducing or closing out certain activities and shifting resources, we expect to close out these activities and shift resources by the beginning of FY 2006.
Quick Start for This Fiscal Year
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR)
Step 1: Develop a list of partners and stakeholders for the April regional SWIMM meeting; conduct external scoping and stakeholder meetings; share results with regions; identify next steps based on outcome of meetings (e.g., issues identified, suggested roles for EPA).
Step 2: Review the regional matrices submitted in March 2005, together with action plans and feedback from meetings; work with regions and stakeholders to determine if targets are reasonable and achievable; work with our stakeholders to ensure that our goals/targets are complementary; determine which, if any, should be added as a GPRA commitment.
Step 3: Meet with key tribal, state, local, and external stakeholders to ground-truth this action plan and identify the best path forward and the most appropriate contributions of the federal government (scheduled for May 2005).
Step 4: Decide if we will commit to a WasteWise Paper Challenge and a WasteWise Food Challenge.
Step 5: Work with our partners and stakeholders to develop the Recycle on the Go Program.
Step 1: Complete matrices and action plans, determining the streams and sectors on which to focus. For example, regions may decide to focus on a particular venue, such as ball parks, for the Recycle on the Go Program.
Step 2: Determine if existing projects/efforts meet the project criteria listed above and make adjustments as needed.
Step 3: Include reporting requirements in all projects/efforts.
Tools and Approaches
Work with Primary Partners and Key Stakeholders
We cannot achieve the ambitious results identified in the "Targets" section without working with our primary partners—states, tribes, and local governments—as well as key stakeholders (e.g., manufacturers, retailers, other EPA programs, non-government organizations (NGOs), trade associations). Collaborative efforts with each of these partners and key stakeholders remain an essential element of our success in achieving these goals. We see EPA's role as engaging national stakeholders in broad initiatives through meetings with leaders of these organizations (e.g., executive directors, chairs of boards, presidents/vice presidents, CEOs). We also will be working with our regional counterparts, both solid waste and pollution prevention. We will hold an internal meeting with both these groups in April 2005 in Chicago.
In addition to the existing partnerships and efforts, ORCR will be conducting a series of stakeholder meetings with recognized experts and hands-on practitioners—individuals, companies, and national organizations—to identify creative solutions to increasing recycling, changing the disposal culture, and building the needed infrastructure. We will work with our partners and stakeholders to determine whether the goals and targets we set in this action plan complement the goals and target our partners and stakeholders have, keeping in mind our ultimate goal of achieving a 35 percent national recycling rate by 2008. A key outcome of these meetings will be to identify appropriate roles for both ORCR and EPA's regional offices.
For example, ORCR already has conducted three scoping meetings with groups of stakeholders to identify and discuss issues with increasing the recovery of paper. We will conduct additional scoping meetings and use the information gathered at these scoping meetings to develop an agenda for a broad paper stakeholder meeting the third quarter of FY 2005. We expect to identify specific goals and projects at the stakeholder meeting. We are working on stakeholder meetings for the other waste streams—organic waste and packaging and containers—to occur in the third and fourth quarters of 2005 and will work with our senior officials within OSWER to provide opportunities to hear directly from stakeholders.
We will develop a list of partners and stakeholders for our April regional SWIMM meeting to form a foundation for our discussion of complementary ORCR and regional efforts. For example, we will discuss a partnership with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase donations of edible food. We also will be meeting with EPA Regional Pollution Prevention Coordinators at the April meeting to discuss potential joint efforts. In addition, we will identify innovative solutions already in use, such as the New York City recycling contract, and share them broadly.
Work with existing EPA programs
Working within existing programs, such as WasteWise and GreenScapes, will help us avoid brand saturation and use resources efficiently. To the extent possible, ORCR will quantify current results (e.g., amounts recycled) and benefits (e.g., greenhouse gases reduced) of our existing programs, as well as potential increases in these results and benefits as we consider adding components to the programs (e.g., a food waste challenge under WasteWise, a WasteWise Paper Challenge).
Regions should consider what newly recruited members/partners can contribute to these results and benefits. We also will take advantage of the market development aspects of the comprehensive procurement guidelines and environmentally preferable purchasing. We also will reach out to key national stakeholders and organizations, which may or may not have been involved in ongoing programs, to secure broad support for national recycling goals. These are likely to include such groups as retailers, sports leagues, and universities.
Replicate Successful Models/Programs
EPA and the states and tribes have had numerous regional or local successes. We need to learn from these successes and determine whether they can be replicated in other regions or states or even nationwide. Regions should share successes with ORCR and other regions. We all need to discuss and determine what can be replicated and how to replicate these successes.
In addition, we generate a significant amount of MSW while we're on the go at places like airports, shopping centers, ball parks, and parks. Learning from and building on successful pilots and demonstration projects (e.g., ball park recycling, America's Marketplace Recycles), ORCR will launch a Recycling on the Go Program to focus on recyclables generated away from the home. We will partner with service groups, such as the Girl Scouts, and charities, such as Habitat for Humanity. The Recycling on the Go Program is a new, developing program which we need to share and discuss with our partners and stakeholders. We are looking to America's Marketplace Recycles for lessons learned. We will also look for lessons learned from waste handling procedures used at tribally owned model facilities for waste reduction (e.g., the Mohegan Sun complex).
Gather, Research, Study, Analyze, and Share Information
Several ongoing efforts will inform the issues we all are grappling with (e.g., cost and availability of recycling equipment, such as bins, balers, trucks, and dumpsters); ORCR will track, and in some cases support, these efforts to expand our collective knowledge. For example, we will identify what initiatives local and state governments, NGOs, trade associations, and others are supporting. Where appropriate, we will explore the magnitude of the issue and determine whether:
- Viable, effective solutions exist or can be developed;
- EPA has a role; and
- We can leverage existing efforts.
For instance, ORCR has been working with our partners on packaging designs and systems rooted in cradle-to-cradle principles to move packaging toward more sustainable designs and systems, including potential to reduce waste. We also are tracking the use and issues with radio-frequency identification devices (RFIDs). RFIDs may impact recovery rates, such as wood packaging.
ORCR also plans to develop best management practices in several areas with the intent to widely share information. For example, we will update the landscaping criteria for federal buildings based on the GreenScapes concept. ORCR will create a how-to guide for food waste generators interested in donating edible food (working with USDA as appropriate), which will help us with our source reduction goal, or in composting and will widely distribute the guide through EPA's Web site and to our WasteWise partners. We also will promote the use of compost for erosion and sedimentation control.
Both the regions and ORCR will consider the most effective means of distributing information, changing the culture, and educating the public (e.g., public service announcements (PSAs)). We are committed to providing needed, effective information and technical support. We expect to identify the areas for future studies during the stakeholder meetings.
ORCR and regions will report annually on their specific commitments/contributions for each activity in number of pounds of targeted waste streams reduced or recycled based on their regional action plans. ORCR will aggregate these numbers as needed and use them to report national successes, as well as to support the RCRA PART scores. ORCR will continue to work on appropriate measures and methods of data collection, benefits, and efficiency measures.
We will work with our partners and other stakeholders to determine the most appropriate method of including their contributions to the targets listed above. We will publish examples of the results on our Web site and in the RCC annual report.
We have heard from many of our stakeholders already that one of the key components of achieving a 35 percent recycling rate is public education and outreach designed to increase the public's commitment to recycling—in other words, cultivating a national recycling ethic. Stakeholders suggest that EPA's role is to gather the best ideas, engage the national media, foster national leadership, and engage the private sector in committing to support a national recycling campaign. We need to recommit ourselves and educate the public on the environmental benefits and the economic impacts of recycling.
We will continue to support America
Recycles Day
and work with National
Recycling Coalition (NRC)
to promote recycling all year long. We also will work with
our stakeholders through our stakeholder meetings and individual,
targeted efforts to gather the freshest, most creative ideas
for the message and for delivering that message.