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Introduction - Reduce and Recycle Recycling Benefits - Recycling's impact on businesses' "bottom line" Your Program - Start to Finish
Source Reduction - Even more opportunities for reducing solid waste Appendix I - Definitions - Recycling and Solid Waste Terms. Appendix II - Model Programs Appendix III - Conversions
RECYCLING . . . A GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RECYCLING Prepared by B. Ellie Arnould, Solid Waste Programs Coordinator Revised Edition
Programs in Cooperation with the Passaic County Board of Chosen
Freeholders and Passaic County 1310 Route 23 North Last Updated: 10/13/04 Passaic County New Jersey's Office Of Recycling and Solid Waste Programs is Pleased to be Able to Provide You With These Materials For Use By Other States, Districts And The General Public. All We Ask Is That You Give Credit To Passaic County, New Jersey And Forward Two (2) Copies Of Your Material For Our Files To: Passaic County |
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The New Jersey Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act was signed into law on April 20, 1987. Under this law each district or county and municipality was directed to develop a comprehensive plan for the reduction of solid waste and to meet a reduction goal of at least 25%. These plans call for all New Jersey businesses and institutions to establish recycling programs. Since then, Passaic County has expanded their commitment to waste management by accepting the hierarchy of source reduction before recycling. Additionally, in 1991 a goal of 60% reduction in solid waste from recycling by the end of 1995, which Passaic County met two years ahead of schedule. Whether you own or manage a supermarket, shopping mall, card store, delicatessen, office building, elementary school, print shop, bar, bank, or hospital, waste reduction and recycling is your responsibility. Establishing a comprehensive waste management program provides the opportunity for economic benefits in the form of cost avoidance, cost savings and, in some cases, revenue. Standard base disposal rates, or tipping fees, in Passaic County are currently set at over $109.00 per ton. Cost savings and cost avoidance are obtained when handling fees charged for the collection of recyclables are lower than this cost of solid waste disposal. Revenue may be gained through the sale of recyclables to vendors or markets. In addition to recycling, a thorough evaluation of the waste that is generated in your facility may offer additional economic benefits if source reduction techniques are established. Changing waste-producing processes and habits will compliment your recycling program. Further, changes made in purchasing can also add to overall cost savings while helping to "close the loop" in recycling. The steps that follow have been prepared with input from numerous program coordinators and recycling professionals to assist commercial establishments and institutions in planning, implementing and publicizing new or expanded recycling and waste reduction programs.
Recycling not only conserves our dwindling landfill space, energy, and natural resources, but it also helps businesses and institutions save on skyrocketing solid waste disposal costs. The economic benefits of recycling have been widely reported. Examples of solid waste disposal cost savings, cost avoidance, and revenue from the sale of recyclables in large, medium-sized, and even small businesses are not difficult to find. Several examples of successful commercial and institutional recycling programs in Passaic County, New Jersey, along with step by step outlines of how these programs were implemented, can be found in Appendix II. Disposal contract costs, dumpster sizes, and frequency of trash collections can all be reduced when recyclables are source separated from trash. Separating recyclables from the waste stream reduces the volume and weight of the trash that is generated. Direct financial benefits from recyclables are possible. Depending on collection and market arrangements, income from the sale of recyclables may be gained. In New Jersey, information on loans, tax credits, or sales tax exemptions available for the purchase of certain types of recycling equipment may be obtained from the State Department of Environmental Protection. Some materials are mandated for recycling, but many more can be recycled. Newspaper, corrugated, high-grade office paper, mixed paper (magazines, junk mail and unsoiled scrap), glass food and beverage containers, aluminum beverage containers, tin and bi-metal cans, ferrous and non- ferrous scrap, plastic (containers and film), tires, automotive batteries, used motor oil, construction and demolition debris such as concrete, asphalt, brick, block and wood waste (pallets and used lumber), yard waste (leaves, brush, and grass) and food waste (for restaurants and taverns) are among the many items a business should consider for recycling. The benefits of recycling deserve a closer look to determine what the "bottom line" in revenue, savings or cost avoidance will mean for your business.
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Take a close look at your current solid waste disposal arrangements. Doing this will help you to evaluate your recycling options, whether for the design of a new recycling program or the reevaluation of an existing program. It is important to choose the program option that will work well for your business. To do this evaluation, a coordinator will be needed. It is usually best to choose one person to be recycling coordinator to assure a smoothly-run program. The coordinator can be a paid professional, plant or office manager, or staff volunteer. The skills needed to do the job include a working knowledge of trash handling as well as the ability to work with people and gain their commitment. Determine how solid waste is presently collected. Collection may be through the municipality or by individual or joint private contract with a solid waste hauler. Note your current collection costs and how they are factored. Charges may be on a flat monthly or yearly fee basis, or they may be set by the tonnage generated, dumpster size or frequency of collection. Determine the equipment or labor used to handle solid waste. Whether for containers, truck, administrative time or general labor, all equipment and labor cost should be noted. Calculate the amount of solid waste and recyclables generated. A visual inspection of containers used and materials generated will result in estimates of solid waste and recyclables. An evaluation of actual tonnage figures will provide a more accurate measure. Estimating the amount of individual recyclables during a test period of one week or one month can be helpful. Calculations should be made for each potential recyclable and then for the remaining trash. Keep in mind that the volume, or the amount of space taken up by materials, is different from the weight. Both of these calculations will be useful. Evaluate any current recycling activities. your participation in paper drives or charities is adequately reducing your disposal costs. Look for other ways to promote recycling activities and, if possible, expand your program. Using this information to complete a waste audit and cost/benefit or comparison worksheet may be the best way to evaluate existing arrangements with various recycling program, source reduction and purchasing options.
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RECYCLING
OPTIONS Reviewing local recycling requirements and comparing the options that are available to you for the collection and marketing of recyclables will be time well spent. Equipment and program pamphlets, manuals and guides are available through recycling associations, County, State, and Federal Recycling Offices, and recycling companies. Requirements for recycling are detailed in Regional Recycling Plans and in local ordinances. Companies and institutions should check the requirements established for recycling under municipal recycling ordinances. Local ordinances not only state which materials must be recycled, but also outline any collection requirements, noncompliance penalties, documentation and reporting requirements. List program alternatives and then detail the factors associated with each of them to help in making comparisons. For each alternative, list and then gather information on factors such as material collection or delivery costs, revenue, and material preparation standards. The advantages and disadvantages of each alternative should then be evaluated. Participation in municipal collection or use of a local drop-off depot may be available in some communities. Contact your District or Municipal Recycling Coordinator about the availability of this option. The materials accepted by municipalities will vary and may not include all the materials mandated for recycling. Review the cost factors, either for storage or transportation, that may be associated with this option. Determine whether the timing of municipal collections or the municipal depot location and hours of operation will be convenient. The amount of available storage space and the frequency of collection or delivery should also be considered. Buyback centers accept a variety of materials and may be conveniently located. Call local private buyback recycling centers to inquire about their operating hours, the materials they accept, current prices paid or charged and requirements for materials preparation. With this option, revenue may be gained from the sale of materials. On the other hand, storage space, handling and transportation costs, and frequency of deliveries will need to be considered. The materials accepted will vary. Recordkeeping, to track and report tonnage documentation, will be your responsibility. Individual recyclable materials may be marketed directly. Revenue may be gained from the sale of materials. High quality materials will bring higher market prices. Market listings are available from the State and Regional Recycling Offices. Markets can also be found in the telephone directory under headings such as Waste Reduction Disposal or Recycling Centers or the individual material. When calling a market request current prices paid or charged, services provided, how the materials must be prepared and if transportation arrangements are available and at what cost. Keep in mind that storage space, handling and transportation costs, and the frequency of deliveries or pickup will need to be considered. Recordkeeping, to track and report tonnage documentation, will be your responsibility. Joint efforts with neighboring businesses may be advantageous. Consider working with other businesses, especially if you are located in a strip mall, office complex, or industrial park. Joint contracts may be developed for trash disposal as well as for marketing recyclables. For some recycling markets larger volumes of materials may offer an advantage in terms of increased revenue. A centralized location and shared responsibilities for recyclables will save storage space, administration and transportation costs for each participant. Hauler/vendor or vendor-contracted curbside collection can be arranged. Consult your current solid waste hauler to determine if recycling services are available. Haulers who provide recycling services collect trash as well as source separated recyclables. In some cases hauler/vendors have made color coded and clearly-labeled recycling dumpsters or containers available for commercial use. If preferred, separate recycling vendor-contracted services can be arranged. Some vendors provide storage equipment (containers, dumpsters or rolloffs) and, rather than just supplying weight slips, may be willing to submit recycling tonnage documentation directly to your municipality on your behalf. Compare the costs, storage space, and collection and handling requirements, since they will vary depending on the vendor's marketing arrangements. With all this information in hand, choosing the recycling options that are best for your company or institution will be easy.
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PROGRAM
DESIGN Once you have chosen the best recycling options for your business or institution, you can start to design an in-house program. Try to visualize the flow of the recyclable materials through your facility and the space you have available for collection purposes. Employee involvement may provide innovative ideas on in-house collection methods as well as program promotion. Employee input will help to gain their commitment to the program. The choices made for marketing or collection will dictate many aspects of the program design. Vendor or market requirements will affect material preparation, storage and timing of collection or delivery. Some collection arrangements Will require that recyclable materials be sorted while others allow certain materials to be collected and stored together. As a result, you may be collecting high grade paper separated by type (computer from high grade or white stock from colored stock) but mix all glass and aluminum beverage cans in one collection container. With regard to vendors, bid specifications and contracts may be developed to address your company or institution's needs. The more detailed your program requirements the more control you will have over your program. Specify the materials to be collected, estimated quantities, collection needs, as well as documentation requirements. When dealing with your trash hauler, consider having separate contracts for solid waste and recycling collections. Designing for the collection and storage of materials should take human and spatial factors into account. Determine where and how much of each material is generated. Consider accessibility, convenience, visibility, and aesthetics when choosing collection areas. Participation will depend on factors such as collection locations and adequate labeling of containers designated for recyclables. Ease of collection will depend on the number of collection sites, the adequacy of traffic flow for both people and equipment, security, weather protection, and type of collection vehicles that are used. Flow charts have been found to be very helpful for determining how materials will be collected and transported through a facility. These charts also serve as an excellent instructional aid for employees. Reviewing examples of typical recycling programs may help in designing your own program. For example, in a typical office recyclable paper might be collected in specially-marked desktop boxes or folders, or in small containers placed next to each desk. Maintenance staff could then be directed to empty these containers into larger storage bins in the same way that they collect trash. Another option is to ask employees to empty their recycling containers into larger centrally located receptacles. These larger containers would then be emptied into wheeled storage bins or other storage receptacle, ready for vendor collection or delivery to market. In a small delicatessen or cafeteria, glass or aluminum might be collected in attractive, clearly-labeled recycling barrels, bagged and then stored in a convenient rear supply area before delivery or collection for recycling. Taking the time to think through material handling procedures will assist in getting your program off to a smooth start.
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STARTING
THE PROGRAM One of the best ways to assure commitment to and participation in a recycling program is to make your employees an active part of the planning process. Once the program has been designed, educating employees about the way the program will work can be as simple as providing a written or verbal announcement of program details. A more involved campaign might include the use of a recycling slogan, special events, flyers, newsletters and stickers. Explain your recycling plan to everyone who will be involved. Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Posters, flyers, and brochures can be used to provide details about the materials that will be collected and to explain how this will be accomplished. Be sure to identify those materials that cannot be recycled. The three-arrowed recycling symbol is easy to recognize. Use the symbol on all your recycling information and for labeling recycling containers. After your program is established a letter, flyer or newsletter format can be used for program changes or milestones. Updates on your program's progress let employees know the impact of their participation. Outreach approaches to either the public or employees will vary according to your circumstances. A unified theme or slogan, especially if it is created with employee input, can really pull a program together and give it a unique identity. From there a special program kickoff might be planned. This kickoff might be accomplished with an event, staff meeting or simply a letter from the company president or official. Make recycling visible and keep it an active part of the daily routine. Additionally, be sure that the program coordinator is available to answer any questions or resolve any problems. Everyone must help to make the program work. Let employees and, if appropriate, the public know if problems arise with the collection of recyclables so that they are part of the solution. If trash is found mixed with recyclables, closer monitoring of the recycling containers may help. Specialized lids with small holes for bottles and cans or slits for paper can be made or purchased and may help resolve the problem. Leaving an unemptied trash container along with a written notice may be appropriate if recyclables are found in an employee's trash. Some companies have found that this approach has been quite successful. Keep recycling program participants involved. Notices and updates on cost avoidance, cost savings, revenue from the sale of recyclables, or amounts of materials donated to charity will inform employees of the accomplishments made through their efforts. On-going clear and concise communication is important for a successful program.
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MONITORING
AND EVALUATION Setting up a tracking and monitoring system is as important as any other bookkeeping practice. Records can be kept on computer or in a simple handwritten ledger. Documentation in the form of actual weight slips or tonnage figures detailed on recycling market letterhead or approved forms must be maintained as part of your records for reporting purposes. In New Jersey, under the law proof of recycling is each generator's responsibility. Vendors may be willing to submit tonnage totals to your municipality on your behalf. These reports must be accurate and verifiable. Use of approved reporting form certifies material tonnages and markets. Even if a vendor is reporting to your Municipal Recycling Coordinator on your behalf, you may wish to keep your own records in order to calculate actual cost savings or cost avoidance. Review your program and program records periodically. Try to determine if your collection service has been adequate and reliable. Evaluate whether there has been adequate participation and if not, determine why. In order to strengthen the program marketing adjustments, more staff input, extra publicity or additional education may be needed. In some cases fine tuning the program may be called for to make recycling more efficient, convenient, or cost effective. Learning from a mistake can be beneficial in the long run. RECYCLING, ONCE IT IS REINFORCED, WILL BECOME A HABIT - A HABIT THAT MAKES SOUND ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SENSE. REMEMBER RECYCLING . . .
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Cutting down on the quantity and toxicity of waste that is generated is the first step to consider, even before recycling. It is actually the first type of evaluation done in developing a comprehensive program. By examining waste-producing habits and processes, you may find opportunities for source reduction. Ask yourself whether materials which become waste need to be used at all, whether they can be reused or whether they can be replaced by a product that is recyclable or reusable. A waste survey, done either by a professional environmental firm or as a walk-through self audit, may help you decide where excessive waste exists and how it could be eliminated through process or behavioral changes.
Applying one of these ideas to your business practices may eliminate only a small portion of your waste stream. However, by adopting several ideas, waste generation may be reduced significantly. Source reduction will supplement your recycling program activities. |
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Recycling can't be considered complete without the purchase of products made from recycled materials. This is known as "closing the loop." Your company can play an important role by using products with recycled content. Look for terms such as recycled, post-consumer and pre- consumer content on items you plan to buy. If the price and quality of a product is the same or better than a product made with virgin materials, buying recycled is the better choice to make. Hundreds of products made with recycled content are now available. Be sure to ask suppliers about your options. |
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Recycling and Solid Waste Terms
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COST/BENEFIT RECYCLING
MODEL NO 1 SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITHOUT RECYCLING
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITH RECYCLING
Revenues
Expenditures Minus Revenues = $ 335/net cost per mo. Net Savings $574/month or $6,888/year Note: Report minimal administrative and transportation costs; mixed paper (includes newspaper, computer paper and bulk mail), aluminum beverage cans, and corrugated recycled; weight slip documentation sent by the post office to the Municipal Recycling Coordinator. * equivalent quantities Report Date: 1991 RECYCLING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION U.S. POSTAL SERVICE CLIFTON OFFICE
COST/BENEFIT RECYCLING MODEL NO 2 OFFICES WITH 50 EMPLOYEES SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITHOUT RECYCLING Disposal Contract $ 5,850/month Six-40 cu.yd. compacted containers/month Total Expenditure $ 5,850/month SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITH RECYCLING Expenditures Administrative $ 25/month 1 hour/month x $25/hour Disposal Contract $ 2,925/month Three-40 cu.yd. compacted containers/month Total Expenditure $ 2,950/month Revenues Corrugated $ 100/month Three-40 cu.yd compacted containers/month Computer and High $ 80/month One ton/month Grade Office Paper Aluminum $ 0/month One grocery bag/month Total Revenues $ 180/month Expenditures Minus Revenues = $ 2,770/net cost per month Net Savings $3,080/month or $36,960/year Note: Weight slip documentation sent by the company coordinator to the Municipal Recycling Coordinator. Report Date: 1991 RECYCLING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION VITAL SIGNS, INCORPORATED
COST/BENEFIT RECYCLING MODEL NO 3 UNION CAMP CORPORATION HEADQUARTERS WAYNE, NJ 150,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING WITH 460 EMPLOYEES SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITHOUT RECYCLING Disposal Contract $ 4,306/month Twenty one-40 cu.yd. containers/month or 840 cu.yds./month Total Expenditure $ 4,306/month or $ 51,672/year SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL WITH RECYCLING Expenditures Disposal Contract $ 830/month Twenty One-8 to 10 cu.yd. containers/month or 168 cu.yds./month Mixed Paper $ 800/month Twenty One-16 compacted cu.yd./month or 672 cu.yds./month Compactor Rental $ 390/month With full maintenance contract Total Expenditure $ 2,020/month or $ 24,240/year Net Savings $2,286/month or $27,432/year Note: Company reports minimal administrative and no transportation costs; trash and recyclables picked up on a daily basis; mixed and compacted paper sorted by the recycling vendor and weight slip documentation sent directly to the Municipal Recycling Coordinator. Report Date: 1991 RECYCLING PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION UNION CAMP CORPORATION
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| Note: Conversion information obtained from NJDEP, Office of Recycling-1992 |
Conversions NEWSPAPER
CORRUGATED Uncompacted-bailed
Compacted
GLASS Loose, whole bottles
Crushed (manually broken)
Crushed (mechanically broken)
ORGANIC MATERIAL Leaves (uncomposted/uncompacted)
Leaves (uncomposted/compacted)
Leaves (uncomposted/vacuumed)
Wood Chips
Grass Clippings loose
Grass Clippings compacted
PLASTIC PET (soda bottles)
HDPE (whole)
HDPE (flat)
OFFICE PAPER Bulk Container Compacted
ALUMINUM CANS Whole
Flattened
FERROUS CANS Whole
Flattened
OTHER MATERIALS Used Motor Oil
Passenger Car Tires
Truck Tires
Food Waste (solid/liquid/fats)
Batteries
Automobiles
Asphalt pavement (milled,ripped,crushed)
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