Less Waste is Smart Business

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• Less Waste is Smart Business
• Minnesota Waste Wise
• Kate Worley

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• Introduction to Minnesota Waste Wise
• Minnesota Waste Wise is a member-supported,
  nonprofit organization and is an affiliate
  program of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
• Offer strategic environmental sustainability
  consulting that helps businesses and
  organizations achieve cost savings through waste
  reduction, resource conservation and energy
  efficiency.
• 450 members in Minnesota
• Help businesses divert over 750 million pounds of
  trash from landfills and save 2.5 million
  dollars on disposal and purchasing costs each
  year through non-regulatory site assessments and
  sustainability consulting.

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• Waste Wise Member Benefits
• Sustainability Consulting
• Annual On-Site Assessment
• Member Recognition
• Workshops
• Education
• Publications
• Materials Exchange
• Recycling Programs
• Discounted Recycling Services

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• Waste Wise
• Recycling Programs

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• Its In the Bag
• Founding partners include
• MN Waste Wise, Merrick, Inc.,
• Trex Company, and SUPERVALU
• Twin Cities based plastic bag film
• recycling program
• Over 3.5 million pounds of plastic
• recycled to date.

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• Ink Cartridges Cell Phones
• Free program to MWW members and non-members
• Includes collection for ink cartridges,
  laser/toner cartridges, and cell phones
• Sells refilled ink cartridges

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• Minnesota Mercury Recovery
• Collect recycle mercury switches from
  end-of-life
• vehicles in Minnesota
• Managed by MWW from 2004-2006. Collected
• 48,571 switches 128.5 lbs of elemental mercury
  (assuming 1.2 grams mercury per switch)
• End-of-Life Vehicle Solutions began managing
• statewide 2006

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• Why Recycle?

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• Why are we talking about waste reduction for
  business?
• Minnesotans generated 6.01 million tons of trash
  in 2005, a 1.8 increase over the previous year.
  
• In 2005, the per-capita trash generation was 1.06
  tons.
• After recycling, 3,593,946 tons of trash remained
  for disposal. 2,120,428 (59.1) tons
  went to landfills
• 1,243,505 (34.6) tons went to waste-to-energy
  facilities
• Landfill capacity in Minnesota is limited and
  neighboring states are increasing fees on
  landfilled waste. County and State Solid Waste
  fees
• can be substantial, working against businesses
  bottom line.

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• What are Minnesotans throwing in the trash?
• The following results are from a 1999 MPCA waste
  composition study

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• Why reduce and recycle?
• Conserves Natural Resources
• Raw materials, energy, and land/habitat
• Prevents Pollution
• Air, water, and land
• Saves Money
• Purchasing costs
• Disposal costs
• Solid waste management fees
• Labor costs
• Energy costs

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• Facts Figures

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• RECYCLING BINS

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• PAPER CARDBOARD (REDUCTION RECYCLING)
• According to the MPCA, the average office worker
• uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year.
• The United States alone, which has less than 5
• of the world's population, consumes 30 of the
• world's paper.
• Cardboard can be a revenue-generator.
• Shipments often arrive in cardboard packaging.

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• CANS, PLASTIC BOTTLES, GLASS
• (REDUCTION RECYCLING)
• Used to make new bottles, trivets, aggregate road
  base, countertops
• Uses 30 less energy
• Creates 20 less air pollution and 50 less water
  pollution
• Used to make new bottles, fleece, carpet, plastic
  banding, tote bags, park benches, traffic cones,
  etc.
• Uses 88 less energy
• Takes just 25 two liter pop bottles to make one
  adult size fleece jacket
• Used to make new aluminum cans
• Uses 95 less energy 20 recycled cans can be
  made with the energy needed to produce one can
  using virgin ore
• Creates 95 less pollution

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• Container Recycling versus Waste

Source Container Recycling Institute
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• Plastic Bottle Recycling Rates

Source Container Recycling Institute
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• Glass Recycling Rates

Source Container Recycling Institute
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• GREEN CLEANERS
• According to a Washington State study, around 6
  of janitors experience a job-related injury from
  chemical exposure to cleaning products every
  year.
• All building occupants are likely exposed to many
  of the volatile components of cleaning products.
• Purchasing concentrated cleaners in reduced,
  reusable, and/or recyclable packaging decreases
  packaging waste and transportation energy.
• Green cleaners are just one component of
  environmentally preferable purchasing.
• Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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• Energy Use
• In the United States alone, small businesses
  (defined as independent firms with less than 500
  employees) employ half of the private sector
  workforce, use half of the electricity and
  natural gas consumed by the commercial
  industrial sectors, and accounted for 99.9 of
  the 26.8 million businesses in the country
• Implementing energy-saving equipment and
• habits can save a significant amount of money.

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• Solutions to Common Business Wastes

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• Office Waste Reduction

• Paper
• Use both sides - duplex
• Rethink print jobs and practice
• efficient copying
• Use two-way and intra-office
• envelopes
• Go electronic
• Use whiteboards

• Electronics
• Consider leasing instead of buying
• Purchase/lease Energy Star
• equipment
• Upgrade instead of replacing
• Donate working equipment to charity
• Use a qualified electronics recycler
• Use MWW free cell phone and
• cartridge recycling program

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• Office Waste Reduction

• Green Purchasing
• Purchase non-toxic, biodegradable
• cleaners that contain low- or no-
• volatile organic compounds
• Buy concentrated or bulk products
• Buy recycled office products
• Choose durable materials and
• furnishings

• Office Furniture
• Refurbish and buy refurbished office
• equipment
• Sell or donate old office furniture
• Post unwanted furniture on
• www.mnexchange.org
• Consider leasing furniture

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• Office Waste Reduction

• Office Supplies
• Donate old office supplies
• Recycle and purchase remanufactured or
• refilled ink cartridges
• Use and recycle rechargeable batteries
• Use refillable pens
• Reuse and re-label folders and binders

• Energy
• Purchase Energy Star equipment
• Power down equipment when not in use
• Utilize natural day light when possible
• Use motion sensors in low traffic areas
• Utilize the Energy Smart program area
• resources

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Energy Efficiency the Energy Smart Program

• Energy Smart makes the process to energy
  efficiency easier and provides assistance along
  the way.
• Energy Smart connects businesses to the resources
  they need to analyze current energy usage,
  efficiency upgrade options, potential cost
  savings and available financial incentives.

Saving Energy is Smart Business
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Energy Efficiency Opportunities in
Minnesota-Energy Smart connects businesses with
available resources

• Commercial Lighting Rebates
• ENERGY STAR rated appliance rebates
• Energy audit services
• Wide range of rebates boilers, HVAC, water
  heaters, etc.
• Rebate amounts dependent on several criteria

Saving Energy is Smart Business
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• General Waste Reduction

• Cafeteria/Break Room Waste Reduction
• Food Waste
• Donate to a local food shelf
• Utilize a food recycler or composting facility
• Service Ware
• Use reusable dishes, cups, and utensils
  (dishwasher too)
• Use compostable food containers, cups, and
  utensils or recycled content items
• Replace single serving items with refillable
  dispensers
• Energy
• Equip all vending machines with a VendingMiser
• Recycle
• Provide commingle recycling containers for
  bottles, cans, newspaper, etc.

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• General Waste Reduction

• Restroom Waste Reduction
• Paper Towel
• Electric hand dryer
• Reusable towels
• Perforated towel dispenser
• Purchase paper towels with recycled content
• Compost paper towel waste
• Soap Dispenser
• Foam soap reduces the time it takes to wash hands
  and takes 30 to 40 percent less soap to wash
  hands
• Energy
• Install motion sensors lights
• Install sensors on faucets and toilets

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• Elements of a Successful Recycling Program
• Education
• Administration has to be on board and lead by
  example
• What items can be recycled and how
• Company newsletter, memos, and postings
• Staff meetings
• New staff orientation
• Recycling Containers
• Labels
• Location (Convenience)
• Consistency

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• Continual Improvement
• Encourage and reward creative thinking
• All employees can be valuable contributors of
  ideas
• Business processes evolve recycling markets
  change
• Get assistance from outside source
• Schedule a on-site assessment with Minnesota
  Waste Wise
• Contact your waste management service
• Apply for a MnTAP intern

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• Less waste is smart business
• Conserves natural resources
• Improves environmental image
• Many opportunities exist for waste reduction and
  improved recycling
• Businesses can find ways to reduce waste from
  staff suggestions or external consulting

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• Less waste is smart business
• Purchasing savings
• No taxes or environmental fees on recycling
• Less waste improves your bottom line

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• The Carbon Beta and Equity Performance
• study of 1,500 companies found that there is a
• "strong, positive, and growing correlation
• between industrial companies' sustainability in
• general, and climate change in particular, and
• their competitiveness and financial
• performance".
• Original article by James Murray, BusinessGreen,
  October 19, 2007

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• Resources
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  (www.moea.state.mn.us)
• Recycling Association of Minnesota
  (www.recycleminnesota.org)
• Green Guardian (www.greenguardian.com)
• Minnesota Waste Wise (www.mnwastewise.org)

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• Questions
• Contact
• Kate Worley Jill Curran
• Minnesota Waste Wise Energy Smart
• [phone] 651-292-4653
• kworley_at_mnchamber.com jcurran_at_mnchamber.com