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Climate and Waste: The Next Frontier in Waste Management Policies, November 15, 2007

In 2005, the national recycling rate of 32 percent prevented the release of approximately 49 million metric tons of carbon into the air--roughly the amount emitted annually by 39 million cars, or 1400 trillion BTUs, saving energy equivalent to 11 billion gallons of gasoline. (From Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures.) In May of 2007, The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report detailing the costs and benefits of various policies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It discusses that some future emissions could be controlled using current technology with reasonable costs. Increases in recycling and waste minimization were priority options.

Hear Sara Hartwell of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste (renamed Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery on January 18, 2009) and David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, talk about how your waste management, waste reduction and recycling programs can have a significant impact on your jurisdiction’s climate footprint.

What will be covered?

  1. Why address climate through waste management and recycling activities.
  2. How to use GHG analysis to inform solid waste policies, programs and communications.
  3. Tools to measure and track your results.

Speaker Bios

Sara Hartwell works in EPA's Office of Solid Waste (renamed Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery on January 18, 2009) on recycling and waste reduction issues. She is an analytical chemist, and has worked in environmental toxicology, hazardous waste methods development, flexible packaging R&D, as well as MSW recycling. Her work focuses on helping companies, trade associations, local governments and individuals estimate the energy and climate impact of package design alternatives, purchasing decisions, and waste management alternatives. The primary tools used for those estimates are the Waste Reduction Model (WARM), the Recycled Content Tool (ReCON), and the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. She is currently engaged in an effort of update the WARM and ReCON Life Cycle Inventory data for a number of materials related to packaging applications (plastics, paper & corrugated cardboard, aluminum, steel and glass).

David Allaway is a policy analyst in the Solid Waste Program of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. He serves as DEQ's technical specialist in solid waste prevention and is leading several projects to reduce waste generation and the environmental impacts of materials and waste in Oregon. David is also the Solid Waste Program’s lead staff on greenhouse gas, energy, and life cycle analysis (LCA) related issues. He is currently supporting several national initiatives, including redevelopment of the MERGE life cycle software by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and the Paint Product Stewardship Initiative’s full LCA and cost-benefit analysis of options for managing leftover latex paint. Prior to joining DEQ, David was employed for over ten years at an environmental consulting firm where he served as project manager for solid waste planning, waste reduction, hazardous waste, and energy and water conservation projects. David has a B.A. in physics and a concentration in science, technology, and public policy from Carleton College, Minnesota, where he graduated magna cum laude.

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