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Success Stories - Local Government
Success Stories
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City of Alexandria, VA
In September 2001, the City of Alexandria 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.
City of Clifton, NJ
The City of Clifton 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.
In a nation increasingly inundated with disposable conveniences, the City of Clifton 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.
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 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.
An Endorser since 2001, the City of Clifton works diligently to spread the WasteWise message, promoting it by using the WasteWise logo on letterhead and stationary, in television and newspaper advertisements, and on city billboards. Clifton also distributed more than 200 partnership registrations in 2005 during speaking engagements at schools, businesses, civic groups, health forums, and government meetings throughout the community. Clifton is also walking the talk. In 2005, the city avoided more than $1.7 million in disposal costs through its recycling and waste prevention efforts.
City of Clifton, NJ —Recycling Program
The City of Clifton conserved 4 tons of disposable cups by providing about 500 reusable mugs to city employees and residents. The local government also established a community education program on waste reduction, recycling, and shopping with the environment in mind. More than 400 tons of street sweepings were salvaged and used as landfill cover in 2000. The city also recycled 200 tons of newspaper and 150 tons of mixed paper, and purchased office paper containing more than 80 percent recycled material and spent $12,000 on recycled-content products. In addition, the city promotes waste prevention and the WasteWise program in its community education programs, various articles, and through its work with the local Chamber of Commerce and local businesses.
In its first year of electronics reuse and recycling collection, the City of Clifton collected 12 tons of computer and electronic equipment for reuse. In addition, the city held a "Computer Recycling Week" to collect computers, monitors, keyboards, laptops, stereos/ radios, telephone systems, VCRs, televisions, and printers from city residents. These items were then disassembled for reuse and recycling. The event was so successful that a second recycling week was held.
The City of Clifton works to promote the WasteWise program and waste reduction on an ongoing basis. The local government promotes waste prevention and WasteWise in its education programs, articles, and through its work with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses. Numerous articles were printed in local papers mentioning Clifton’s participation in WasteWise as part of the city’s Clean Communities program. In addition, 250 certificates bearing the WasteWise logo were awarded to local businesses and organizations for the city’s “Clean Communities Environmental Award.” The logo was also featured on the city’s “2000 Recycling Guide,” which was mailed to more than 2,500 businesses. In addition, the city designed 25,000 book covers and 5,000 coloring books with the WasteWise logo in the design for all 24 public and parochial schools.
City of Durham, NC
The City of Durham ensures that all 2,000 city employees understand the importance of waste reduction in city facilities and the community. In November 2000, the city held its 2nd annual Eco-Reception in conjunction with America Recycles Day. The 300-plus employees in attendance learned how to make environmentally preferable purchases and to promote recycling, reuse, composting, and donation of food at all city events. Mugs displaying the city’s advertising campaign design, “Use Less Stuff,” were distributed to City Council members and office staff, and all new employees were trained on the city’s waste reduction program. Durham’s Waste Reduction Policy includes a section on recycled-content procurement, and the city spent more than $183,500 on recycled-content products in 2000. Items included picnic benches, recycled paint, various types of envelopes, and paper. To increase reuse, the city is developing an online, internal materials exchange for office supplies and furniture. In 2000, Durham offices expanded their weekly recycling collection to include mixed paper, and additional bins are provided for office moves and file clean-outs.
City of Fremont, CA
The City of Fremont 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.
City of Greenville, SC
In 2003, the City of Greenville initiated the first phase of a business curbside recycling program, distributing bins and WasteWise flyers, Greenville recycling and source reduction information, and a piece on how to conduct a waste audit. In addition, the City of Greenville added WasteWise information to its Web site, diverted seven new materials from local landfills, and conducted a recycling participation audit across the city by following recycling vehicles and counting stops. The audit team will use this information for targeted and cost-effective promotion, education, and outreach.
Jackson County, Missouri
In 2001, Jackson County 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 re-refined 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, WA
King County has been a recognized national leader in waste reduction. Since joining WasteWise in 1997, the county has won four program awards, including two Partner of the Year honors, and it continues to expand its waste reduction program through ambitious goals and the commitment of dedicated employees. The county serves as a model for other local governments, providing them with assistance, advice, and promotional materials. Furthermore, the county’s King Street Center, which employs approximately 1,500 people, achieved more than double its 5 percent per employee waste reduction goal in 2003, while the county began recycling new materials at 12 facilities and diverted 19,500 pounds of computers and electronics from the local landfill. Even with these impressive recycling statistics, waste prevention and green building initiatives form the backbone of King County’s success.
In addition to the extensive King County Surplus program, 30 different county buildings or work areas maintain their own office supply exchange areas, while the county’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks continues to develop its Intranet exchange for larger items. This combination of programs saved King County $1 million in new office equipment and furniture. Always seeking innovative opportunities to reduce waste, the county’s Transit Division re-treaded 317,000 pounds of bus tires in 2003—more than 50 percent of the tires used by the division and a 40 percent increase over 2002. Three additional county divisions followed suit, saving $125,000 in 2003 alone.
A hallmark of King County’s waste reduction program is its commitment to green practices in building design, construction, and demolition. In overseeing the demolition of the Seattle Kingdome in March 2000, the county reused and recycled 97 percent of the demolition debris generated. This was no small accomplishment—the plan not only reduced the quantity of waste, but also saved the county more than $3 million. In addition, the King County Executive and King County Council have signed initiatives and motions in the past three years that reinforce the county’s commitment to green building and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. With a fundamental commitment to waste reduction practices, King County continues to be a leading example for local governments
In 2002, as part of a repertoire of activities that makes the county a national leader in waste reduction, King County, Washington chose to renovate 100 solid waste hauling trailers instead of purchasing new ones, saving $250,000 in the first year. The county also reduced waste generation by nearly 10 percent per employee in one large county office building, greatly expanded county “green building” projects, collected 2,450 tons of materials internally for recycling, and purchased $2.8 million worth of recycled paper products.
In 2001, King County’s WasteWise activities expanded to include 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.
King County Department of Natural Resources, WA
The King County Department of Natural Resources began a paper reduction campaign that included presentations at staff meetings on paper reduction. They worked to make double-sided printing more available, started a successful envelope reuse project, and reduced the number of payroll forms used. In one building, about 550 pounds of office supplies were reused in 2000, saving $1,300. This reuse effort included an “Office Supplies Amnesty Days” program. Polystyrene packing peanuts are collected for reuse by a local shipping business. Approximately 10 cubic yards of polystyrene peanuts were collected and reused in 2000. In addition, the department collects food waste from some employee lunchrooms and sends it to a community gar-den for compost. The department also purchased $18,000 worth of recycled concrete aggregate and spent $6,200 on re-refined oil.
Kitsap County, WA
For six consecutive years, Kitsap County has won a WasteWise award. The county attributes much of its success to finding innovative ways to improve its waste reduction program. In 2005, Kitsap County piloted a junk mail and fax waste reduction program in its Public Works Department, eliminating more than 1,200 pieces of junk mail and 1,000 junk faxes. It plans to expand this program to all of its departments in 2006. Kitsap County’s waste reduction efforts saved the county more than $700,000 in avoided disposal costs in 2005. It also has a strong employee education program that includes posters, electronic newsletters, departmental coordinator workshops, and 30-minute training sessions to inform its staff on how to maximize their participation in the waste reduction program.
It was another successful year for Kitsap County, a WasteWise award winner for the past five years. Kitsap’s unique waste reduction program collected more than 3,300 tons of material for recycling and saved more than $260,000 in avoided disposal costs. Kitsap’s success stems from several key program features, including a county-wide directive to annually identify and report on departmental activities to reduce waste and attend annual waste reduction trainings. Employees used the paperless Wa$te Exchange to swap office surplus, rather than buying new products, and saved $1,400 in the process.
In its five years of WasteWise partnership, Kitsap County has evolved from operating a simple recycling program to integrating a comprehensive waste prevention ethic throughout all of its facilities by implementing an annual waste reduction goals and training program. In 2003, the county’s Facilities, Parks, and Recreation department achieved great success by increasing recycling at public events with newly-purchased clear recycling bins that make it easy to see “what goes in.” In its first year, the department collected 202 bags of plastic and aluminum containers. Fairground vendors also recycled more than 290,000 pounds of corrugated cardboard, saving $300 in disposal costs. In addition, the county’s paperless Wa$te Exchange (WX)—an office surplus exchange—allows employees to search postings of surplus supplies instead of purchasing new items and has saved the county $10,000 in avoided purchases. Kitsap County also encourages employees to reduce paper usage by making double-sided copies, avoiding printing emails, and piloting an electronic timecard system that not only reduces paper usage, but also saves the county time and money by streamlining the tracking process.
Kitsap County continued to expand its waste reduction and recycling efforts in 2001, by using 400 recycled tires (approximately 3 tons of rubber) in its shooting range for the Sheriff’s Department. Kitsap County regularly recycles at its main campus and offsite facilities, including road shops, maintenance facilities, and treatment plants. In 2001, employees recycled 294 tons of mixed paper, 61 tons of steel cans, 3 tons of aluminum (primarily from road signs) and 51 tons of concrete and cement. County supervisors and several departments completed a hands-on training for waste prevention with employees, which will continue into 2002. “The Wa$te Exchange,” an internal exchange and donation system of available surplus office supplies, continues into its third year of operation, saving more than $5,000 in purchasing costs.
The Solid Waste Division used modern technology to battle waste by creating a credit card-sized CD containing 45 publications on topics such as recycling, composting, household hazardous waste disposal, and environmentally friendly lawn and garden care for distribution at the Kitsap County Fair and Rodeo and Home Show. In all, the CDs resulted in a net savings of approximately 9,500 pieces of paper.
Kitsap County Board of County Commissioners & Employees, WA
Kitsap County implemented a comprehensive waste prevention policy in 2000. The policy directs each department to set annual waste prevention goals and report on their progress at the end of the year to the Board of County Commissioners. Highlights of the program include strategies to use less paper, including revising forms and making it routine to copy on both sides of the paper. Purchasing costs and office waste are minimized through the use of an internal Wa$te Exchange, a program in which the departments swap surplus office supplies, saving the County more than $3,700 in 2000. Kitsap County employees have also made efforts to increase the use of products made with recycled content. The Purchasing Department accepts bids for only recycled-content paper and remanufactured toner cartridges. Each November, the county offers a “recycled only” office products show to educate the employees on the quality and availability of office supplies made from recycled materials. Other educational efforts are made through e-mail, the employee newsletter, and the County’s Web site at www.kitsapgov.com/sw. Kitsap County is also recognized for implementing a compost pro-gram for barn waste at the Fair and Rodeo. The program resulted in turning 150 tons of straw and wood chips into compost instead of sending it to the landfill. Also in 2000, the county recycled 294 tons of office paper/cardboard, 61 tons of steel food containers, and more than 450 tons of recycled or reprocessed concrete and asphalt.
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LA DWP) – Los Angeles, CA
In addition to recycling traditional materials such as office paper, beverage containers, and salvage items, LA DWP conserved nearly 250 tons of yard trimmings through grass-cycling in 2000. E-mail usage also con-served 1,000 pounds of high-grade paper. LA DWP also began a reuse collection program for office supplies through its “Re-Use Store,” and collected used eyeglasses, hearing aids, and greeting cards at 15 of its branch offices. The department donated 7.5 tons of various items to local nonprofits and collected an additional 9.8 tons of donations from employees and customers. LA DWP’s building remodeling salvage pro-gram conserved more than 6 tons of building and construction mate-rials, including carpeting and office supplies. These items were either reused internally or donated to nonprofit organizations.
Mahoning County Commissioners’ Reuse and Recycling Division
The Mahoning County Commissioners’ Reuse and Recycling Division’s Green Team understands that a successful waste reduction program involves the entire community. Through public education and by working directly with government, business, industry, and residents, the Green Team promotes four concepts—reduce, reuse, recycle, and don’t litter. In 2005, the Green Team piloted its Business Recycling Program in which 160 businesses have committed to implementing recycling programs. The Green Team gave more than 750 waste reduction presentations to Mahoning County schools and civic groups. The team then helped the community put what it learned into action by conducting backyard composting workshops, resulting in more than 40 tons of organic material composted. The expansion in residential and business recycling efforts resulted in the diversion of an additional 4,000 tons of material from the municipal waste stream, and another 30,000 tons from the industrial sector.
Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County (RRRASOC), Michigan
In 2000, RRRASOC, a local resource recovery and recycling authority of only 4 employees, initiated a program to collect used computer equipment from residents of its eight member communities. As a result, more than 19 tons of computers and computer equipment were recycled.
Washoe County Government – Reno, NV
The Washoe County Government achieved numerous waste prevention, recycling, and buy-recycled goals in 2000. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office reused damaged doors and windows from construction companies in order to practice forced entry. After reuse, most of the door and window materials were recycled. The sheriff’s office reused 10.75 tons of wood, metal, and glass doors and windows in 2000. The Washoe County Purchasing Department also donated nearly 2 tons of computers and computer equipment to other government entities, schools, and nonprofit groups. A county program to stop landfilling books and magazines diverted 75 tons of paper from the landfill. The Washoe County Library, through the Friends of the Washoe County Library, sold unwanted books and magazines, which were previously landfilled, to the public.
Books and magazines that were not sold were donated to various local organizations. Washoe County Government also promoted WasteWise both internally and in the community through articles, awards, speakers, and presentations. The county government’s 2,800 employees also recycled 56.8 tons of mixed paper, more than 24 tons of glass bottles, more than 23 tons of aluminum, and 2,080 pounds of corrugated boxes. In 2000, the county also spent approximately $1.5 million on recycled-content products.
The Washoe County Government believes that government must lead by example and its doing just that by making itself an environmental role model for the community. The county implemented a carpet squares program that eliminates the use of broadloom carpeting throughout Washoe County facilities and in all new construction. Only worn and damaged carpet squares are replaced, and they are refurbished up to three times. This activity diverted 12 tons of carpeting and saved $128,000 in 1999. The county also returned nearly 12 tons of worn tires to be retread for nonsteering wheels of trucks, saving approximately $200,000.
When Washoe County Government 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.