Solid Waste Reduction and Reuse

1. Conduct a waste audit.​
Assessing what materials come into and out of your facility will help set a baseline for measurement and identify waste reduction opportunities.

• EPA's Sustainable Materials Management program provides tips and tools for performing waste audits.
  

2. Improve the efficiency of your procurement process.

• Create a centralized inventory control system to prevent over ordering.
• Purchase reusable items (e.g. kitchenware for office functions and meetings).
• Offer employees alternatives to individual bottled water (e.g. filtered water).

3. Improve the efficiency of your operations

• Improve quality control in order to reduce the production of off-spec product that must be discarded.
  
• Reduce food waste
  
• Implement office paper reduction policies.
  • Look for opportunities to eliminate paperwork and switch to electronic format.
  • Minimize printing of documents and e-mails.
  • Set printers and copiers to double-sided copying. Print drafts on scrap paper.
  • Install a fax server that allows faxes to be received via e-mail as pdf files.
  • Reduce unwanted and duplicate mailings

    http://stopjunkmail.org
    www.catalogchoice.org
    Eliminate duplicates and outdated addresses in your own mailing lists
    Reduce junk faxes​
    

4. Reduce packaging waste

• Ship products in returnable or reusable containers and pallets and request the same when receiving products.
• Use crumpled paper or inflatable plastic bags to protect product instead of Styrofoam pellets and request the same when receiving products.
• Reusable Industrial Packaging Association
• Sustainable Packaging Coalition
• Where feasible, buy products in bulk or in concentrated form to reduce packaging.
• Use refillable spray bottles​ for brake cleaners and lubricants. This reduces aerosol can waste and allows you to purchase products in bulk.

5. Reuse, sell, or donate unwanted items and materials.

• Set up a swap area for extra office supplies.
• Sell or donate unwanted items.
  • Freecycle
  • Craig’s List
  • Loading Dock (for building materials)
  • Goodwill
  • Facebook​ Marketplace
    
  • eBay​
    
  • Habitat for Humanity's ReStores​​
    
  • Resale​ of electronic items​​
    
• ​​Donate food.​
• Maryland Food Ban​​k
• Capital Area Food Bank (Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties)
• Food Donation Connection (helps connect food service companies with recipients of surplus food)
  
• ​EPA’s Food Donation Website contains information on potential tax benefits and protection from liability for food donations under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act
  

6. Use industrial materials exchange and equipment resale programs to dispose of and/or purchase raw materials and equipment.

• http://w​​ww.recycle.net​
  
• http://www.ncwastetrader.org/home.aspx
• http://www.bid-on-equipment.com/
• http://www.kitmondo.com/
• https://www.exapro.com/​​

For your member profile: Describe actions and include results (e.g. lbs. of material or waste reduced or reused) and cost savings where available.

Recycling

1. Implement an office recycling program for all waste materials that cannot be reduced or reused.

• Provide easily accessible and clearly labeled bins for recyclables (paper, cans, glass, electronic waste, ink and toner cartridges, batteries).
• Check with your County recycling program for guidelines and special waste collection days.
• Where business recycling is not provided by the local government, contract with your waste hauler to accept recycled materials.
• Recycle electronic office equipment with an R2 Certifi​ed​ electronics recycler

2. Expand your recycling program to include non-office related materials (e.g.​ fats/oils/grease, construction materials, etc.).

• For a directory of recycling companies serving Maryland, visit www.mdrecycles.org
• Deconstruct items in order to recycle parts and materials

For your member profile: List materials recycled by your facility and quantities (e.g. lbs.) and cost savings where available.

Composting

1. Contract with a waste haulers to collect food scraps and other organics to be taken to an off-site composting facility.​​​​

•    Apple Valley Waste 
•    Compo​st Cab              
•    Hungry Harvest​​​
•    Key City Compost
•    LSI
•    MBG Refuse Service Inc.
•    Mundea
•    The Compost Crew
•    Veteran Compost
•    Waste Management, Inc.
•    Waste Neutral​​

2. Compost materials onsite with small in-vessel composting systems (bins, tubs, and tumblers):

• Large compost container systems​
  
• Mantis Compost​ Tumbler
• Gardener’s Su​​pply Company - Assorted tumblers and worm bins
• Loop Closing​ - Assists companies with on-site composting ​
  
• Make or buy your own worm bins​​
  
• Build a​ compost bin

For you member profile: List organic materials composted by your facility (e.g. food waste or yard waste) and quantities (e.g. lbs. and cost savings where available.)

Hazardous Waste/Toxic Use Reduction

(Note that for some facilities hazardous waste minimization efforts are a regulatory requirement.)

1. Reduce hazardous waste generation by substituting with less toxic materials and products

• Review all hazardous materials on site to determine whether usage can be minimized or replaced with suitable less toxic alternatives.
• Review Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), which are available from your vendor or online, and read all product labels for hazardous content.
• Ask your vendor about less hazardous alternatives.
• Consider use of less tox​ic chemicals in your manufacturing process
• Maintain a centralized procurement and inventory control process that reviews all new purchases of hazardous materials.
• Implement a just-in-time purchasing policy and a first in/first out chemical usage policy to reduce the chance of expired inventory.​
  
• Use aqueous cleaners and parts washers in place of petroleum-based or chlorinated solvents.
• Standardize solvent usage within the facility and reclaim solvent by distillation.
• Use low-emitting paints and coatings.
• Use lead-free solder.
• Replace mercury-containing devices (lamps, switches, thermostats) with alternatives.
• Specify in pest control contracts that primary pest management methods include non-chemical pest prevention measures first.
• Purchase or ask cleaning contractor to purchase less toxic cleaners and janitorial supplies certified by Green Seal and EPA's Safer Choice.

2. Reduce hazardous waste generation through equipment and process changes.

• Reduce solvent usage by planning production schedules to reduce the frequency of cleaning required, cleaning parts and equipment immediately, and using squeegees or other means of removing material prior to solvent use.
• Switch to aqueous-based parts washers.
• Improve industrial paint spray technique​ to reduce air emissions and paint waste.
  

3. Establish spill prevention and response procedures.

• Use funnels or pumps to transfer liquids and regularly inspect areas for potential spills or leaks.
• Install overflow alarms for all tanks and vessels and secondary containment areas.
• Have spill containment kits on site

For your member profile: Describe actions and include results (e.g. lbs. of hazardous waste eliminated or lbs. of toxic material use reduced) and costs savings where available.