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Key Steps: Adopting a Recycling Program
Step 3:
Know Your Waste
A key step in developing a recycling program is to determine what waste your company generates. The best way to determine this is to conduct a waste assessment to gather detailed information about your company's waste. The results from the waste assessment can be used to establish waste reduction and recycling goals and to monitor progress. For waste assessment resources, visit the EPA's Waste Assessment Approaches Web page.
A waste assessment can be performed by reviewing your monthly waste disposal invoices. These invoices can be used to determine not only the type and amount of waste being disposed of by your company, but also how you are being charged, either by the pull or by weight. By obtaining back invoices, you can put together a picture of your yearly waste disposal charges and/or weights and amounts. All this information will give you a base line from which you can track your future progress.
Keep in mind that you may be charged the same amount whether the garbage dumpster is completely full or nearly empty, so consider reducing the frequency of pickups or the size of your garbage dumpster to save money.
A walk-through of your facility is important for learning about what type of waste is being discarded in each area. A walk-through also helps identify waste reduction opportunities.
Contact Paul Harding (801-536-4108) or Frances Bernards (801-536-0086) for further information on the content of this page.
