Waste Reduction & Recycling |
Resources
The resources below cover a number of various categories associated with solid waste management practices. The categories include DOI Programs/Guidelines/Best Management Practices; Environmental Management Systems; Federal Green Challenge; General Resources; Government Property Management; Having Trouble Figuring out Where to Recycle Something; Leases; Materials Exchanges; Resource Conservation Challenge; Sustainable Materials Management Program; and WasteWise. These resources are intended to target a variety of solid waste management topics in order to increase diversion rates across the Department.
DOI Programs/Guidelines/Best Management Practices
- Departmental Manual Chapter on Recycling.
- Employee’s Guide to Conservation Efforts at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.
- National Park Service Solid Waste Management Quick Reference Guide.
Environmental Management Systems
- Information on Environmental Management Systems (EMS). EPA. This source includes basic information, training, success stories, and waste management related initiatives.
- NPS Concession Environmental Management Program.
Federal Green Challenge
The Federal Green Challenge is a voluntary partnership program challenging federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in a year by managing their electronics, energy, purchasing, transportation, waste, and water.- Federal Green Challenge-Waste.
General Resources
- FedCenter Pollution Prevention Resources. This website includes resources on regulations, Guidance, and Policy, Supporting Information and Tools, Lessons Learned, Training, Presentations, and Briefings, and Conferences and Events.
- Green Office Paper Guide for Office Managers.
- Glossary of Waste Terms.
- How to Plan a Cell Phone Recycling Event for Earth Day (2009).
- Public Law on Retention of Recycling Sales Avenues.
- Recycling. City of Fort Collins.
- Recycling Measurement. EPA. Tools, Guidance Documents, and Resources.
- Recycling in Multifamily Dwellings. CalRecycle
- Recyclopedia. Earth 911.
- Reduce, Recycle, Reuse Waste at Offices. CalRecycle.
- Resource on Pollution Prevention. FedCenter.
- Sandia National Laboratories’ Pollution Prevention (P2) Program.
- Targeting Outreach to Special Audiences. CalRecycle.
- Waste Prevention, Recycling and Composting Options: Lessons from 30 Communities. EPA. (1994)
- What you can do to reduce, reuse and recycle solid waste, an EPA Web Guide.
Government Property Management
- Federal Management Regulation. Government Disposition, Sale and Donation of Surplus and Excess Property. GSA.
- Personal Property Management Policy Frequently Asked Questions. GSA.
Having Trouble Figuring Out Where to Recycle Something?
- Earth's 911. You can find recycling and waste management resources in your community.
- National Recycling Coalition.
Leases
Note: If you are in a leased building, some of the resources below may be helpful to you.
- Best Practice (Environmental) Lease Provisions. EPA.
- Green Lease Policies and Procedures for Lease Acquisition. GSA.
- Green Lease Policies and Procedures for Lease Acquisition, GSA Realty Services Letter, RSL-2007-12. GSA.
- Instructions for Use of Green Solicitation Paragraph Reference Chart. GSA.
- Solicitation For Offers Paragraphs with New and Revised Green Lease Text. GSA.
- Solicitation For Offers (SFOs). GSA. Note: This has some green language in it.
Note: Other GSA Policies are available.
Materials Exchanges
Materials Exchanges are markets for buying and selling reusable and recyclable commodities - coordinated by state governments, local governments, for-profits businesses.
Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC)
Note: The EPA is in the process of replacing the Resource Conservation Challenge with the Sustainable Materials Management program.
The Resource Conservation Challenge is “a national effort to conserve natural resources and energy by managing materials more efficiently…. The RCC consists of numerous partnerships and collaborations with federal, state, local, and tribal governments; industry organizations; businesses and corporations; and individual citizens. It is through these partnerships that you can get involved and make a difference.”
The EPA has RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) Training at your Desktop. Under the training link, the Sustainable Materials Management (formerly known as the Resource Conservation Challenge) Web Academy appears to be a particularly helpful training source to get new ideas on reusing, reducing and recycling and to find out what works and what does not work.
- Recycle on the Go
- Partnerships on EPA Website
- Guide to becoming a RCC Partner
- For more information about RCC
Sustainable Materials Management Program
- Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead. Publications.
- Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead.
- SMM Web Academy. (This link can also be found under the Resource Conservation Challenge section)
WasteWise
WasteWise is a free EPA partnership program through which governments, businesses and non-profit organizations can find methods to reduce municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes. WasteWise uses a number of techniques to encourage the reduction, reuse, and recycling of waste. Organizations can join WasteWise as a partner, endorser, or both depending on the goal of the organization.
Benefits of joining WasteWise include:
- Free technical assistance
- Access to web-based data management tracking tool (WasteWise Re-TRAC)
- Opportunity to receive WasteWise Awards that recognize outstanding achievements
- Public recognition in WasteWise publications, case studies, and meetings
- Annual Climate Profile (PDF) (2 pp, 2.1MB, about PDF) describing greenhouse gas reduction
- Reduced purchasing and waste disposal costs
Other WasteWise Resources
- More Information about WasteWise
- Waste Reduction Resources found off of the EPA’s WasteWise website
- Joining WasteWise
- Evaluation of WasteWise
- Setting up a WasteWise Program