Waste Audits and Solutions

The Importance of Information

Mark Lennon IRN – The Recycling Network

Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Campuses April 24, 2013

It  is  easy  to  recycle  ! Put  out  containers  ! Collect  stuff  ! Send  it  to  market  

   

It  is  not  easy  to  understand  how  you  are  doing  

1. Are  you  ge6ng  everything  out  of  the  waste  stream  you  should?  

2. Are  you  ge6ng  everything  out  of  the  waste  stream  you  can?  

3. Are  you  saving  money?    Are  you  was=ng  money?  

It  is  not  easy  to  understand  how  you  are  doing  

4. What  are  you  recycling  compared  to  what  you  are  purchasing?  

5. How  do  different  departments  compare?    How  do  different  dorms  compare?  

6. Are  you  gaining  ground?    Losing  ground?  

Recycling  &  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  

�   R  egulatory  Compliance  

�   W  eight  

�   E  conomics  

Recycling  informa=on  serves  these  goals  

Compliance  1.  Understand  your  regulated  

commodi:es  •  Hazmats  and  biowastes  •  Universal  wastes  •  Electronics  •  Disposal  bans  

2.  Track  them  3.  Document  where  they  go  

 

Weight  1.  Understand  your  largest  waste  streams  

•  Trash  (typically  >50%)  •  Paper  and  cardboard  (40-­‐55%)  •  Organics  (20-­‐25%)  •  Construc:on  wastes  (Zero  to  A  Lot)  •  Surplus  Property  (Zero  to  A  Lot)  •  Beverage  containers  (2%)  •  Single  stream    

2.  Understand  where  they  are  generated  

Weight  3.  Understand  where  &  how  they  are  collected  •  Dumpster,  front-­‐  or  rear-­‐load,  loose  •  Rolloff  container  •  Compactor  •  Bales  •  Hampers,  gaylord  containers  

4.  Know  where  they  go  •  Waste  vendor,  specialty  vendor  •  Think:    Vendor  mo:va:ons  

Weight  5.  Understand  how  they  are  reported  

•  Monthly?    Per  pickup?      •  Per  Stop?  Per  route?    Per  campus?  •  By  weight?    By  volume?      

6.  Know  what  you  want  to  do:  

Get  as  much  as  possible  out  of  your  waste  stream  !  

Weight  7.  Know  what  to  ask  for:  

•  Per  stop  quan::es,  not  route  quan::es  •  Per  container  quan::es,  not  combined  quan::es  •  Daily  quan::es,  not  monthly  quan::es  •  Weights,  not  volumes  •  Data,  not  es:mates      

8.  Insist  •  Your  vendors  know  this  stuff.    They  don’t  

necessarily  want  you  to  know  it.  

Economics  1.  What  should  you  be  paying  for?  

•  Tonnage  /  Tip  Fee  •  Transporta:on  What  are  you  paying  for?  

2.  How  much  are  you  paying?  How  much  should  you  be  paying?  

In  the  End  1. What  is  being  picked  up?  2. Where  is  it  being  picked  up?  3.  How  is  it  being  picked  up?  4.  Where  is  it  going?  5.  How  is  it  being  reported?  6.  How  are  dollar  values  aeached?  

In  the  End  1.  Document  compliance  2.  Rate  by  commodity  and  loca:on  •  Iden:fy  areas  to  improve  

3.  Time  Series:    Rate  over  :me  4.  Financials:    •  Separate  tonnage  from  haul  •  Compare  to  benchmarks  and  industry  stds  •  Iden:fy  areas  to  improve  

Economics  3.  What  should  you  be  gefng  paid  for,  and  how  much?  •  Fibers  •  Metals  What  are  you  gefng  paid  for,  and  how  much?  

Mark  Lennon  

603-­‐496-­‐7908  mlennon@ir-­‐network.com    

1-­‐866-­‐229-­‐1962  www.ir-­‐network.com