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Incentive to Recycle Why businesses should start recycling programs within their venues

Incentive to Recycle Why businesses should start recycling programs within their venues. Timothy Lam Walden University. Learning Objectives. To motivate business owners, vendors, and other stakeholders to participate in the recycling process

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Incentive to Recycle Why businesses should start recycling programs within their venues

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  1. Incentive to RecycleWhy businesses should start recycling programs within their venues Timothy Lam Walden University

  2. Learning Objectives • To motivate business owners, vendors, and other stakeholders to participate in the recycling process • To discover the beneficial effects of recycling at the world, state, and local levels • To explore the incentives behind recycling for business owners • To acquire knowledge regarding how to start a new recycling program within a business or to expand an existing program within a company • To encourage business owners to motivate staff members and vendors to recycle • To learn the steps and calculations necessary to measure the success of a recycling program

  3. What is Recycling? • Definition of Recycling • The process by which the reuse or repurposing of waste into usable material • Reduce the accumulation of landfills • Reduce the consumption of raw resources • Such as Timber, Water, Minerals (EPA, 2014) • The United States currently recycles 32.5% of its waste (NRDC, 2008) • Recycled waste includes paper products, aluminum cans, plastic soft drink bottles, and all major appliances • By comparison, in 1970, only roughly 5% was recycled • Before 1973, there were no curbside recycling programs. • In 2011, over 9,800 curbside programs exist within the U.S.A. (EPA, 2011)

  4. Benefits of Recycling: Impact on the World • Recycling helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gas which is the predominant causal factor of human induced climate change (NRDC, 2008) • 1 ton of recycled paper saves the energy equivalent of 165 gallons of gasoline (EPA, 2011) • When food waste are disposed in the landfills, the anaerobic decomposition produces significant amount of methane. • In contrast, composting is an aerobic process. Efficient and properly operated composting facilities produce no methane gas at all (Californians Against Waste, 2013). • Reduce the environmental and wildlife habitat damage caused directly by harvesting raw resources such as mining or timbering

  5. Benefits of Recycling: The Nation and State • Generation of “Green” jobs which help stimulate state and national economy • California currently plans on reaching a 75% recycling rate by 2020, which is estimated to create at least 110,000 new recycling jobs and potentially even more jobs from related private industries • Across the country, many states offer recycling tax incentives (EPA, 2013). • Recycling 2.12 million tons of plastic can generate 29,000 jobs (NRDC, 2014)

  6. Benefits of Recycling:Your Business and community • Excellent public relations opportunity • Participate in a growing “green” economy • Become an environmentally-friendly role model within your community • Encourages your vendors and other businesses in the community adopt the recycling process in their commercial practice

  7. Recycling = Good business practiceWhy recycling makes perfect sense! • Recycling helps reduce your business expenses (NRDC, n.d.) • Many states do offer tax incentives for the purchase of recycled goods. For instance, in New Jersey, there are sales tax exemptions for the purchase of recycled equipment (EPA, 2013). • Decrease the cost of utilizing waste retrieval services that move your refuse from your business to the landfill • Decrease the expense of waste disposal charged by the landfill services • Some recycled items can even generate additional income for your business

  8. How to start a recycling program within your business! • 8 Steps to Set Up a Recycling Program (EPA, 2014) • 1.) Choose a recycling coordinator. • 2.) Decide what materials your business will recycle • 3.) Reduction of Waste Generation • 4.) Include everyone in the process, including Staff, Vendors, and Customers • 5.) Pick a Contractor or Hauler • 6.) Establishing a Collections Program • 7.) Educate people on the reasons behind the program • 8.) Observe and Evaluate the Status of the Program

  9. How to motivate your staff to join you • Convenience is the key to a successful recycling program (NRDC, 2008). • Recycling Bins in Key Locations • Separate Bins for Different Material • Signs to Educate

  10. Encouraging green behavior from vendors • Choose to purchase supplies made from recycle material (NRDC, 2007). • Discourage vendors from utilizing difficult to recycle materials in shipping and packaging items • Give positive feedback to vendors that utilize “green” packaging such as recycled cardboard boxes

  11. Success of the program: Calculations Use this simple equation to determine your program’s recycling rate (EPA, 2014). Current Recycling Rate = Total recycled (weight) . Total discarded + recycled (weight) ***Some waste companies will automatically calculate this for your business.

  12. Success of the program: Calculations • Through the usage of monitoring data, the recycling coordinator can measure the amount of recyclables that are improperly disposed of in refuse containers instead of recycling bins. • Using this data, your company can set goals to improve your recycling program. Optimal Recycling Rate = Recyclables in Waste Bin + Recyclables in Recycling Bin Disposed in Waste Bin + Recyclables in Recycling Bin

  13. Success of the program: Monitoring The routine monitoring of refuse and recycling containers is necessary for the success of any recycling program. (EPA, 2014). • Record amount of recyclables that are improperly disposed of in refuse containers instead of recycling containers • In contrast, monitor for trash being improperly thrown into the recycling bins • Consider availability of refuse and recycling containers- are they ever too full for people to use?

  14. Sources • EPA. (2014). How to Set Up a Recycling Program. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/rogo/program/index.htm • EPA. (2014). Program Monitoring and Evaluation. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/rogo/program/monitor.htm • EPA. (2014). Recycling Basics. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from the EPA website at: http://www2.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics • NRDC. (2008). Recycling 101. Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from the NRDC website at: http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gsteps.asp • NRDC. (2014). California’s New Recycling Goal is a Green Jobs Creator. Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from the NRDC website at: http://www.nrdc.org/recycling/green-jobs-ca-recycling.asp • NRDC. (n.d.). Smarter Business: Greening Advisor, Recycling. Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from the NRDC website at: http://www.nrdc.org/enterprise/greeningadvisor/wm-recycling.asp • NRDC. (2007). Green Living Guides. Natural Resources Defense Council. Retrieved from the NRDC website at: http://www.nrdc.org/cities/living/paper/strategies.asp

  15. Sources • EPA (2013). State Recycling Tax Incentives. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/tools/rmd/bizasst/rec-tax.htm • EPA. (2011). Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in United States: Facts and Figures for 2011. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/MSWcharacterization_508_053113_fs.pdf

  16. Further Reading: for more information… • EPA. (2011). Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling and Composting. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/climate/wccmmf/Reducing_GHGs_through_Recycling_and_Composting.pdf • Seldman, N. (2013). Review: 40 Years of Curbside Recycling. Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Retrieved from the ILSR website at: http://www.ilsr.org/review-40-years-curbside-recycling/ • Goldstein, J. (2014). NRDC Report: From Waste to Jobs: What Achieving 75 Percent Recycling Means for California. Tellus Institute. Retrieved from the NRDC website at: http://www.nrdc.org/recycling/files/green-jobs-ca-recycling-report.pdf

  17. Thank you!

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