Zero Waste: The Future?

1. Zero Waste: The Future? Pete Pasterz CURC Webinar 07/15/08

2. Zero Waste: Really?? • Waste is inevitable, isn’t it? • You can’t recycle everything • “Extremes” are not accepted at my university; incremental, measurable goals are • Recycling Rates are already not improving…how can we divert resources to some new thing that is hard to explain? • Rates NOT standardized and fraught with abuse, how can we possibly document not making waste?

3. What isn’t Zero Waste • It is NOT a new, radical concept

4. What isn’t Zero Waste • It is NOT a new, radical concept • It is NOT “pie-in-the-sky”

5. What isn’t Zero Waste • It is NOT a new, radical concept • It is NOT “pie-in-the-sky” • It is NOT just another “end of the pipe” solution

6. What isn’t Zero Waste • It is NOT a new, radical concept • It is NOT “pie-in-the-sky” • It is NOT just another “end of the pipe” solution • It is NOT [necessarily] about reaching ZERO

7. What is Zero Waste? • It is a Policy Goal

8. What is Zero Waste? • It is a Policy Goal • It is a DESIGN PRINCIPLE

9. What is Zero Waste? • It is a Policy Goal • It is a DESIGN PRINCIPLE • It is a PATH, toward a Destination

10. What is Zero Waste? • It is a POLICY Goal • It is a DESIGN PRINCIPLE • It is a PATH, toward a Destination • It is the LOGICAL CONCLUSION to Continuous Improvement in Waste Reduction

11. Industry Understands “Zero” goals: Zero Accidents Zero Defects Zero Waste

12. And can get “darn close” to achieving them…

13. Xerox • “Waste-Free goal of making Waste-Free Products in Waste-Free Factories to help customers attain Waste-Free Workplaces” • In 8 years, reduced solid waste by 90%, saving $50,000,000 • 70% of product parts designed for reuse

14. Toyota Motor Sales [U.S.] • 96% reduction from 1999 baseline @ all US non-mfg. facilities • Ryan_mcmullan@toyota.com [formerly @ Rice University]

15. The following companies/divisions are already diverting • 90% or more of their waste: • Anheuser-Busch, Fairfield, CA • American Honda Motor Company • Apple Computer, Elk Grove, CA • Bank of America • Epson, Inc., Hillsboro, OR • Fetzer Vineyards • Hewlett-Packard, Roseville, CA • Kaiser Permanente • Pillsbury, Eden Prairie facility, MN • Ricoh Electronics • San Diego Wild Animal Park • Seaman's Beverages • Toyota Motor Sales US, Torrance, CA • Vons-Safeway, Southern California and Southern Nevada District • The Walt Disney Company • Xerox Corp., Rochester, NY

16. Zero Waste Business Resources • http://www.grrn.org/zerowaste/business/index.php • www.environmentalleader.com • http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402369/index.htm?postversion=2007031406

17. Are businesses smarter than Higher Ed?

18. Are their incentives different?

19. What is Zero Waste? "If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.“—Ecology Center, Berkeley

20. What is Zero Waste? • It means ending the subsidies for the “wasting economy” of landfills, incinerators, municipal [university] waste hauling, bad product design choices, and virgin resource extraction

21. Linear The Waste Economy Courtesy, Eco-Cycle, Boulder, CO

22. 71X MSW 4000X laptop “Wasteberg”

23. Upstream Wastes

24. Circular The Zero Waste Economy Courtesy Eco-Cycle, Boulder, CO

25. What is Zero Waste? • Upstream • Extended Producer Responsibility [EPR] • Consumer Education/Action • Distribution [retail, wholesale, shipping] • Clean Production/Toxics Reduction • Design for Environment • Shifting Subsidies from Waste • Change the Rules

26. What is Zero Waste? • Downstream • Recycle • “Hard to Recycle” • Compost • Reuse/Repair

27. Courtesy, Eco-Cycle, Boulder, CO Zero Waste Park

28. Zero Waste Park • Resource Recovery Parks • Half the cost of LF; ¼ cost of incinerator • 20 acre site serves community of 300,000 • Jobs

29. Zero Waste Park • Who will create this infrastructure?? • “Social Enterprise” [Biocycle 10/07] • University?

30. Zero Waste Communities [US] • Los Angeles • Berkeley • Palo Alto • San Francisco • Oakland • Boulder • NYC • Austin • Logan Co. OH

31. Zero Waste Schools! • University of Florida • Evergreen State College, WA • College of the Atlantic, ME • San Diego Mesa College, CA • Naropa University, CO • Cal State San Marcos

32. Zero Waste Schools? • University of Colorado • University of California system • Yours? [Sustainability Rubric]

33. Zero Waste Events • Arizona State • Vermont • Ohio U • Colorado • Colorado State • Washington State • Penn State • Oregon • UC Davis • Minnesota-Twin Cities • MIT

34. Zero Waste: The Future • You’re already headed down the path…but you may not even realize it! • Establishing the destination gives you direction • “So our challenge is to start thinking "upstream" on our campuses and work more effectively with our purchasing, dining, dept chairs, secretaries and the other thousand people who make the decisions each day that impact waste.”—Erica Spiegel, University of Vermont

35. The Future = Now

36. Zero Waste: Resources EPA WARM model www.epa.gov/climatechange Freecycle www.freecycle.org EPEAT www.epeat.net RecycleMania ! www.recyclemaniacs.org Zero Waste Resolution www.ecocycle.org/zerowaste Zero Waste Video www.ecocycle.org/zerowastevideo/index.cfm GRRN www.grrn.org/campus/index.html Junk Mail Reduction www.newdream.org www.junkbusters.org Sierra Club 0 Waste Committee http://www.sierraclub.org/committees/zerowaste/ Zero Waste Int’l Alliance http://www.zwia.org/zwc.html

37. Pete Pasterz,Cabarrus CountyConcord,NCpapasterz@cabarruscounty.us704-920-3280