Zero Waste: The Future is NOW!

1. Zero Waste: The Future is NOW! Pete Pasterz CURC Webinar 09/02/10

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. 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 • It’s what hundreds of units of government and thousands of organizations claim…

12. 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

13. 71X MSW 4000X laptop “Wasteberg”

14. Upstream Wastes

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

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

17. 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

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

19. Is this Zero Waste??

20. Zero Waste Int’l Alliance • Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health."

21. ZWIA Standard • “Businesses and communities that achieve over 90% diversion of waste from landfills and incinerators are considered to be successful in achieving Zero Waste, or darn close.”

22. What is Zero Waste? • Competing visions • Competing Standards/Certifications are being developed and implemented • Penn State • Earth Resource Fd’n/GRRN Business Standards • RONA standards for Colleges and Universities • Co-opted Branding

23. Is “Zero Waste to Landfill” Zero Waste? • Many business’ goals • Many focus only on end-of-pipe solutions • NOT “UPSTREAM”-focused • Usually include incineration with “energy recovery”

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

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

26. Zero Waste, Really! • 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

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

28. Zero Waste, [almost]! • Caterpillar, Inc. • Went from 30% to 80% recycling in one year @ Main Mfg. Plant in Aurora, Ill. • Uses sorting conveyor in-house • Works in partnership with suppliers and customers to reduce waste further

29. The following companies/divisions report preventing/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 • Fuji Heavy Industries/Subaru North America, Lafayette, IN • Herman-Miller • Hewlett-Packard, Roseville, CA • Kaiser Permanente • Kraft Foods • MillerCoors • 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 • The Walt Disney Company • Xerox Corp., Rochester, NY

30. 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 • www.greenbiz.com

31. Zero Waste States • California • Massachusetts • New York [?] • Washington • Wisconsin

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

33. Zero Waste Schools • University of Florida • Evergreen State College, WA • College of the Atlantic, ME • San Diego Mesa College • Naropa University, CO • Cal State San Marcos • Eckerd College, FL • Eastern Illinois University

34. Zero Waste Schools • University of Colorado • University of California system • College of the Menominee Nation • Arizona State • University of North Carolina system • American University • Rutgers • Winona State • Yours?

35. Zero Waste Events/Dining • Arizona State • Vermont • Ohio • Colorado • Colorado State • Washington State • Penn State • Oregon • UC Davis • Minnesota-Twin Cities • MIT • Michigan • Nevada-Reno • Duke • Brigham Young • Santa Monica College • Northwestern MI College • Emory • Idaho • Concordia University, Portland OR • Tulane • U Colorado-Colorado Sprgs • Yours??????

36. 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

37. Zero Waste: Resources RONAU www.recyclingorganizations.org/rona-u EPA WARM model www.epa.gov/climatechange Freecyclewww.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

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