Setting Up A Program

Analyze Your Waste Stream

Opportunities for waste reduction are often hidden in inefficient processes. Looking for ways to operate more efficiently is good business. To do this you will need to analyze your waste stream to estimate your waste reduction potential and understand existing waste management practices. A waste analysis will help you identify the materials your organization generates and their path through your facility from point of purchase to ultimate disposal.

This can be done as a simple visual survey of your trash, or it can be an involved process of sorting, weighing and measuring the volume of all the materials in your waste stream. This information will be used to target materials for recycling, reuse, or eliminating them altogether. The data you gather will also be used to establish a baseline to compare to after the program is in place. The more detailed the information, the more you will be able to do with it.

Where does the waste come from and what is recoverable?

Walk through your facility and note how and where waste is generated. What type of work is done in each area? What activities produce waste? What type of waste is produced? What waste can be prevented, reused, or recycled?

• "Walk-Through Form" PDF

Conduct a Detailed Waste Evaluation

A detailed (vs. a "walk-through") waste evaluation allows you to identify more accurately the quantity, type and sources of waste being generated and it will be a guide for future reduction, reuse and recycling options. A waste evaluation should be done at least twice a year to track program results and changes in practices.

• "Waste-Sort Form" PDF

Purchase/Disposal Practices

Ask purchasing and maintenance staff about current purchasing and disposal practices to gain a better picture of the flow of materials through your facility. Think in "What if…." Terms.

• What if this material/product could be reused?
• What if this material could be packaged differently?
• What if the activity could be changed to prevent the waste in the first place?

If applicable, for example, interview your landscaper/groundskeeper or other responsible staff about "green waste" (grass clippings, leaves, etc.) and potential opportunities for reduction through composting, mulching or "grasscycling." (Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving the clippings on the lawn when mowing.)

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