Waste Management in Oregon Waste Management in Oregon Part 2 - Office WastePart 2 - Office Waste

October 2007

Researched and prepared by:Mindy Trask, Environmental Project Manager

ODOT Geo-Environmental Section& Portland Metro Master Recycler

PAPERPAPER

The single largest component of solid waste is paper.

• Each person in the US uses ~ 600 pounds of paper per year (equivalent of 2 trees).

• Most wood used to make paper comes from “tree farms”, but about 1/3 still comes from private and public forests.

• About 28% of the wood used to make paper is wood scrap or “waste” from timber mills.

• Today, in our society, almost 90% of manufactured packaging becomes solid waste and it makes up about 22% of the materials in the landfill.

Benefits of Recycling one ton of paper:

• Saves about 17 trees from being harvested;

• Saves 3 cubic yards of landfill space;

• Uses 50% less water in the processing;

• Saves 96 gallons of gasoline;

• Prevents 2.5 tons of Carbon Dioxide from being released.

Solution - Shred Less!Solution - Shred Less!To reduce shredding, tear off personal information for shredding and place the rest of the page in your regular paper recycle bin.

The Truth About Shredded The Truth About Shredded PaperPaper

For those facilities designed to handle shredded paper (they are FEW), shredded paper is considered a low-grade class because the fibers have been cut so short. Shredded paper is recycled with paperboard and used to make newsprint - it cannot be used to make more office paper.

Due to its light weight nature and physical shape, shredded paper ends up passing through the mechanical screens, falling to the floor mixing with other waste, which gets scooped into the reject bin, and off to the landfill.

Shredded paper is very difficult for most recycling facilities to manage.Most facilities are designed to sort recyclables mechanically by using specialized

equipment that separates the materials by size, shape and weight.

PLASTICSPLASTICS

• Because of the differences in their properties, they cannot be melted together to form new plastic.

• It is difficult (with current technologies) to collect and properly sort the different types of plastic from one another which makes recycling opportunities for plastics more limited than some other materials

Recycling process for plastic containers includes:

(1) sorting the containers by their resin types;

(2) cutting the plastic into tiny pieces, called pellets;

(3) melting the pellets; and

(4) reshaping into new plastic objects.

Abbrev. No. Scientific Name Examples Environmental Qualities

PETE 1polyethylene Terphtahalate

soda & water bottles

Recycled into fleece coats, carpet, surfboards

HDPE 2high density Polyethylene

milk, water jugs, juice, bleach bottles

Recycled into plastic lumber, like picnic tables

PVC 3 polyvinyl chloride

detergent & cleaner bottles, pipes

By-products from manufacturing are known to causecancer; recycled into handrails, house siding

LDPE 4low density Polyethylene

6-pack rings, sandwhich bags, grocery bags

Recycled in small amounts into bags

PP 5 polypropylene

margarine tubs, screw-on lids, straws, car bumpers

Used in the auto industry; difficult to collect for recycling; recycled into car battery cases

PS 6 polystyreneStyrafoam, peanuts

No longer made with CFCs, but the by-products from manufacturing cause air pollution; recycled into pencil holders, tapedispensers

other 7 multi-layerketchup and squeezable bottles

Layered aspects make this difficult to recycle; recycled into benches, marine pilings

What the Number Means:

ELECTRONIC WASTEELECTRONIC WASTE

• In 2005, Americans used an average of six wireless products in their day-to-day lives (up from an average of 3 in 1999) with over 30 percent of Americans using eight or more.(Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, Survey conducted by NOP World on behalf of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), 2005)

• More than 3.2 million tons of electronic waste is laid to rest in U.S. landfills each year.(Environmental Protection Agency)

• Microchip production involves more energy, water, fossil fuels, toxic chemicals, and elemental gases than any industry in history. One semiconductor plant can require enough electricity to power a city of 60,000 and several million gallons of water a day.(Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, “Fourth Annual Computer Report Card,” January 9, 2003)

• Consumer electronics constitute 40 percent of the lead found in landfills.(Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, “Fourth Annual Computer Report Card,” January 9, 2003)

• HB 2626: TV, Computer and monitor manufacturers that sell in Oregon must register and pay an annual fee. They can then, either pay to collect their electronics at the end of life, or pay a fee for a State contractor collection program.

SPECIFY RECYCLED SPECIFY RECYCLED CONTENT ITEMSCONTENT ITEMS

• Asphalt (e.g. SP 00645, 00720)• Glass (e.g. Sec 02695 for

reclaimed glass aggregate)• Plastic (e.g. Sec 2110.20(c) for

recycled plastic guardrail posts)• Coordinate with OBDP and your

Spec Writer for project specific ideas

SPECIFY RECYCLING SPECIFY RECYCLING PRACTICESPRACTICES

• Waste Management Targets– Complicated because of AGC

– Coordinate with OBDP and your Spec Writer for specific ideas

• Design for deconstruction = the process of hand

dismantling in order to salvage useable portions of structures.

– typically applied to buildings, but why not highway facilities?

• Some recycling requirements in new 00290 standard specs

*avg. market value in Pac NW

DRIVE LESSDRIVE LESS• Carpool, bike, or bus • Carpool to meetings

– Requires a little more planning

• Teleconference more often– ask meeting facilitator

to provide all presentation materials on web or ftp in advance

Why Bother?Why Bother?• Reduces ADT

– Less road maintenance

– Less frequent paving projects

– Less congestion– Improves air quality– Less stormwater

runoff– Uses less fuel

• Less Road Rage!

USE LESSUSE LESS• Re-use office supplies

like folders, binders- create a re-use station

• Purchase high content recycled products- especially printer paper

- be pro-active

- coordinate with office supply manager

• Practice "Precycling" even at work

Why Bother?Why Bother?• Fewer Trucks to

Deliver Goods– Less road

maintenance– Less frequent

paving projects– Improves air

quality– Less stormwater

runoff– Uses less fuel

• Save $ and natural resources

PRECYCLINGPRECYCLING = the practice of reducing waste by attempting to avoid purchasing wasteful products

• Carry a "precycling kit" with you (reusable container, silverware, cloth napkin or handkerchief and reusable water-bottle, all within a cloth bag that can double as a grocery/shopping bag)

• Fix rather than toss broken products (especially electronics)

• Chose products that are durable, reusable, recyclable and not over-packaged

• Buy locally made products and food whenever possible

Buyer’s Choice Buyer’s Choice Checklist:Checklist:

Do I really need this? Is the product or

packaging recyclable or reusable?

Is the product made of recycled materials?

How far did the product have to travel to get to me?