Waste
On this page:
FGC Waste Goals
Relative to your baseline, achieve a 5% increase or reduction in the following activities:
- Reduce the tons of material generated
- Increase the tons of material recycled
- Increase the tons of material composted
Reduce Your Footprint
Prevention/Source Reduction
Municipal Solid Waste
- Conduct a waste assessment, devise a reduction/diversion program tailored for your facility
- Minimize paper use and printing
- Print double-sided and/or multiple pages to one sheet of paper
- Set printers to double-sided default
- Install paper use reduction and tracking software
- Create and distribute materials electronically
- If you have a cafeteria, use reusable serviceware instead of disposable
- Reduce packaging waste by purchasing products in bulk
- Reduce food waste in food service facilities using EPA’s Waste Food and Packaging Toolkit
Construction and Demolition Debris
- Design new facilities for deconstruction, to reduce construction and demolition debris in the future
- EPA's Reducing C&D Materials resources
- Lifecycle Building Challenge Resources
Reuse
Municipal Solid Waste
- Create a materials exchange in your building
- Donate used electronics that are still functional through programs like Computers for Learning
- Reuse packaging material
- Construction and Demolition Materials Deconstruction and Reuse
-
Large-Scale Residential Demolition: Reuse and Recycling Opportunities
Recycling/Composting
Fact: Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
- Start a composting and/or recycling program
- Remove individual garbage cans and place them in a central location
- Recycle electronics
- Recycle construction and demolition materials
Buying Recycled/Recyclable
- Purchase 100% postconsumer fiber paper products
- Purchase office products with recycled content
- Purchase products that are recyclable/compostable at your facility
- See the Purchasing page for more ideas.
Measurement
- WARM (WAste Reduction Model)
- ReCon Tool (Recycled Content Tool)
- Food Waste Management Calculator
- Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors(21 pp, 481 K, About PDF)
- WasteWise
FGC participants can measure progress over time using the Federal Green Challenge Data Management System.Exit
Case Studies (Success Stories)
- New Composting Program Boosts Waste Diversion
- Waste Diversion through Cold Composting
- Recycling Increases Waste Diversion
- US Postal Service Western Areas
- Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, Minnesota
More case studies are available at the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Page.