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WASTEWISE PROGRAM
USING THE USEPA’S WASTEWISE PROGRAM
TO PROMOTE RECYCLING, WASTE PREVENTION
AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTION
IN YOUR BUSINESS OR SCHOOL
In June 2007, New Jersey became the first state to establish greenhouse gas emission goals by law when Governor Corzine signed the Global Warming Response Act (GWRA). This legislation, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emission to 1990 levels by 2020, further mandates the reduction of those emissions by 80% before 2050. In this mandate, the GWRA begins the process of abating greenhouse gases from the most obvious sources, energy companies using fossil fuels, however, the GWRA also calls for “recommendations on how to achieve the emission reduction targets, including measures that reduce emissions in all sectors of the economy.” Hailed as among the most aggressive pieces of legislation to abate global warming, the GWRA serves as context to the value of signing on as a Partner to voluntary GHG emission reduction programs.
With this in mind, businesses, schools, hospitals and other private sector institutions are increasingly finding value in national, voluntary, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction programs, such as the USEPA Wastewise program. WasteWise offers free technical guidance, case study support and programmatic development support to its Partners to assist them in achieving their GHG emission reduction goals, and links site specific, district or corporate-wide solid waste reduction and recycling efforts, to tangible GHG emission reduction measurements. WasteWise also provides a vehicle to not only track and record annual GHG reductions, but the cumulative multi-year impacts of programmatic waste prevention and recycling of GHG emission reduction efforts. Through its annual Climate Profile report WasteWise provides its Partners with a platform to showcase their commitment to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. Wastewise also offers Partners the opportunity to include waste diversion programs such as food waste, buy-recycled and green purchasing initiatives, and construction and demolition debris recycling as part of their GHG emission reduction portfolio. Using modeling programs such as the Waste Reduction Model (“Warm”), Wastewise translates the waste prevention and recycling results of these programs into metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE).
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) is a charter member of the EPA Wastewise Program and a member of the WasteWise Hall of Fame. Albert Fralinger, Manger- Materials Resource Recovery for PSEG, states… “Wastewise challenges business leaders and decision makers to think more broadly about materials management, rather than simply managing waste or recycling. Wastewise affords Partners with an opportunity to link the results of waste prevention and recycling efforts to GHG emission reductions. Wastewise also promotes savings which result from waste prevention and recycling, and thus a clear link between waste and climate programs. This linkage broadens the impact of our programs and affords us opportunities to promote new waste prevention and recycling initiatives to decision-makers in our company.”
WasteWise membership is open to any organization in the United States including businesses, hospitals, universities, non-profit organizations, and state, local, and tribal government. Through the Wastewise program, Partners gain access to a variety of electronic and on-line tools, resources, and publications, and are assigned to a personal Wastewise representative for one-on-one assistance in waste reduction and recycling planning and implementation.
“One of the most significant benefits of the program is the free consulting and support—great for companies concerned with controlling costs and expenses“ explains Fralinger. “Using the annual Wastewise Climate Profile, PSEG is able to present free third-party verification of waste and greenhouse gas emissions reductions to customers and employees in simplistic visuals. Since Wastewise also offers an extensive on-line array of services, another benefit is the ability to use on-line tools and resources to assist Wastewise Partners in quantifying and reporting waste reduction and recycling accomplishments.”
Using the Annual on-line reporting tool, Wastewise Partners are able to submit annual waste prevention and recycling results, and develop goals related to waste prevention and recycling USEPA, which uses the data to calculate the resultant GHG emission reduction impacts. Using the on-line WARM model, Partners can estimate the amount of GHG emissions prevented through an organization’s solid waste reduction and recycling activities. Using the on-line Recycled Content (ReCon) tool, Partners can assess the benefits of manufacturing and/or purchasing recycled content materials and evaluate the impacts of purchasing post-consumer recycled content materials. Check out www.epa.gov/mswclimate to see how the Wastewise WARM and ReCon tools can translate in to money saving and GHG reduction strategies.
Fralinger encourages businesses to become involved with Wastewise not just for themselves, but also as a way to ensure that policymakers receive accurate data and information to establish policy. “When Wastewise began, PSEG reported on several material streams which the USEPA had limited re-use experience, such as coal combustion products (CCP’s). After several years of reporting CCP beneficial re-use through WasteWise, the USEPA recognized the significance of CCP reuse strategies and established a separate program for the Utility industry. Through this new program, PSEG was afforded an opportunity to promote ash management and reuse and present creative beneficial reuse solutions for this material.”
In summary, we will all be called on to reduce GHG emissions and our carbon footprint. Voluntary programs like WasteWise provide businesses, schools, hospitals and other private sector institutions with the tools and expertise useful in achieving GHG reductions. It affords Partners an opportunity to proactively engage GHG reductions in advance of an emerging regulatory framework, reduce their carbon footprint, save resources, save money, and provides a platform to promote a positive image and create competitive advantage.
