Page 118 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

96 CREATING A SUCCESSFUL SOLID WASTE MINIMIZATION LAUNCH

■ Concise—Common and clear language should be used to communicate the vision
and goals of the program.
■ Consistent—The same message should be continually repeated; frequent changes
in goals and programs will reduce employee buy-in.
■ Complete—All members of the organization should receive the same message; this
may be challenging for shop floor workers.
■ Creative—A novel communication approach will increase employee retention of
the message. This could include an employee involvement program to create and
spread program details.

5.8 Lessons Learned

The success of a solid waste minimization program depends on the existence of a solid
infrastructure and top management leadership. Leaders need to take personal respon-
sibility for driving waste minimization efforts, including the participation in projects.
Some topics that many organizations have mentioned that drive the waste minimiza-
tion change efforts are

■ To be successful, the environmental effort must be launched organization-wide.
■ Ensure the necessary resources are invested in the new initiative and monitor the
payback.
■ Spread the word about the new initiative as quickly as possible.
■ Senior management needs to lead the effort and take an active and visible role.
■ Provide monetary incentives for success.
■ Reward aggressive team members.
■ Monitor all aspects of success.

In terms of establishing waste minimization goals, it may be beneficial to keep the
acronym SMART in mind, to establish goals that are Simple, Measurable, Agreed to,
Reasonable, and Time based. Using this approach tends to lead to greater buy-in from
employees and team members. For example, if an organization is exploring ways to
reduce the amount of waste they send to the landfill, they could brainstorm as a team
to establish this SMART goal:

■ Simple—Reduce the solid waste that the organization sends to the landfill by 5 percent
versus the same period last year.
■ Measurable—Gather and monitor detailed weekly records of the amounts of waste
recorded by the waste hauling company.
■ Agreed to—The entire team should agree to this goal and at a minimum had oppor-
tunity to provide input.
■ Reasonable—A 5 percent reduction is very achievable by modifying process with-
out heavy investment; on the other hand, a 20 percent would not be reasonable in
most cases for a 1 year improvement on a new project.