Page 494 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

472 COMMERCIAL, RETAIL, FINANCIAL, AND GOVERNMENT OFFICE APPLICATIONS

Numerous trash sorts were conducted at both locations to estimate volume and con-
tent of One Government Center’s waste and recycling streams. Employee interviews
were also conducted and questionnaires were distributed to collect specific data.
The methodology used to conduct the office paper–volume assessment involved two
primary steps. First, the recycling containers on each floor were emptied and the con-
tents placed on the loading dock. The second step began exactly 1 week after empty-
ing the recycling containers on each floor. For this step, the contents of each recycling
container on every floor were weighed and recorded. This weekly estimate was then
converted to a daily and an annual estimate. At the time of the assessment, only paper
was collected for recycling. Figure 37.1 summarizes the data.
From the on-site data-collection phase, it was estimated that 3975 lb of mixed
office paper are collected through the system per month (47,700 lb annually). A local
vendor collects all recyclables (mixed office paper and aluminum cans) at no-cost/
no-profit to One Government Center, but does not provide the volumes collected to the
management.
Table 37.2 summarizes the amount of material entering the waste stream at One
Government Center. This information was calculated from the waste assessment at
One Government Center and the trash sort at the landfill. On average 34,800 lb of
waste per month is disposed of at the landfill by One Government Center (based upon
a 6-month sampling) and 3975 lb of mixed office paper are recycled per month.
From a trash sort conducted at the landfill, approximately 15 percent was cardboard,
25 percent was mixed office paper, 5 percent was metal, aluminum cans, and wood,
and 55 percent was nonrecyclable waste.
At the time of the audit, One Government Center recycled 31 percent of the mixed
office paper that entered their waste stream and approximately 69 percent entered the
landfill. Aluminum cans are also recycled now after the mixed office paper–recycling
program has been reestablished. Currently One Government Center recycles 10 per-
cent of all material entering their waste stream and 22 percent of all recyclable mate-
rials in their waste stream are recyclable. Table 37.3 summarizes the level of recycling
for each material type.
The current collection system utilized by One Government Center is not fully stan-
dardized in regards to the collection process and varies from floor to floor. Major floor-
to-floor variations observed included

■ An estimated 20 percent of employees did not have a desk-side recycling box.
■ On some floors the custodial staff emptied the desk-side containers on a routine
basis (or when the boxes were full) and on other floors the employees were required
to empty their own recycling boxes at a central location.
■ Some employees requested that their containers not be emptied in order to keep the
paper for reference.
■ Some employees used their desk-side containers for other purposes (such as extra
storage or as a filing box).
■ Some floors utilized more central-collection totes than other floors.
■ Some floors utilized dilapidated cardboard central totes, while other floors utilized
sturdy plastic totes.