A Roadmap for the Government
Sector to Achieve a Sustainable
Waste Management Future
Waste diversion, recycling, and sustainability best
practices for Alabama municipalities, military
installations, and the government sector.
Prepared by PBS Services
150 Pioneer Drive, Killen, AL 35645
271 Nick Fitcheard Road, Huntsville, AL 35806
Athens, AL: 256-233-1368
Florence, AL: 256-757-9900
Decatur, AL: 256-350-5550
Huntsville, AL: 256-721-8727
Introduction
What is Sustainability?
As sustainability has grown, so have industry best practices. It’s our goal with this whitepaper to help Alabama businesses, municipalities, military bases, and the government
realize a sustainable future.
The most widely accepted definition of sustainability emerged out of the UN’s World
Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. It states that “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:
• The concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which
overriding priority should be given; and
• The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on
the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.” 1
Initially, sustainability was embraced by a select few environmentalists hoping to do the
right thing. Now, individuals, small business owners, major corporations, municipalities,
and the government sector all realize that recycling and minimizing waste is not only
good for the environment, but it’s also good for their image within the community. And
finally, as sustainability and waste management practices have improved, what was once
good for the individual and environment, is now good for the bottom line.
The intent of this whitepaper is to serve as a roadmap to help the government sector
within Alabama think creatively about waste management and waste reduction.
1 “World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Futures. http://www.un-documents.
net/our-common-future.pdf
Accepting & Embracing
Sustainability
Rising landfill prices and shrinking capacity coupled with diminishing municipal and government budgets present a compelling argument for consumers to minimize the amount
of waste produced on a day-to-day basis.
The City of Philadelphia’s trail-blazing BigBelly Solar Compactor Initiative is a great example of reducing landfill waste while saving the city money. These units store five times
the amount of litter as compared to a traditional trash can. Attached to each unit is a
single-stream paper, plastic, and glass recycling can. The city’s trash collection schedule
was reduced from 13 times per week to 3 collections per week. The technology-based
solution saved both time and money while reducing emissions and freeing up the city’s
crowded streets. These innovative trash cans save the city more than a million dollars in
operational, fuel, and truck costs each year. 2
While embracing technology is one way to achieve this goal, simply diverting trash from
landfills by mechanically separating recyclables and achieving a higher recycling rate, is
another way to minimize municipal and government waste streams. 3
Major corporations like Nike 4, Walmart 5, and IKEA 6 have all embraced sustainable practices, products, and technologies that serve the environment, divert waste from landfills,
meet the demands of their customers, and save many millions of dollars each year.
2 Lattanzio, V. (March 29, 2013) “Solar Trash Cans Save City Millions. Retrieved from: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.
com/news/green/Solar-Trash-Cans-Save-Philadelphia-Millions-200626771.html
3 National Waste and Recycling Association. “NWRA Issues White Paper on Residential Waste Management Processing Facilities.: (June 2015) Retrieved from: https://wasterecycling.org/blog/2015/06/15/nwra-issues-white-paper-on-residential-waste-management-processing-facilities/
4 “Top Things to Know About Sustainable Innovation at Nike” (May 11, 2016) Retrieved rom: http://news.nike.com/
news/sustainable-innovation
5 Global Responsibility. Retrieved from: http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/sustainability/
6 “We’re Going All In For a More Sustainable Future” Retrieved from: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/this-is-ikea/
people-and-planet/
Changing the Waste
Management Paradigm
By turning the traditional waste hierarchy on its head, municipalities and the government
sector can both reduce costs and minimize waste. Laying the groundwork for a new set
of waste management best practices this new paradigm is important for this sector to
consider.
There are several ways to achieve this ranging from developing programs and services
that include strategies and initiatives to reducing waste and diverting materials from landfills to recycling centers.
7 Alabama Department of Environmental Management. “Economic Impact of Recycling in Alabama and Opportunities for Growth” (June 2012) Retrieved from: http://www.adem.state.al.us/programs/land/landforms/CompleteEconomicsOfRecyclingAlabamaReport.pdf
The State of Alabama’s
Recycling Economy
In its 2011 report, The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) determined that Alabama spent more than $25 million to dispose of over $193 million worth
of recyclable materials into landfills.
And the Alabama Environmental Council reported that, “According to the Alabama Solid
Waste Management Plan of 2008, the total average daily solid waste generated by Alabamians is 9.9 pounds per person, compared with the national average of 4.5 pounds.
In 2010, the EPA MSW Characterization Study Report stated the total average daily solid
waste generated by Alabamians is 6.3 pounds per person, compared with the national
average of 4.3 pounds per person.
The benefits of recycling are fundamentally bottom-line driven, the AEC goes on to explain that “A 2010 Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) study determined
that Alabama is home to more than 26 manufacturers who rely on recycled content feedstock. These companies generate more than $6.6 billion in yearly sales and employ more
than 10,700 Alabama citizens directly working in the manufacture of recycled content
products. With more than 300 employees, KW Plastics in Troy, Alabama is the world’s
largest recycler of HDPE and PP plastic resins. Currently, KW receives enough plastic from
Alabama to run the plant for only two days out of every year.” 8
8 Alabama Environmental Council. “Fast Facts on Recycling” Retrieved from: http://www.aeconline.org/recycling/
why
Your Roadmap to Minimizing
Municipal and Government Waste
According to the EPA, “In 2014, in the United States, about 258 million tons of MSW were
generated. Over 89 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a
34.6 percent recycling rate. In addition, over 33 million tons of MSW were combusted
with energy recovery and 136 million tons were landfilled.” 9
Initiatives to minimize municipal and government waste may include a combination of
activities that identify ways to keep materials out of the waste stream in the first place
as well as ways in which to better manage and minimize the materials that are currently
going to landfills.
Key Strategy Stops:
1. Analyze: Start by assessing and analyzing your existing waste streams. This may include working with your waste management company to track waste volume and contents
2. Make a plan: Work to develop a program that meets your existing waste management needs
while striving to reduce waste. Using SMART goals (strategic, measurable, attainable, realistic
and time-based), revise your preliminary plan to reflect the input of your stakeholders.
3. Seek buy-in: Strive to engage, educate, and communicate with your key stakeholders and
community members to help ensure your plan’s success.
4. Start with reduce and reuse: Encourage your employees and personnel to minimize use (encourage the use of email over paper memos, double-side all copies, promote the concept of a
paperless office, etc...) and to recycle whenever possible.
5. Maximize recycling: For materials that can’t be reused, look to recycling. Everything from
paper to plastic to food waste and cooking oil can be recycled. Used furniture can be donated
to local charities.
6. Assess success: Be sure to include measurement as part of your strategy. Use benchmarking,
goal-setting, and monitor your bottom-line costs to determine the success of your plan.
It’s our hope that this roadmap helps lay a clear foundation for sustainability best practices within the government sector. For more information about waste stream audits, waste
removal, or recycling, contact PBS Services.
9 “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management” EPA.gov. Retrieved from: https://www.epa.gov/smm/advancing-sustainable-materials-management-facts-and-figures