CIWMB In-House Waste Reduction and Recycled-Content Product Procurement Policy (1999)

Board Resolution | Waste Reduction and Procurement Goals

Resolution 1999-157

WHEREAS, the Board adopted the Statewide Waste Prevention Plan in 1993 with the mission to provide waste prevention leadership through a model waste prevention program, including the goal to encourage waste prevention within other state organizations; and

WHEREAS, the Board adopted the In-House Waste Prevention Plan and In-House Waste Prevention Policy in 1994 to create a model waste prevention program at the Board’s main facility; and

WHEREAS, exemplary waste reduction has already been achieved by the Board through the In-House Waste Prevention Committee and other program efforts since 1993. Specifically, the Board has reduced its white office paper use by 25 percent, reduced its waste disposed per employee per day by 80 percent (1.5 pounds vs. 3.4 ounces) and achieved an annual savings of $100,000. Additionally, 6 tons of food scraps from the cafeteria have been diverted through vermicomposting since 1994; and

WHEREAS, through the 1997 Strategic Plan it is the Board’s vision to serve as a national and international leader in integrated waste management practices; and

WHEREAS, in support of its vision to serve as a national and international leader in integrated waste management, the Board’s in-house waste reduction and recycled-content product procurement practices shall be an example for other state agencies to follow; and

WHEREAS, as a charter government member of U.S. EPA’s WasteWi$e program since 1997, it is the Board’s responsibility to implement the existing waste reduction goals, measure progress, and annually report accomplishments; and

WHEREAS, in developing a new waste reduction and recycled content product procurement policy for the Board, the Board acknowledges that changes to internal business operations have always resulted in the greatest efficiencies for the Board. Therefore, the Board’s future waste reduction policies and programs shall focus on improvements to business functions to efficiently use resources, time, labor, and materials that will result in waste reduction; and

WHEREAS, Executive Staff and managerial support is critical to improving business functional efficiency and achieving waste reduction and recycled content product procurement goals.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, it is the In-House Waste Reduction and Recycled Content Product Procurement Policy of the Board to:

  • Create an organizational culture that supports waste reduction and recycled content product (RCP) procurement practices in all aspects of its business operations. Each Executive Staff and Board member shall individually facilitate, promote and expect staff and the organization to operate in a manner that exemplifies waste reduction and RCP procurement practices.
  • Show leadership in waste reduction and procurement practices. Executive Staff shall fully understand waste reduction practices and find ways to apply them within the organization. Executive Staff shall encourage Board staff to bring forward ideas to improve internal business functions and implement those ideas having the greatest potential for achieving efficiencies.
  • Support the waste reduction goals and action plan. Board staff, in concert with Executive Staff, shall develop a waste reduction action plan as a working document to implement the waste reduction and RCP procurement goals. The action plan shall incorporate those activities addressed by management that facilitate waste reduction and RCP procurement through improvements to internal processes.
  • The Board and Executive Staff shall expect all offices and divisions to work cooperatively to identify internal and external waste reduction opportunities and achieve the stated waste reduction and RCP procurement goals at all of its facilities.
  • Optimize the procurement of recycled-content products. Price, quality and availability being comparable, the Board shall buy recycled-content products rather than nonrecycled content products. The Board shall purchase the product with the greatest recycled content when faced with a choice of two or more recycled content products. Additionally, the Board shall seek opportunities to showcase, promote, and facilitate the purchase of recycled content products to other state agencies by serving as a model.
  • Practice waste reduction in all procurement decisions. Board staff shall purchase products that are recyclable, reusable, and/or durable. The Business Services Office, or other purchasing agent, will annually report to Executive Staff on procurement activities that have resulted in waste reduction.
  • Optimize waste reduction with suppliers and customers. The Board shall require that all service providers, building maintenance, grant recipients, or any other outside sources used by the Board, where appropriate and feasible, use recycled content, recyclable or reusable products, or practice other waste reduction measures.
  • Require that landscape waste reduction activities, such as grasscycling, onsite composting and water efficient landscaping, and/or the purchase of compost/mulch derived from organic materials diverted from disposal (urban compost/mulch), be practiced at the Board’s facilities, including both leased facilities and state-owned facilities. The Board shall also work with Department of General Services to ensure that landscape waste reduction practices are supported in future building/site agreements, whether state-owned or leased.
  • Continually improve waste reduction and recycled-content product procurement practices. Executive Staff shall provide the Board with quarterly reports on the reductions in waste achieved through improvements to internal business processes and how they further the Board’s waste reduction and procurement goals. Staff will also update You Can Do It Too! Preventing Office Waste at the California Integrated Waste Management Board, the in-house case study, by December 1999.

The undersigned Executive Director, or his designee, of the California Integrated Waste Management Board does hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, true, and correct copy of a resolution duly and regularly adopted at a meeting of the California Integrated Waste Management Board held on May 27, 1999.

Dated: May 27, 1999

Ralph E. Chandler
Executive Director

Waste Reduction and Procurement Goals Through March 2001

Waste Prevention

  1. White Office Paper: Decrease paper purchases by an additional 15 percent. (25 percent reduction achieved from 1994 baseline)
  2. Grasscycling: Re-establish grasscycling at the Board’s facilities.
  3. Paper Towels: Reduce generation paper towels by 25 percent.

Recycling Collection

  1. Food Waste/Organics: Reduce the amount of food waste disposed by 50 percent.
  2. Increase Collection of Newspaper, Mixed Paper, Magazines, Plastic, Glass and Aluminum:
    • Provide for 100 percent collection at the 8950 facility.
    • Invert recycling and disposal options in all of the Board’s facilities where recycling collection containers are in each office and trashcans are located in common areas.
  3. White Office Paper Contamination: Reduce contamination in the white paper recycling bins to 5 percent of the time (currently white paper is downgraded to mixed 10.6 percent of the time).

Procurement

  1. Recycled Content Product Procurement:
    • Meet the mandated State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC) goals of 50 percent of purchases be for recycled-content products.
    • Increase purchases of re-refined motor oil to 75 percent of motor oil purchases.
    • Increase purchases of retread tires to 75 percent of tire purchases.
  2. Source Reduction and Reuse Procurement:
    • Replace five products currently purchased with used or reused products.
    • Convince at least two suppliers to minimize the amount of packaging used on their products.

Employee Education/Outreach

  1. Education:
    • Conduct monthly Waste Reduction Committee meetings with Waste Reduction Pros and interested parties.
    • Provide all new employees with an in-house waste reduction and procurement policy orientation.
  2. Outreach:
    • To conduct educational outreach activities on at least a quarterly basis.
    • Provide employee opportunity to report daily waste prevention activities through the intranet.

For more information contact: Buy Recycled, buyrecycled@calrecycle.ca.gov