GUIDELTNES FOR DEVELOPING RECYCLING IMPLEMENTATION PLANS FOR NORTH CAR0 LINA
STATE AGENCIES
Prepared by the:
OFFICE OF WASTE REDUCTION
N.C. Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources 3825 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, N.C. 27609
(919) 571-4100
February 1992
Printed on 50% recycled paper, 10% post-consumer content
JNTRODUCI'IO N
In 1989, the General Assembly passed the Solid Waste Management Act, often referred to as Senate Bill 111, which drastically changed the course of solid waste management in the state. Senate Bill 111 and legislation passed since then, set a statewide waste reduction goal of 25% by 1993 and a more long range goal of 40% by the year 2001.
The majority of the requirements in Senate Bill 111 apply to local governments, however, state agencies also have a number of responsibilities. In addition, State government alone is a major generator of solid waste. While the primary state agencies responsible for implementing the law are working daily with cities, counties, and private industry to set up recycling and waste reduction programs, local governments often ask what the State is doing to meet its own deadlines and requirements in the law.
In his February 12, 1992 letter to each Departmental Secretary, Governor Martin reinforced his commitment for state government to take a lead role in recycling by requesting that state agencies, including the General Assembly, the General Court of Justice, and the University system, prepare recycling implementation plans by May 1, 1992 and submit them to the Department of Administration.
As you can see, State government is in a position where setting a good example will help us in many ways -- both from a leadership standpoint and from an efficiency standpoint as we make use of resources which we all too often regard as waste.
M A T E D STATE GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY
The law gives various state agencies different tasks, however, one portion of the legislation applies equally to all state agencies. Specifically, G.S. 130A -309.14 states:
"It shall be the duty of each State agency, the General Assembly, the General Court of Justice, and The University of North Carolina, by 1 January 1992 to,
1) Establish a program in cooperation with the Department [Environment, Health, and Natural Resources] and the Department of Administration, for the collection of all recyclable aluminum and waste paper materials generated in State offices throughout the State, including, at a minimum, high-grade office paper and corrugated paper.
2) Rwi&proccduraforcollectingand storhgreqchbkmaterials, amtaium for stor&g materiab, and a m t r a d M other arrangemeats with buyers ofthc recydabk matcrlak
3) Evaluate thc a ” t of recyclable wastepaper materials recycled and d e all nectrrarp modificationr to thc recycling program to ensure that an recgdable nartepaper ma- arc &&ly and practically ncpded.
Deparbmentof- inthecourreofageaegoperation. Tbcprogramsllanbcdesignedand
nrultofaecncgoperatianr
E9J.m OF D E m AND Do A IN STATE GOVERNMENT RECYCL ING
4) JWabW and impkmcnt, in cooperation with the Department [EHNR] and the tion, a =lid waste reduction program for materials used
impkmcnted to achieve maximum feasible reduction of solid waste generated as a i
’ b o state agencies, the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources (DEHNR) and the Department of Administration P A ) were designated as entities to assist the various state agencies in carrying out the provisions in this part of Senate Bill 111. A primary motivation for this designation is that each has unique responsibilities with regard to recycling.
The Ruartment of E m ‘ronment. H ealth. and Natural Resources b the home to the agencies that routinely address the management of municipal solid waste throughout the state. The Solid Waste Section in the Division of Solid Waste Management is the lead regulatory agency for solid waste management and is ruponsible for enforcing the mandates in the law for local governments, private industry and others. The Office of Waste Reduction, also in DEHNR, works closely with the Solid Waste Section to provide technical assistance, training, planning and education on recycling and waste reduction to both public and private organizations throughout the state.
mcwise, the RDartm ent of Administration has hiportant roles in recycling. DOA administers the contract with the private 6nn which collects office paper from state government offices throughout the Raleigh complex Additionally, DOA houses the central purchasing agency for state government, the Division of Purchase and Contracts, which is an important player in ”closing the loop” by listing items made from recycled materials on state contract DOA is also in a good position administratively, to encourage recycling throughout state government and to help coordinate state agency recycling efforts.
effort, DEHNR and DOA have joined efforts to help individual state agencies get Recognizing their responsibility to initiate a coordinated state recycling
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started in seriously implementing recycling programs in their respective departments. The intent of this effort is to initiate the establishment of a framework for recycling in all of state eovernment and to build a sturdy foundation for sustainable programs in state government locations across the state.
A m 0 N PLAN FOR Ass1 STING STATE AGENCIES IN MEETING THER DEADLINES
One of the first steps in helping state agencies get their recycling efforts established (or more developed) is the development of a written recycling implementation ulag In his letter to the Secretaries of all the Departments (see Attachment A), Govemor Martin outlined a schedule for requesting and receiving state agency implementation plans which will be compiled into a report and presented to the General Assembly by June 1992.
programs work best when they are well thought out and when full consideration has been given to the different types of waste which are generated in the course of agency operations. Additionally, implementation plans assist in the identification of existing recycling activity, or in some cases, the lack of recycling activity within the agency. They also help identify the different types of operations which state government operates which may generate large quantities or "unusual types" of waste.
The rationale behind individual plans is that recycling and waste reduction
For example, the Department of Transportation generates, among other items, tires and motor oil as its waste products, the State Zoo in DEHNR generates large amounts of organic waste, (e.g. plant and animal waste), and the Department of Corrections generates a large amount of food, packaging and other process waste through the Prison Enterprise operations. In short, while all our agencies generate large quantities of reports, memos and files, state government produces a lot more recyclable material than just paper!! Developing a systematic approach toward collecting those materials which are generated in large quantities as well as materials which have a good market value will be a critical step for each Department to follow before a comprehensive State government recycling program can be developed.
Once these plans are developed and in place, future efforts will be focused on ways to eliminate waste generation (source reduction) where feasible and implementing other waste reduction strategies.
As a way of getting the ball rolling for a state government recycling program, the following schedule has been developed:
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February 21,1992
April 1992
MaJr1,1m
June 1992
Initial Meeting to distriiute guidelines for developing departmental recycling implementation plans
Second meeting to answer questions and continue technical assistance to each state agency
Agency implementation plansdmtothe Department of Administration
Governor presents status report to the General Assembly about state government recycling efforts
PEVELOP ING A DEP ARTMENTAL,R ECYCLING IMPLEMENTATION E d W
The last attempt at collecting information about state agency recycling efforts was during the spring of 1990 when Governor Martin's Recycling Task Force conducted a suwey of recycling activities in various state agencies. At that time, recycling throughout state government was sporadic. While a state contract has been awarded to a private company for collecting office paper from many of the state office buildings in the Raleigh complex, these services are not comprehensive by any means. In addition, only certain types of paper are being collected through this contract. Collection of newsprint and other types of paper generated in state office buildings is often done by individual employees who volunteer to collect newspapers, for example, and take them to a drop-off point in their community recycling program, or in some cases, to one of the Wake County drop-off sites.
In addition, recycling in "satellite" state offices across the state is extremely varied and is often dictated by the presence or absence of available markets for recyclable materials in the different regions of the state. With the disparity in recycling efforts and the tremendous variation in need for initiation or expansion of recycling programs, a more comprehensive effort for all of state government is necessary. Therefore, the purpose of developing a more complete set of
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information is to lay the foundation for establishing ongoing recycling programs which will meet the needs of the individual agencies and Departments involved.
LTF.Ms BE ADDRESS EDINTHEIMF' LEh4ENTATION PLAN
Recognizing that no single format will "fit" the needs of each departmentlagency, each implementation plan will be unique. However, in order to maintain some degree of consistency and in order for the Department of Administration to compare the various plans and to compile information into a centralized data collection system, pt a minimum, the followine items should be pddressed in each Dep-ntal p
M I . I . t h c s e o p c q f ~ o p a r r t i o n r
One of the first things to be addressed in a recycling implementation plan is to identify the various divisions and the buildhgs which house employees in your department. This information provides you with a comprehensive picture which later will allow your Department to determine the best way in which to implement recycling.
polt2 Ddsmme ' ~StahaofWaFtcManagenuntptaci iCCr
We often take for granted the waste management services provided to deal with our day-today waste generation. Becoming more familiar with what actually happens to our waste can tell us a lot. For example, does your Department have a single contract with a waste hauler to collect garbage from all the buildings in
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~~ ~ .... .. . . . .I
Raleigh and individual contracts with local haulers in state buildings outside of Raleigh? Perhaps garbage collection is included in building lease agreements OvCrseeIl by another state agency. In either case, do you know who the haulers are? Who handles the contracts? For what period of time arc each of the contracts? Do the waste firms handle both garbage collection and recycling or are there separate contracts for each seMce?
3. Dctemune ' who ir dre n r o s t ~ p R l s a n / p g m c u to be rqnmibk fwrecvding
Before you start from scratch in collecting the information necessary to prepare an implementation plan, find out if any of this information has already been collected. Chances are that a good portion of the work has already been done, but simply needs to be updated. Are there records or files kept on the recycling activities that have occurred to date in your Department?
-F-
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S. I ~ t h c ~ a v a & b k t o ~ a ~ ~ -pogmnr
We have all experienced budget cuts and staff shortages. However, recycling should be viewed on equal footing with waste collection setvices which traditionally have been deemed necessary to conduct the day-today operations of any state agency. While planning and instituting recycling programs will require additional labor in the beginning, once in place, coordination and education are the primary needs for sustaining the programs.
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* h o w y G i 4 r ~ ~ ~ ~ i t s ~ . . i n t h c ~ J i l r J g m a n d r o “ i z c ~ aoi ic i tpu l iq”
mcyclingbinr . . 6DctmMlc
Recycling is nn attitude and a habit. One of the greatest challenges facing anyone who implements a recycling program is haw to educate coworkers about the typcs of materials acceptable (as well as those that are unacceptable) to be placed in the respective recycling containers or bins. In addition, once agency personnel are informed and properly participathg in the program, periodic communication is necessary to sustain enthusiasm (and participation) in the program. Sec Attachment B for suggested educational activities and methods for assuring quality ControL
z ’Ibncf”cforcompehenavc - agmcyn?@wPwwni”
While most agencies (though not all) have begun to recycle at least office paper, many have not taken the necessary steps to seriously assess their waste stream and institutionalize recycling programs throughout their respective departments. With both a leeislative mandate and a directive from the Governor’s
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ofLice.recycc]lll9msta te mvernmen t offices is no longer an optional activity. It is recagnized that some Departments will move quicker than others to implement
. .
recycling and similarly some will be more aggressive than others with the amounts and types of materials they recycle. Regardless of these differences, however, it is imperative that each Departmenvagency set a time frame for conducting the steps identified below. This often helps move the process along and will facilitate the implementation of a statewide, state agency recycling program.
SUMMARY
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a starting point for each Department or unit of state government (General Assembly, General Court of Justice, University System, Community Colleges, etc.) to take the necessary steps toward implementing waste reductionhecychg programs. Once recycling programs are in place and working well, efforts to encourage state agencies to establish other waste reduction programs, particularly source reduction programs, will be initiated.
Recycling is an easy concept to understand, however to be effective, a considerable amount of planning is necessary. These guidelines will the necessary information to plan and conduct a recycling program. That information is available in many forms and from many different sources, some of which will be presented to the persons attending the meetings mentioned above. At this point, however, the primary effort is to get each Department to give serious thought toward what it will take to incorporate recycling and waste reduction practices into their current agency operations.
provide all
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If your Department or agency has already conducted this level of study and is ready to move forward on a comprehensive proeram and need assistance, the Office of Waste Reduction in the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources is available to answer questions you might have regarding program planniug and implementation
FOrmOninformationcontact:
Mfuy Bcth Powen or Rhonda shnman - John Do- - DOA OBtia of Waste Reduction, (919) 571-4100 (919) 733431
PLEASE NOTE THE MAY 1,1992 DATE FOR SENDING IN YOUR FINAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. PLANS SHOULD BE SENT TO
Courier Address John Dorman
- John Dorman Administration Building Administration Building Room 5050 Room 5050
Courier # 51-01-02
U.S. Postal Address
John Dorman Office of State Planning 116 W. Jones St. Raleigh, 27603-8003
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
1.
2
3.
4.
pirectorv of State and Locsl Contacts for Recvcline Information and &sistance. N.C. Office of Waste Reduction, DEHNR, June 1991.
pirectorv of Industrial and Commercial Recyclers Servine Nofi Carolina Businesses and Communities. N.C. Office of Waste Reduction, DEHNR, March 1991.
jtecvclinn - Develoument Plan for North Carolina. Governors Task Force Report on Recycling. N.C. Department of Administration, July 1990.
Monthly tonnage report from "Grime Control" to the Department of Administration. (Available from the Office of Waste Reduction)
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.. . . . ~ . .. . ~ . . . .. .. ..
I
ATTACHMENT "A"
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
RALEIGH 27603-8001
JAMES 0. MARTIN GOVERNOR
February 12, 1992
MWORANDUM
TO : Secretarv William W. Cobev. Jr. - Environ., Health. t. kesources
FROM: James G. Martin v SUBJECT : Recycling Implementation Plans
With the passage of the 1989 Solid Waste Management Act (SB 111),.the North Carolina General Assembly mandated that state and local government develop and implement programs to encourage the reduction of solid waste and to increase recycling efforts. Section 130A-309.14(a)lI of Senate Bill 111 requires that each state agency, the General Assembly, the General Court of Justice, and The University of North Carolina establish a program in cooperation with the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources and the Department of Administration, for collection of all recyclable aluminum and wastepaper materials generated in State offices throughout the State, including, at a minimum, high-grade office paper and corrugated paper.
To facilitate the solid waste reduction efforts through waste reduction and recycling, I have committed state government to set an example for local governments and other states by taking a lead role in developing recycling programs and policy. If the State is to ask local governments to meet state waste reduction goals, it is imperative that state government take a leadership role through the establishment of its own waste reduction program.
Assembly, the General Court of Justice, and The University of North Carolina develop and submit statewide recycling implementation plans to the Department of Administration by May 1, 1992. be included in a Recycling Report to be submitted to the General Assembly June 1992.
)i I am, therefore, requesting that each state agency, the General
These plans will
.;
I Mr. William W. Cobey, Jr. February 12, 1992 Page 2
Your unit of state government may already be well into your planning efforts, but to assist in this initiative, I have asked the Department of Administration and the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources to coordinate their efforts in providing administrative and technical assistance. the Office of Waste Reduction in the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources to establish guidelines which agencies may use in writing their plans. will conduct several meetings to be used for training and technical assistance regarding how to write a plan. Office of Waste Reduction will provide training and technical assistance to the departments. February 21, 1992, at 2:OO p.m., in the Commission Room, fifth floor, Administration Building. A second meeting will be held in April to answer any questions or help with any problems which departments may have encountered. A meeting notice has been sent out to previously-designated recycling representatives in each department.
If you have any questions please call M r . John Dorman at (919) 733-4131 or Ms. Mary Beth Powell at (919) 571-4100. Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
I have also asked
The Department of Administration
At these meetings, the
The first meeting is scheduled for
cc : Laird Davison
AlTACHh4ENT B
TYPES OFRECYCLABLEMATERIALS*
WHITE OFFICE PAPER
BLEND (COLORED) PAPER
COMPUTER PAPER
MIXED PAPER
NEWSPAPERS
MAGAZINES
CARDBOARD
M A P S
BLUEPRINTS
TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES
ALUMINUM CANS
PALLETS
GLASS CONTAINERS
LAB GLASS
PLASTICS
FERROUS METALS
NON-FERROUS METALS
YARD WASTE
USED OIL
TONER CARTRIDGES
TIRES
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
POWER PLANT ASH
HARDBACK BOOKS
STYROFOAM
FOOD WASTE?
APPLIANCES
TEXTILES
CONSTRUaIONDEMO MAT’LS
* Depending on markets
ATTACHMENT C
SOLID WASTE REDUCI'ION PROGRAM EMPIDYEE EDUCATION
Employee awareness and cooperation are the cornerstones of any successful waste reduction and recycling program. Education efforts should outline the program's purpose and guidelines, emphasize top management's commitment to recycling, and stress that employees are vital to making the program a success.
These messages can be conveyed to employees in a variety of ways:
Send a "kick-off'' memo, signed by top management, to all employees that briefly explains the program and why it's being started.
Schedule a meeting with managers to explain the program's objectives and operational details.
Schedule small group employee meetings to explain the program, distribute informational material, and answer questions.
Place highly-visible, attention-getting posters at recycling collection points to inform employees where to place their recyclables and remind them how to prepare materials.
Post recycling statistics in each building so that employees can see their progress.
Publish updated statistics and articles in employee newsletters.
Provide a telephone number that employees can call for assistance.
In addition, floor coordinators should be assigned to keep employees informed about various aspects of the recycling program, and to regularly check recycling containers for unacceptable materials, such as "post-it" notes attached to white paper, paper clips, and other items that do not belong with that type of material. These "contaminates" should be removed from the bins, and the owner informed that the material is unacceptable. For example, if a magazine is found in the white paper recycling bin and the subscriber's name is attached, that person should receive a gentle reminder that magazines should not be placed with white paper. Floor coordinators' quality control measures will help ensure that recyclables are not rejected by the markets they are destined for.
