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WHAT IS THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION DOING TO HELP REDUCE WASTE? The NYC Department of Sanitation's Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling has implemented a wide variety of waste prevention initiatives to provide information and assistance to residents, businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. In 2004, the Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling launched the NYC WasteLe$$ website to help New Yorkers identify practical ways to reduce waste, and offer comprehensive information on recycling. Other waste prevention projects funded by the NYC Department of Sanitation include: NYC Stuff Exchange is a quick and simple online tool to find out where to donate, buy, or sell gently used good in New York City. More than 600 listings are searchable by zip code, borough, or citywide. The Calendar of Events lists donation drives, rummage sales, book fairs, and swap meets in New York City that are sponsored by tax-exempt organizations. Launched in 2007, NYC Stuff Exchange is a new and improved service replacing the NYC Stuff Exchange hotline. NYC Compost Project provides outreach and education in all five boroughs to encourage backyard composting and other methods for reducing food and yard waste. Compost Project sites promote the Department of Sanitation’s Fall Leaf Collection Program, compost givebacks, and Christmas tree collection by DSNY and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation’s annual MulchFest. NYCWasteLe$$ Business and NYCWasteLe$$ Government were developed to provide waste prevention technical assistance to businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Findings have been shared through newsletters, websites, seminars, and training sessions. NYC Materials Exchange Development Program (MEDP) aims to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of materials exchange activities in New York City, and to increase public access to these innovative waste prevention services. MEDP offers a range of assistance programs to local materials exchange organizations including general informational resources, educational and networking opportunities, and research and development services. NY WasteMatch, a citywide reusable materials exchange program, is implemented with the City University of New York and the Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation. NY WasteMatch helps businesses save money by providing a brokering service for industrial by-products, packaging, and other items that are potentially reusable, but for which there are not well-established recycling markets. Materials for the Arts is a citywide materials exchange program that collects unwanted office equipment and furniture, materials, fabric, paint, paper, and industrial by-products and makes them available free of charge to nonprofit cultural organizations, arts programs, and NYC public schools. The program is sponsored by the NYC Departments of Sanitation, Cultural Affairs, and Education. Materials for the Arts can be reached at (718) 729-3001. return to general questions | back to top WHERE CAN I GET RECYCLING BINS? The NYC Department of Sanitation does not supply recycling or garbage bins or bags. You can use any garbage can as a recycling container, as long as it is properly labeled. See vendors for information on where to buy recycling containers. return to general questions | back to top CAN I RECYCLE ANY OTHER PLASTICS BESIDES BOTTLES & JUGS? At present, the ONLY plastics accepted by NYC's recycling program are plastic bottles and jugs. ALL plastic bottles and jugs should be placed in your recycling bin. If it is NOT a bottle or jug, put it in the regular garbage. (ALSO SEE information on the numbers inside recycling arrows.) Over 90% of all plastic bottles and jugs are made of #1 PET and #2 HDPE. Other plastic items, including tubs, trays, pots, toys, and bags, may be composed of any number of other resins (PS, LDPE, PVC, etc.) that are present in extremely low quantities in our waste stream. See what's in NYC's waste. Plastic resins must be sorted by type before they can be used to make new products. The presence of even small quantities of “contaminating” resins can ruin an entire batch of recycled plastic. Markets for recycled plastic are strong for PET and HDPE due to their significant presence in the waste stream and consumer commodities. Markets for other resins, due to their relatively small presence in the material economy, are weak or lacking. For both reasons, it is economically and environmentally advantageous to concentrate on HDPE and PET recycling over other resins. While some plastic yogurt and other wide-mouth containers are composed of #2 plastics, some are composed of other plastics, such as #5 (polypropylene) plastic. But even wide-mouth containers or plastic bags made from #2 plastics can't be recycled along with #2 plastic bottles because they are formed differently (injection-molded vs. blow-molded) and have different melting points. In other municipal recycling programs in the U.S., such as San Francisco, residents are encouraged to recycle all plastics in order to maximize the recycling rate of HDPE and PET. If residents do not have to think about which plastic to recycle or to discard, the thinking goes, they will recycle more overall. In such programs, non-HDPE and non-PET resins are usually sorted out and discarded at the recycling plant. In New York City, high labor and transportation costs suggest that such an approach is not worth the expense and extra citizen effort. However, the City’s new Solid Waste Management Plan, which details how NYC will manage its solid waste for the next twenty years, includes a directive to explore the recycling of additional plastics. In the mean time, there are ways to avoid disposing of #5
plastics in the trash. Preserveproducts.com's program Preserve Gimme 5
promotes
and enables recycling of #5 plastics like yogurt cups, hummus
tubs and other food containers. Look for participating Whole Foods for
collection bins.
BIOPLASTICS: It should be noted that composting "bioplastics" (usually made with genetically modified corn or other starch, combined with plastic components) would require a separate collection system and shipment to institutional anaerobic composting facilities that do not yet exist in this area. Do not place any "compostable" plastics in your recycling bin. return to general questions | back to top On December 13, 2008, Governor Paterson signed New York State's Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling Act (Assembly Bill A11725/ Senate Bill 8643-A). This law requires large retail and chain stores to accept clean plastic bags for recycling starting January 2009. Please do not place these bags in your recycling bin. Plastic bags comprise about 2.87% of New York City’s residential waste stream (See What's in NYC's Waste), so it is beneficial to recycle them. The system of returning plastic bags to a retail location is preferable to collecting plastic bags as part of the DSNY mixed recycling collection because it ensures the clean stream that is required to effectively recycle plastic bags and film. Bags cannot be mixed together with beverage cartons, bottles, and cans, or the organic residue on those recyclables would contaminate the bags. Some supermarkets do offer a small discount for bringing your own bag, since you are reducing their costs. Some, such as Whole Foods and ShopRite, already accept plastic bags for recycling; stores that provide this service may register with plasticbagrecycling.org. Please check with your local supermarkets to find out whether they will recycle your plastic grocery bags. DSNY encourages shoppers to “Bring Your Own Bag”, refuse dry cleaner bags, and to reuse plastic bags whenever possible (see food and product packaging in tips for your home). return to general questions | back to top WHY DOESN'T NEW YORK CITY PROVIDE RECYCLING CONTAINERS ON SUBWAY PLATFORMS? Waste generated in the subways and on subway platforms is handled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). When NYC started its recycling program, the MTA, in cooperation with the NYC Department of Sanitation, placed recycling containers on a trial basis on the platforms of certain high-traffic stations. They found that riders used recycling containers for both garbage and recyclables, negating the extra effort on everyone’s part. The MTA has determined that the security risks and additional cost of maintaining separate bins with a separate collection system for recyclables is not warranted, and they decided to arrange for post-collection retrieval of recyclable materials from subway platform waste. They now claim a robust diversion rate of about 40% in the subway system. For more details, please contact the MTA directly via their website. return to general questions | back to top WHY AREN'T THERE RECYCLING CONTAINERS ON EVERY NEW YORK CITY STREET CORNER? In the early 1990’s, when recycling was mandated in NYC, the Department of Sanitation tested the practicality of street-corner recycling by placing separate recycling bins on well-trafficked street corners. Our initial expectations were that street corner recycling would be a good tool for educating the public about recycling, as well as providing the City’s recycling program with a highly visible presence. The results were disappointing. Despite aggressive signage and specially-shaped slots on recycling containers, people did not differentiate the recycling bins from garbage cans. The contents of the recycling bins were too contaminated with regular trash to justify the expense of collection by a separate recycling truck. The Department of Sanitation’s comprehensive study of residential and street basket waste found that, while street corner recycling is a good tool for educating the public about recycling, it captures a negligible fraction of NYC’s waste stream. In spring 2007, another Public Space Recycling Pilot was conducted by the Department of Sanitation, in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Transportation, in accordance with NYC’s Final Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. This pilot demonstrated that public space recycling of newspapers and other recyclable paper works well, but bottle and can recycling in public spaces is problematic, with a high rate of contamination. Successful public space recycling requires ongoing monitoring of bins by maintenance staff. It also works best in areas dense with commuters and lunching office crowds. For more information about the results of the pilot and what happens next, see Public Space Recycling Pilot. return to general questions | back to top Speakers are available for the following types of organizations and topics: Schools Otherwise, you can request a Department of Sanitation representative to give a presentation at your school on litter, graffiti, and other sanitation issues including recycling, by contacting the DSNY Office of Community Affairs at 646-885-5021. For additional educational resources, please go to resources for schools. Organic Waste return to general questions | back to top CAN I ARRANGE A TOUR OF A LANDFILL OR A RECYCLING PLANT? The Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island closed in 2001, and is no longer operational; tours of the Sanitation facility are no longer available. However, the Parks Department now offers tours of the Fresh Kills Park site, explaining their plans to turn the 2,200-acre area into a public park over the next 30 years. The recycling facilities where materials are sorted or processed do not belong to the Department of Sanitation; we contract with outside vendors to handle the recyclables we collect from New York City residents and institutions. Pratt Industries USA holds educational tours of their paper recycling mill on Staten Island during the school year for groups of children over the age of 13. This mill was built to handle about half of the recyclable paper collected by DSNY. To arrange for a tour, contact Barbara Farley at (718) 355-6710 or bfarley@prattindustries.com at least two weeks in advance. Sims Municipal Recycling is planning to build a new facility in Brooklyn to process recyclables under our long-term contract for metal, glass, and plastic. Their new facility will include a visitor's center designed specifically for educational tours. Also view our other resources on the recycling process: see recycling videos to go on a virtual tour of a recycling plant; find out What Happens to Recyclables; and learn how paper is recycled. NYC Compost Project, funded by DSNY BWPRR since 1993, has designed a workshop specifically for New York City school teachers. NYC teacher "wormshop": worm composting for the classroom is open to all New York City teachers grades K-12. For dates and times of any upcoming workshops, see the nyc composting calendar. Check with the NYC Compost Project nearest you to arrange a field trip to a compost demonstration site. Some sites have staff or Master Composters available to visit your school with their worm bins and other hands-on applied learning activities. return to general questions | back to top WHY DOESN'T NYC CHARGE FOR TRASH COLLECTION IN ORDER TO PROMOTE RECYCLING? In some other cities in the U.S., residents pay a separate bill for trash collection, but receive recycling services free of charge as a way to boost recycling participation. This kind of system is referred to as "quantity-based user fees" (QBUFs); usually implemented in localities where residents pay for refuse collection based upon the amount of trash they generate. User fees are difficult to institute in cities, like New York, where refuse and recycling is funded through general tax revenues. In such cities, residents don't pay directly for trash and recycling collection so therefore perceive of this as a "free" service provided by the city. NYC's preponderance of multi-unit housing also creates obstacles to the implementation of a QBUF system. Unlike municipalities in which single- and two-family homes predominate, 60% of NYC's housing stock is multi-unit. In multi-unit buildings, it is generally impossible to enforce waste-related regulation at the tenant level, as waste is deposited, often through chutes, into a common area. NYC encourages recycling by making it mandatory (which means residents and building managers are subject to fines for non-compliance) and providing free recycling decals and other public education materials. return to general questions | back to top I'M WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER; WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION? Many research questions regarding recycling and waste disposal in NYC can be answered by reviewing our various publications and reports. For additional resources on recycling and what happens to waste, see resources. return to general questions | back to top I’M INTERESTED IN A JOB WITH THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION (DSNY), BUREAU OF WASTE PREVENTION, REUSE AND RECYCLING (BWPRR); WHO SHOULD I CONTACT? The DSNY Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling manages NYC’s recycling, waste prevention, and composting programs. Any job openings in the Bureau are posted on the NYC Job opportunities page on NYC.gov. See job opportunities on the DSNY website for information on other positions with the NYC Department of Sanitation. return to general questions | back to top
WHAT CAN I DO WITH UNWANTED FURNITURE, LARGE APPLIANCES, AND OTHER BULKY ITEMS? Is the item reusable? If the answer is yes, see new homes for old stuff for places to donate, give away, or sell your unwanted goods. Or visit NYC Stuff Exchange to find where to donate or sell your stuff in your neighborhood. Can the item be recycled? If your bulky items are no longer usable, they may be recyclable. Appliances and furniture that are at least 50 percent metal can be recycled. What to do when the bulky item is not reusable or recyclable. Up to six bulk items that are not reusable or recyclable (old mattresses, broken televisions, damaged sofas, etc.) can be placed at the curb on your regular garbage collection day (except during weeks with a holiday or snow days). See bulk collection on the Sanitation website. Visit tips for your home for more tips on extending the life of your furniture or appliances. return to home-related questions | back to top HOW CAN I REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF AD CIRCULARS AND JUNK MAIL THAT I RECEIVE? While there are some who might find it a convenience to have sales circulars delivered directly to their doorstep, it certainly contributes to the unnecessary waste we deal with every day. Unfortunately, unlike junk mail, there is no universal "opt out" service to remove your address from this type of delivery, however, the New York State Lawn Litter Law allows property owners to post a sign stating that they don't want to receive hand-delivered advertising circulars and solicitations, and creates fines for violators starting at $250. The New York State legislature has also been successful in enacting laws restricting the attachment of any kind of flyer/advertising on vehicles and public lamp posts. Please remember to recycle any unwanted circulars in your green-labeled recycling bin along with your junk mail, cardboard packaging, and other mixed paper. You can recycle envelopes that contain plastic windows. return to home-related questions | back to top WHEN MAKING HOME IMPROVEMENTS, WHAT CAN I DO TO CREATE LESS WASTE? If your home improvement project requires replacing doors, windows, cabinets, floor covering, plumbing or lighting fixtures, check out new homes for old stuff for places to donate, give away, or sell your unwanted items, or to purchase used goods. Deteriorating lead paint and lead dust created by renovation projects in buildings constructed before 1960 are the primary sources of lead poisoning in children. Requirements for lead abatement are strictly governed by the NYC Department of Health Code section 173.14, in accordance with USEPA requirements. For more information, see more resources for lead paint. Preventing waste during home improvements can range from using less-toxic strippers and low-VOC paint to installing new energy-efficient appliances. Browse through our tips for your home and shopping tips to find other opportunities to reduce waste. return to home-related questions | back to top WE HAVE AN ACTIVE TENANTS’ ASSOCIATION AND WOULD LIKE TO HELP EVERYONE REDUCE WASTE. DO YOU HAVE ANY WASTE PREVENTION IDEAS TO HELP OUR TENANTS? A tenants’ association is an excellent resource to get the word out to building residents about reducing waste. Waste prevention can save you and your building money, reduce the opportunity for unwanted pests and rodents, and increase the safety of your building’s maintenance workers and residents. Consider the following ideas: Educate tenants about the amount of waste generated in the building. If possible, work with building management to estimate the quantity of waste disposed of by the building’s tenants and the quantity of material collected for recycling. Publish this information in tenant newsletters and post the data near waste disposal and recycling collection areas. Consider setting a waste prevention goal for your building. Give tenants information about what they can do. The next step is to share information about how individual residents can reduce the quantity of waste they generate. Provide information to tenants on everyday ways they can reduce waste at home and while shopping. Distribute information on how to reduce the quantity of junk mail that they receive. Encourage tenants to exchange items among themselves. Consider hosting “swap days” to provide tenants with an opportunity to trade, sell, or donate unwanted items that are in good condition. Schedule a weekend, set aside a common area, promote the event, and invite people to trade items such as books, CDs, small appliances, video games, and sports equipment. Identify a neighborhood charitable organization and arrange to donate items that remain after the swap. Check out a quick list of organizations that accept donations. Or visit NYC Stuff Exchange to find where to donate stuff in your neighborhood. Remind tenants to recycle. Provide reminders encouraging residents to fully participate in the City’s mandatory recycling program. Remember, recycling is the law. Seek suggestions. Remember to seek input from tenants and publish their waste prevention suggestions. Periodically check with building management to determine if the quantity of waste has declined, and report decreases in waste disposal and increases in recycling. People like to know that their efforts are making a difference. Assign a volunteer to join the NYC Apartment Building Recycling Initiative (ABRI). With your building management's permission, ABRI volunteers work with the Department of Sanitation to educate tenants in their buildings about the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. return to home-related questions | back to top In the 1990s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified batteries as the largest source of mercury in municipal solid waste streams. If not properly handled, mercury exposure can be hazardous to human health and the environment. As the result of legislation and public pressure, the battery industry has removed mercury from virtually all household batteries. Because of this, typical household batteries — such as the alkaline batteries that operate your portable radios, pagers, and other common electronics — can be thrown away with your regular garbage, or taken to any NYC Department of Sanitation Special Waste Drop-Off Site. Various types of rechargeable household batteries — such as those found in cordless power tools, cellular phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys — are now required by law to be recycled through retailers that sell them. Do not place batteries in your recycling bin. ALSO SEE more resources for batteries to find where to recycle any type of battery. return to home-related questions | back to topWHAT HAPPENS WITH STAPLES, TWINE, WINDOW ENVELOPES, OR OTHER ENCLOSURES IN MY RECYCLED JUNK MAIL? Tons of mixed paper collected from New York City residences are delivered to the Visy paper mill in Staten Island. At this processing plant, the paper is mixed with water in a huge vat and dissolved into "slurry". Any non-paper items that are mixed in – such as staples, string, or plastic windows from envelopes – are filtered out before the pulp continues through the mill on its journey to be dried and rolled into new paper. At this point the detritus that is removed from the slurry is discarded, since it would not be economically feasible to separate the various components of this gluey mixture for further processing at a different plant. Dow Chemical asserts that some paper mills burn the plastic windows for fuel, but such incineration is not permitted in NYC. (Visy does fuel its plant partially with the methane produced from the Fresh Kills landfill.) Glassine (cellulose) windows are made from wood fibers; they dissolve completely in the recycling process and are therefore preferable. Please do continue to include all junk mail and any kind of envelopes with your mixed paper recyclables. See what you can do to reduce junk mail. ALSO SEE complete information on what and how to recycle in NYC. Find out What Happens to Recyclables; see recycling videos to go on a virtual tour of a recycling plant; and learn how paper is recycled. return to home-related questions | back to top Workplace or business-related questions
WHAT IF I AM A TENANT IN A COMMERCIAL BUILDING THAT IS NOT RECYCLING? Businesses are required to provide recycling containers for their employees, and to separate designated materials. For more information, see recycling requirements for NYC businesses. Usually the building management makes arrangements with a private carter for removal of recycling and waste for the entire building. Some private carters assert they are separating paper for recycling after collection; under certain market conditions it makes sense for them to sell this valuable commodity, rather than pay for disposal. Check with the building management to find out if their carter is recycling; otherwise the building must find a different carter or private recycler. Sometimes individual businesses do hire their own recyclers. See information on hiring a private carter. Regardless of your building's recycling arrangements, every company is required by law to maintain separate labeled recycling bins for paper. This increases the amount of paper that is captured in any system. Food service establishments must also recycle bottles, cans, and foil. NY WasteMatch and other recycling consultants can help your company set up an effective recycling program. If you don’t believe that a particular commercial building, food service establishment, or company is recycling, call the NYC Citizens’ Service Center at 311 or report a commercial recycling violation on the Sanitation website. return to business-related questions | back to top HOW CAN I DETERMINE IF I'M GETTING A FAIR AND COMPETITIVE RATE FROM A CARTER? Every business in New York City must arrange for its waste to be removed by a licensed carting company, or get permission from the Business Integrity Commission (BIC), formerly the Trade Waste Commission (TWC), to haul its own waste. It is more economical for most businesses to use a private carter. When choosing a carter, consider the following: Maximum rates. The maximum rates that carters are permitted to charge are based either by volume or by weight. These rates do not apply to the removal of construction and demolition debris, infectious medical waste, certain electronic equipment, waste from grease interceptors, and paper that is collected for the purpose of shredding or destruction by the licensee. Competition. There are more than 200 private carters that can collect your waste. Before picking one, get price quotes from at least four. According to a survey conducted by the Business Integrity Commission, more than half of the customers who received four or more price quotes were able to cut their carting bills by half or more. Billing. Bills must include reporting on the amount of putrescible waste and recyclables removed. A carter can bill you based on actual cubic yardage (each bill varies, depending on the volume of waste collected during the billing period), weight (a weekly figure determined by a waste audit —see below), or a flat fee (each bill is for the same amount of waste generated during a survey period). Start by getting a per-cubic-yard quote, and then ask the carter about ways to lower the price. Through negotiations, you and the carter can establish the best billing option for you. Free waste audit. Ask your carter for a waste-stream survey. It is free, and you are entitled to it, especially if your carter is charging you a flat fee. The carter must tell you when the survey is going to begin, and record, for at least seven days, the amount of waste you leave out during a fourteen-day survey period. The Business Integrity Commission maintains a list of registered carters and recyclers in NYC on its website. If you have questions or complaints about your private carter, contact the Business Integrity Commission at (212) 676-6219, or 100 Church Street, 20th floor, New York, NY 10007. return to business-related questions | back to top I OPERATE A MULTI-TENANT COMMERCIAL FACILITY. HOW CAN I COORDINATE MY TENANTS’ RECYCLING AND WASTE PREVENTION EFFORTS INTO A SINGLE, MANAGEABLE, AND EFFECTIVE PROGRAM? Helping your tenants to reduce or recycle waste effectively can lower utility and waste management costs for all involved. Three distinct ways that managers can better coordinate recycling and waste prevention efforts among tenants include: 1. Setting an example and providing assistance. While opportunities for waste prevention may vary among tenants, property managers of multi-tenant buildings or facilities can set an example by initiating and publicizing programs for waste prevention, recycling, energy efficiency, and water conservation in public areas. Provide information and “how to” guidance through periodic tenant meetings. 2. Incorporating recycling and waste prevention requirements into tenant contracts or lease agreements. Whether you manage an office building, shopping center, convention center, or stadium, including requirements for waste prevention and recycling into your tenants’ contracts is sure to catch their attention. Here are some examples:
3. Charging tenants for the actual amounts of waste they create. If space permits, provide disposal containers or areas for each tenant, and charge tenants for actual amounts discarded rather than a flat rate. When tenants realize how much they spend on waste removal, they may be more inclined to incorporate waste prevention and recycling into their everyday activities. To see what other multi-tenant facilities have done, visit case studies. return to business-related questions | back to top ARE THERE ANY SERVICES THAT ASSIST BUSINESSES WITH SELLING UNWANTED BUT REUSABLE EQUIPMENT, EXCESS INVENTORY, OR OFF-SPEC PRODUCTS? Selling unwanted commodities or off-spec products takes some legwork. Waste or materials exchanges can help by providing brokering services that match valuable commercial “waste” and surplus materials with potential customers. Waste exchanges, such as NY WasteMatch, can save or earn your business money while also providing environmental benefits. Materials that pass through waste exchanges include metals and glass, packaging and shipping materials, industrial equipment, food and organics, building materials, and scrap wood. Some exchanges also handle chemical and hazardous waste materials. For more information, see waste exchanges in the resources section. Visit case studies to learn how businesses have benefited from materials exchanges. To learn how to reduce obsolete inventory and off-spec waste, see manufacturing in tips for your business. return to business-related questions | back to top WHERE CAN I GET INFORMATION ON PURCHASING PRODUCTS MADE WITH RECYCLED CONTENT FOR MY WORKPLACE? There are a number of good sources of information to help you identify recycled-content products and feedstock. Check out Environmentally Preferable Purchasing resources to find sources of technical assistance and educational information, as well as product guides. Go to case studies to see how other businesses have incorporated recycled-content products into the workplace. return to business-related questions | back to top OUR COMPANY IS INTERESTED IN PRODUCING PRODUCTS WITH RECYCLED CONTENT. ARE THERE GRANTS OR OTHER ECONOMIC INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT MIGHT HELP US FUND OUR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT? The ability of small, start-up recycling businesses to obtain financing is critical. See business assistance programs for information on available resources. return to business-related questions | back to top HOW CAN I INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND LOWER MY WORKPLACE UTILITY COSTS? There are many resources available to help workplaces become more energy efficient. See energy efficiency for energy-saving tips, and business assistance programs and green building in the resources section for information on business and economic incentive programs. Visit case studies to find out how other businesses have become more energy efficient. return to business-related questions | back to top WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS)? An EMS is an organized approach to improving the environmental performance of an organization — private or public, small or large. Through EMS, companies address the immediate and long-term environmental impacts of their products, services, and processes. For more information, see the environmental management systems section of tips for your business. return to business-related questions | back to top
HOW DO WE SET UP A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM TO REDUCE WASTE IN OUR AGENCY? The most successful way to educate employees about waste prevention is for senior management to demonstrate their commitment to the program through staff memos and orientation sessions. Assigning a waste prevention coordinator — or undertaking that responsibility yourself — would be a good starting point. The waste prevention coordinator can act as a resource to research baseline data on the amount of waste discarded, recommend the most effective areas to address, help the Agency to implement new strategies, and report on waste prevention initiatives. Follow these steps to get started: Begin by checking our tips for your agency to identify opportunities to reduce waste generated by specific operations within the Agency. Next, assess your current purchasing and operating procedures through questionnaires, staff interviews, and on-site observations to identify cost-effective waste prevention opportunities for your Agency. Work with Agency management to determine which strategies to implement, and develop a plan for these initiatives. Document the quantities of waste reduced and the resulting cost savings. Keep management and employees posted on your Agency’s achievements to encourage further success. Start on a small scale with simple changes, such as making double-sided photocopies and switching to electronic Agency phone directories, which will bring quick results and can lead to further waste prevention initiatives. Seek staff input and suggestions. Publish waste prevention suggestions in your Agency newsletter or electronic bulletin board. Periodically check with building management to determine if the quantity of waste has declined, and report decreases in waste disposal and increases in recycling. return to city agency related questions | back to top ARE CITY AGENCIES AND SCHOOLS REQUIRED TO RECYCLE? Every building in New York City is required by law to recycle. However, the items that must be kept separate from trash differ according to whether your Agency is located in City-owned space with Department of Sanitation collection for garbage and recyclables, or in a building with private waste collection. Agencies: see agency request form. Also note, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation requires all businesses and institutions to recycle computer equipment and mercury-containing lamps. return to city agency related questions | back to top HOW CAN MY AGENCY BUY RECYCLED PRODUCTS WHEN WE HAVE TO JUST TAKE THE LOWEST BID? New York City Agencies can “close the recycling loop” by purchasing products manufactured from recycled materials and by promoting the “Buy Recycled” message through Agency procurement programs. This creates a market for the materials collected by the City’s recycling program. Simply include your requirements for recycled content in the procurement specifications. The NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) regulations allow City purchases based on either USEPA or the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) minimum content standards for secondary materials. For more information, see recycling and buying recycled. |  |
Frequently Asked Questions
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