1. Commercial Waste Reduction Coordinator NEWMOA Conference, Sept 2005
Using Solid Waste Contracts as a Tool to Increase Recycling and Reduce Waste
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP
Commercial Waste Reduction Coordinator
NEWMOA Conference, Sept 2005
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

2. Solid Waste Contracts
Contracts – primary vehicle for solid waste service:
two-thirds or more of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream is managed through contracts.
Most contract managers don’t understand waste issues.
Solid waste is usually not a large part of the budget.
Solid waste costs rising and recovered materials markets are strong.
Facility managers not taking advantage of cost cutting opportunities.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

3. Use Your Solid Waste Contract as a Tool for Waste Reduction and Recycling
Solid Waste Contracts 101.
How to get the most out of your SW contract.
Examples of specific tools to assist you.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

4. If your not recycling, you may be throwing money away.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

5. Recycling is not free – but it is often less expensive than disposal
Term to Remember: Avoided Disposal Cost
“Tipping” fees for recycling:
revenue generated - $60/ton
“Tipping” fees for trash:
$70-$120/ton
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

6. Solid Waste Contracts 101 What’s in your solid waste contract?
What are you paying for?
What are you really generating?
How can you adjust services to meet your needs?
Should I re-bid?
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

7. What’s in your contract?
Contract length
Materials collected (trash and recyclables)
Charges
Volume of waste/recycling containers
Collection frequency
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

8. Unbundle charges – they should be transparent!
What are the Charges?
Unbundle charges – they should be transparent!
Trash Costs
Trash container rental
Collection/hauling fee
Disposal facility charges (tipping charges)
Recycling Costs
What materials are included?
What are the specific charges
recycling container rental/service
transportation/hauling fee
processing fee
Are you paid for any collected materials?
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

9. What are you paying for…
Read your statements and keep track of your charges – in a spreadsheet if possible:
Is your service provider giving you a monthly statement that includes all charges?
Determine what you are actually paying for.
Does this match your contract?
Track your service and costs:
WasteWise Update "Measuring Waste Reduction"
Harvard University tracking spreadsheet at
GOAL: calculate the cost per ton of disposal/recycling of each material
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

10. What are you paying for…
Monitor your current operations for a period of time:
How many times/week are containers picked up?
Are containers full when picked up?
Is recycling being picked up? If not, why?
GOAL: determine if receiving the service you are paying for.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

11. Identify Your Needs
Knowing the volume or weight of waste generated is the key to obtaining competitive bids:
Are there materials you are recycling that you could recycle more of?
Are there new materials that you would like to recycle?
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

12. What you are generating…
Conduct a waste audit/assessment to find out what’s really in your wastestream:
Waste Audit Forms:
Earth911 Business Waste Audit Form:
EPA’s Business Guide to Reducing Solid Waste:
GOAL: to baseline your current trash and recycling levels.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

13. Adjust services or re-bid to meet your needs.
Talk to others to find out what they are paying for trash and recycling.
Adjust existing service levels
Pick Up Savings:Adjusting Hauling Services While Reducing Waste:
Re-bid if necessary.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

14. Adjust services Discuss needs with existing service provider:
Make sure trash contract does not have minimum volume requirements.
Find a recycler: check for business recycling company locator.
Structure pricing differently:
If using bins/dumpsters/toters, consider a cost per pickup rather than a cost per ton. Sometimes hard to get tonnage amounts on trucks that pick up at other facilities.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

15. Adjust services Reduce trash container size.
Could fewer/smaller disposal containers be used?
Would using pressure gauge on your trash compactors help you determine capacity?
Reduce frequency of trash pick-up.
If recycling, reducing amount of material going into trash.
Is an on-call service sufficient?
Containers typically used:
Cubic yard bins/ dumpsters (typical sizes: 1, 2, 3, 6, 20, 30 & 40 cubic yard)
Small and large wheeled containers with lids
30-40 cubic yard compactor boxes
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

16. Re-Bid Consider bidding trash and recycling separately.
Consider having primary bid to recycler who subcontracts trash.
Let potential contractors review your operations before bidding.
Send RFP to at least 3 service providers.
Consider a Resource Management Contract – see Lemeul Shattuck Hospital Case Study.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

17. Resource Management Contracting
“THERE ARE NO WASTE STREAMS, ONLY WASTED RESOURCES”
— Raj Mishra, General Motors Corporation, 1999
Resource management (RM) compensates waste contractors based on performance in achieving waste reduction goals rather than the volume of waste disposed.
Incentives for innovative approaches that to cost-effective resource efficiency through prevention, recycling, and recovery.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

18. RM In Action at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Replaced 35 yd. compactor with 40 yd. compactor. Service level reduced: 3x - 2x/wk. $400/month savings.
Eliminated 40 yd. dumpster for bulk debris. Savings from dumpster rental (approximately $100/month), hauling and disposal costs. Temporary dumpster rented if needed.
New recycling: cardboard, organics, scrap metal, pallets and electronics
Reduced administrative overhead – one contract as opposed to many.
Excellent relationship between contractor and hospital.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

19. RM In Action at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
In FY’04 Shattuck saved $11,000 and diverted 44 tons of material to recycling.
Excellent relationship between contractor and hospital.
RM provider will be compensated about $10,000.
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

20. Conclusion Transparent charges Request monthly statements
Adjust existing contract with proper collection management
Provide incentives to reduce waste
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

21. Additional Resources There are lots of resources at your fingertips!
MA DEP’s Website
MA DEP’s Resource Management Website:
Join the MA WasteWise Program
Earth 911 or Cleanup.org
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP

22. Commercial Waste Reduction Coordinator
Contact
Julia Wolfe
Commercial Waste Reduction Coordinator
MassDEP or
Julia Wolfe, MassDEP