EPA New England: Greening Our Operations

Recycling and Reuse

Reducing our waste and resource use

Recently published statistics show that in 2005, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 245 million tons of trash – that's almost 4 1/2 pounds for each of us every day. (Municipal Solid Waste, Basic Facts).  What happens to all this trash?  The good news is nearly 32% was removed from the waste stream through reuse and recycling.  The bad news is, the remaining 68% must be landfilled or incinerated, both of which are costly - economically and environmentally.  As a nation we can do better.  We can reduce the amount of waste we generate and increase the amount of waste we recycle and reuse. 

At EPA New England, we're promoting source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting to help reduce the amount of solid waste being disposed throughout New England.  Our current areas of focus are electronic waste and food waste.  We're funding grants and partnering with different organizations and agencies to distribute information and help promote positive change.

At EPA New England we're also working to increase recycling and reuse in our own operations.  We have a long history of recycling at our office and laboratory; efforts are ongoing to update our Recycling Program.  Steps we've taken include clarifying roles and responsibilities, adding additional waste streams, and designing programs to increase recycling and reuse rates.

We currently recycle or reuse a wide range of items:

Office supplies:
Mixed Paper (white, colored, newspaper, magazines, books)
3-Ring Binders
Pens and Pencils
Folders
Polyethylene envelopes

Packaging/packing material:
Cardboard
Polystyrene

Electronic Waste:
Computers (EPA New England's Office Donates Computers to Massachusetts High Schools, press release November 29, 2005)
CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes
Toner cartridges
Cell phones

Food/beverage:
Redeemable cans and bottles (glass & plastic)

Other:
Batteries

We've reorganized and expanded our recycling/reuse collection areas.  Well labeled and maintained stations are located throughout our offices and in the kitchen, conference and printing areas.

EPA holds Clean Up Days to encourage employees to clean out their offices.  Not only do these efforts result in the collection of office supplies and paper for recycling and reuse, but they help employees see the results of their own paper usage practices.

Our efforts to reduce our resource use are often tied to our purchasing practices:

• We purchase mostly 100% post-consumer recycled content copy paper for our computer printers and copy machines. By purchasing recycled paper, we reduce the need to harvest trees and encourage market development for products made with recycled content. Because each printer and copier operates differently, some research might be needed to find the best brand of recycled paper to fit your machine.

• Our vehicle fleet is maintained with re-refined oil.

• We use remanufactured toner cartridges in our laser printers. The recovery and reuse of toner cartridges diverts non-biodegradable material from landfills.

Learn more about our Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program.

We can all help shrink the size of America's mounting trash problem.

Start with your shopping – Are you picking a product with a long life that can be reused?  Does one product come with less packaging than another?  Can you buy the item used or borrow it from a friend? 

Think before throwing something into the trash – Can it be recycled?  Is it still usable by someone else?  A piece of furniture, clothing, or computer equipment that is no longer wanted or needed by you may find a useful home with someone else.  Through reuse you can keep many consumer goods from disposal and get them to those in need. 

Solid Waste in New England
Answers to your questions about solid waste in New England:

• Special topic pages on composting, construction and demolition waste, electronic waste and scrap tires
• Recycling contacts
• Reuse in New England – a resource guide to donation opportunities for businesses, local governments and citizens
• Links to EPA, state and other programs

Regional Snapshot Our recycling and reuse program goes beyond just paper, including food containers, batteries and much more.