Waste Management Product Recovery Group Overview (+playlist)

Waste Management will use compressed natural gas to fuel its fleet of trucks.

Waste Management will soon begin replacing its diesel-fueled garbage collection vehicles with more environmentally friendly trucks powered by compressed natural gas, possibly converting the entire fleet by next year.
Officials of the trash hauler were granted three ordinance variances by the Plainfield Township Zoning Hearing Board that will allow Waste Management to establish a CNG fueling station — for both its fleet and the general public — near its corporate offices and Grand Central Landfill.
By going green, the company hopes to reduce fleet emissions and increase fuel efficiency. The company has set up more than 50 natural gas fueling stations across the country, 22 of which are open to the public or outside fleet operators.

The board approved variances to allow Waste Management to establish a retail fuel center without a convenience store or auto service facility as a second principal use to providing fuel for its fleet. The trash hauler and landfill operator was also granted a variance to allow for outdoor, above-ground storage.
Federal and state law requires fuel storage to be above ground for inspection and maintenance, but the township's ordinance mandates below ground storage, Waste Management's attorney Matt Goodrich said.
Waste Management received an $806,248 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development, plus $490,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The township Planning Commission considered the application March 17 and recommended approval of the variances.
Once the fuel is pumped on-site via an existing UGI line, Waste Management will use a compression buffer vessel to store the gas above ground before it makes its way to the fuel stations. One will be constructed initially but up to three can be built if demand is there, said Brian Bogar, design manager for ET Environmental of Mystic, Conn.
Stations for both the fleet and the public will be monitored by security cameras around the clock, he said. Public pumps will operate on a card swipe system and will walk the consumer through an on-screen tutorial before issuing a PIN code. After receiving training, truck drivers will be retrained annually.
Waste Management will order 25 collection trucks powered by compressed natural gas to replace half its fleet, with the remaining 25 likely to be replaced by next year, said area fleet director Jim Pryor, who oversees New York City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Once replaced, diesel vehicles will be dispersed to Waste Management facilities in Delaware, North Jersey and Maryland that aren't yet set up for CNG, said John Hambrose, Waste Management community relations coordinator for the greater Mid-Atlantic area.
Trucks can go just as far on diesel as an equivalent amount of CNG, but the cost of CNG is much lower, Pryor said. The company employs more than 2,700 trucks nationwide fueled by CNG, he said.
"Our goal is to be 100 percent CNG," he said. "Next year, Pen Argyl could be 100 percent CNG."
Kevin Duffy is a freelance writer.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-plainfield-township-waste-management-fleet-

Waste Management Single-Stream Recycling: Take a tour of our Philadelphi...

Life Cycle Thinking: Helping Our Stakeholders Help The Earth

When it comes to being good stewards of the earth, we all want to do the right thing.  We strive to reduce our carbon footprint, avoid products that harm the air and water, and use recyclable materials whenever possible. But, good intentions only get us halfway.  It also requires strategic thinking.

Waste Management is proud to join its business, academic and community partners in the Sustainable Materials Management Coalition which last week released an important new guidance document entitled, “Guidance on Life-Cycle Thinking and Its Role in Environmental Decision Making.”

Life-Cycle Thinking is a fancy term that speaks to an important process. When end-users purchase a good or service, they don’t always see the larger sequence of events that preceded their purchase.  How were the raw materials sourced, and what were the environmental implications of that step? How was the product manufactured, and what environmental footprint did that phase leave behind? How do the end-users consume the product, and how will they dispose of it?

Let’s look at an example that is referenced in this guidance document: the movement for locally sourced food products. If the idea is to support local farmers and prime the pump of the hometown economy, there’s a lot of merit in this initiative. If the idea is that locally sourced goods are more environmentally responsible than products from larger, more distant entities, then the truth is more complicated. As the report explains, “In 2008, researchers at Carnegie-Mellon reported a detailed life-cycle inventory of GHGs associated with foods, looking at eight different standard food categories. The study showed that 83 percent of the average U.S. household’s annual carbon footprint for food consumption comes from producing the food (such as from the energy used to power farm equipment and the use of fertilizers that derive from natural gas).“ Even if we assume that local farmers employ the same chemicals and processes as larger farms to create their product, the greenhouse gas reductions associated with local sourcing are only in the 4 to 5 percent range.

Or another example: “compostable” plastics, which many consumers prefer in hopes that they are consistent with a zero-waste philosophy.  But, buyers beware: products don’t always deliver on the promise of their labels.  In reality, when deposited in a compost pile, many of these plastics decompose into carbon dioxide and water; in effect, none of the resources that went into producing these goods can be recovered.  Additionally, people frequently fail to separate “compostable” plastics; at the end of the day, they often end up in landfills. When we focus on just one stage in the life-cycle of a plastic product, we miss the larger picture.

The idea behind this new report is to get businesses, governments and nonprofits thinking… about Life-Cycle Thinking.  Organizations that procure goods and services want to do right.  At Waste Management, we want to help them translate good intentions into impactful decision-making. Taking a step back and seeing the whole process will help us become more efficient and discerning in how we move toward that unquestionably worthy end goal.

http://thinkinggreen.wm.com/web/wmblog/home/-/blogs/life-cycle-thinking-helping-our-stakeholders-help-the-ear-1

Recycle Often. Recycle Right. Official Video - Waste Management

Waste Management Named a Project of the Year by Environmental Leader

The Waste Management Phoenix Open was named Project of the Year by Environmental Leader in its Product & Project Awards, the magazine announced today. As title sponsor of the Phoenix Open, Waste Management demonstrates its commitment to environmental sustainability at the annual Zero Waste golf tournament.

The Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards is a program recognizing excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits or in projects implemented by companies that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line.
With today's crowded playing field, energy and sustainability professionals have a notoriously difficult time knowing what products to choose to help their companies increase energy, environmental and sustainability performance. The Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards give companies a solid base of products, vetted by experts, from which to choose.

"The caliber of the entries this year was even more impressive than last year, and showed the excitement and innovation taking place in the industry today," says Paul Nastu, publisher of Environmental Leader. "There was tough competition for those that entered, and the products that were awarded Top Product or Project of the Year are those that the judges say have viable attributes that set them apart from others in the field."
Scores were determined by a panel of independent judges headed by Matthew Littlefield of LNS Research and also including judges from companies including Anheuser Busch InBev, Arrow Electronics, Autodesk, Citigroup Inc., Con Agra Foods, Environmental & Operational Risk Management, GlaxoSmithKline, ISS Facility Services, Microsoft, Owens Corning, Power Advocate, Puma, Sam's Club, Sustainability and Risk Management Reputation Limited, Trupoint Advisers, the University of California Berkeley, Williams Creek Consulting, and YES Bank.
One judge said of the Waste Management Phoenix Open Zero Waste Event, "This project demonstrates what can be achieved when you intentionally apply design to achieve your sustainability goals. They engaged all stakeholders and applied a life-cycle approach to prepare and execute the event."
In 2012, Waste Management launched the "Zero Waste Challenge," an initiative aimed at controlling materials brought into the event. In 2014, Waste Management continued the "Zero Waste Challenge" for a third year as part of its company-wide effort to reach its goal to triple the amount of recyclable materials nationwide by the year 2020 and extract the most value possible from all of the materials the company manages.
The Zero Waste Challenge ensures that all of the waste generated is recycled, composted, or used in waste-to-energy facilities with vendors only using products and materials that can be composted or recycled at their end-of-life. The company follows ISO20121 standards for sustainable event management and report using the Global Reporting Initiative framework.
"We have made the Waste Management Phoenix Open zero waste because it's an achievement of our environmental sustainability goals and it sets a great example of what's possible to sporting venues everywhere," said Dave Aardsma, chief sales and marketing officer for Waste Management. "It's gratifying to be recognized by Environmental Leader and its company of judges."
Aardsma said that since 2010, the Waste Management Phoenix Open has purchased 100 percent renewable energy from the local utility meaning that even the electric golf carts run on alternative energy. The water used by caterers for cooking and cleaning is used again in the portable toilets. The company makes sure that vendors who create signage for the event make them from sustainable materials that can be recycled, composted, or reused year after year.
Waste Management has been a partner of the Phoenix Open for more than 13 years, providing waste, recycling, and portable restroom services. As the title sponsor, Waste Management, in partnership with the PGA TOUR and The Thunderbirds, is dedicated to making the Waste Management Phoenix Open the greenest tournament on the PGA TOUR. The tournament has also become a major platform for showcasing Waste Management Think Green solutions, including the Four Rs - reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.
About Environmental Leader
Since 2006, Environmental Leader's website and daily email newsletter have provided the definitive and objective voice in reporting on business-related energy, environmental, and sustainability issues, while Energy Manager Today is the leading daily trade publication keeping corporate executives informed about energy management news. For more information visit www.environmentalleader.com or www.energymanagertoday.com.
About the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards

In its second year, the Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards recognize excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, or in corporate projects that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line. It is a five-point rating system designed to offer companies feedback and recognition. Third-party judges came from the following companies: Anheuser Busch InBev, Arrow Electronics, Autodesk, Citigroup Inc., Con Agra Foods, Environmental & Operational Risk Management, GlaxoSmithKline, ISS Facility Services, Microsoft, Owens Corning, Power Advocate, Puma, Sam's Club, Sustainability and Risk Management Reputation Limited, Trupoint Advisers, the University of California Berkeley, Williams Creek Consulting, and YES Bank.

Source: http://www.individual.com/storyrss.php?story=189539291&hash=0516c200c387a16d26fcaf028cc3e6f5

Ironman Events Chooses Waste Management to Reduce Waste, Increase Recycling

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of its triathlon events, World Triathlon Corporation’s Ironman Series of events has chosen Waste Management as its official environmental solutions provider for all events throughout the US, the company announced.

Waste Management says it will work with Ironman event organizers to develop solutions for reducing waste and increasing recycling at each race.

The waste management company says it offers event services such as renewable energy alternatives, water conservation techniques and new technologies to recover the resource in waste. It will work with Ironman to control materials allowed into the event to ensure they can be reused, recycled or composted; use volunteers to educate race attendees; monitor recycling and compost receptacles; engage with the community and communicate goals to all stakeholders; track carbon footprints; and report on sustainability efforts.

Ironman COO, Shane Facteau, says that it is important for Ironman to be “environmentally responsible and take care of the cities that host our events.”

The Ironman series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world, the company says, having grown from a single race to more than 190 events across five brands.

The Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament also worked with Waste Management as its title sponsor. Waste Management says that during the 2013 event,  it sent zero waste to landfill from more than half a million people who attended. The Waste Management Phoenix Open also purchased 100% renewable energy, used graywater in portable toilets, and achieved GOLD certification from the Council for Responsible Sport.

One of Waste Management’s efforts for the Phoenix Open is the annual Waste Management “Green Out,” an event that asks all fans attending the event to wear something green to show their support for the green/eco-sensitive efforts of the tournament. For every person who wears green, tournament host Thunderbirds donates money to three nonprofit organizations. In 2013, the organizations were Keep Phoenix Beautiful, which received 50% of the funds, Arizona Forward (35%) and Keep America Beautiful (15%). Waste Management says that in 2012, almost a third of the tournament’s fans wore green, and nearly all PGA tour pros donned green gear. The event raised $50,000 for Keep Phoenix Beautiful.

Other event partners that have chosen Waste Management as their environmental solutions provider include the Houston Marathon, the Shell Houston Open, and the Valero Texas Open.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/07/31/ironman-events-chooses-waste-management-to-reduce-waste-increase-recycling/