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"Innovations" Case Studies

Mini Trash Bins Help Office Settings Reduce Waste 50 Percent and More: A Model for Local Government Recycling and Waste Reduction

 
Recently, a new type of office building recycling and waste handling system has achieved 50 percent and higher waste diversion levels. The heart of the system is making employees responsible for their trash by replacing each employee's desk side trash can with a small min trash bin. The mini trash bin can be a "saddle basket" placed on the side of the paper recycling container or a desktop mini trash bin. In this system, employees empty their mini trash bins into centralized trash containers and their recycling bins into centralized recycling containers.

Programs with high recycling levels target all paper grades for recovery. Custodial workers no longer go desk-to-desk emptying trash cans. The system achieves high recycling levels because it fundamentally changes the way employees deal with their office discards. This model study profiles the experience of the Ontario Max Green and the City of San Jose mini trash bin program. It also shares some stories from other office settings that have adopted the program.

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Credits and Disclaimer

Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance prepared this study pursuant to contract IWM-C8028 ($198,633, included other services) with the University of California at Santa Cruz for a series of 24 studies and summaries.

The statements and conclusions in this case study are those of the contractor and not necessarily those of the Board, its employees, or the State of California. In addition, the data in this report was provided by local sources but not independently verified. The State and its contractors make no warranty, express, or implied, and assume no liability for the information contained in this text. Any mention of commercial products, companies or processes shall not be construed as an endorsement.

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Last updated: October 26, 2007

Local Government Central  http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/LGCentral/
Larry N. Stephens: lstephen@ciwmb.ca.gov  (916) 341-6241