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Purchasing is a key component in a comprehensive integrated waste management
program for any school district. Purchasing decisions about product life,
warranty, repair service, as well as packaging and the level of recycled
content of products affect the amount of waste produced by a school
district. Purchasing agents can save the school district money through
reduced repair, replacement and disposal costs through efficient
purchasing practices.
For example, Los Angeles County established a Cooperative
Purchasing Program, enabling governmental entities (including school
districts) to join the County (free of charge) in purchasing recycled
bond paper and benefiting financially from the advantage of collective
purchasing power. The County selected a contractor to supply 30
percent recycled-content paper at below wholesale cost to all
participating governmental entities (with no minimum
purchase requirement and with the added convenience of next day
delivery). By joining the program, participating cities (and school
districts) are saving a tremendous amount of money (e.g., based on
projected annual consumption, the City and County of Los Angeles alone
will be saving $84,000 and $40,000 per year, respectively, compared
with their previous contracts).
When school districts buy goods with recycled content, their purchases
help to create a demand for materials collected in recycling programs.
Recycling is not complete until we close the loop by purchasing recycled
content products.
This site provides information that will assist school
district purchasing agents in their efforts to buy products and services
with reduced effects on human health and the environment. Also called
"Affirmative Procurement," "Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing," and "Green Purchasing," this approach means
integrating environmental factors into procurement policies, usually using
the following tools and/or methods:
- Pollution Prevention--From the start of a process or procedure,
reducing or eliminating toxicity, air and water emissions.
- Life Cycle Perspective--Beyond the purchase price, considering
costs and environmental impacts over the lifetime of a product or
service (manufacturing, packaging, transport, energy consumption,
maintenance, disposal).
- Natural Resource Protection--Giving preference to sustainable,
reusable content, and recycled materials over virgin materials, as
well as to conserving water and energy.
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When evaluating existing purchasing policies, consider the following
options to incorporate recycled products into the school district’s
purchases. Buying recycled products is just one component of a school
district’s green purchasing program, but it is also a great place to
start. Many recycled, remanufactured, or refurbished products (xerographic paper, paper towels and tissue, corrugated boxes and
packaging, envelopes and mailers, corrugated file boxes, plastic trash
cans and liners, latex paint, re-refined automotive lubricants,
compost/mulch, retreaded truck tires, writing tablets, continuous feed
computer paper, laser toner cartridges, and reformatted computer disks) actually cost less than or the same as comparable non-recycled products
and are widely available. In such cases, a school district can apply cost
savings from the purchase of less expensive recycled products to the
purchase of more expensive recycled and other environmentally preferable
products.
The following options may also be helpful in expanding a school
district’s purchasing policy to encourage the broader environmental
considerations outlined above.
Designate a Recycled Product Procurement Advocate--Staff are assigned
whose specific responsibility is promoting recycled product use and
monitoring school district purchases.
Pros
- May involve less paperwork and fewer formal procedures.
- Provides flexibility to target procurement efforts where
greatest impact can be easily made.
- Ability to promote procurement of products for which content
standards have not been developed.
Cons
- Less ability to increase usage by recalcitrant agencies unless
enforcement capability is granted.
- Lack of formal commitments may limit effectiveness of market
development impacts.
Develop a Recycled Product Procurement Team--A team of a high-level
procurement official, a procurement officer, and cross-divisional staff,
including those who place and review orders, and staff in the contracts
and legal offices (to review contract and bid documents to ensure that
recycled product procurement language is included) are assigned the
responsibility of ensuring the use of recycled products and monitoring
school district purchases.
Pros
- Team approach ensures that all aspects of purchasing will be
addressed.
- Upper management has the authority to mobilize resources and
commitment from throughout the school district.
Cons
- Requires more staff time.
Establish a Recycled Product Procurement Fund--A specific amount of
money is appropriated to pay for the additional cost of procuring recycled
products if they are more expensive than nonrecycled equivalents. After
the fund is exhausted, less expensive non-recycled products may be
procured.
Pros
- Allows accurate assessment of budget impacts.
- Establishes a clear commitment.
- Guarantees that a specified amount of money is allocated for
the procurement of recycled products.
Cons
- Amount of money in fund may be set too low to be effective.
- Difficult to know when fund is exhausted if applied to large
term contracts where quantities are estimated or if there are
several buyers.
- May encourage higher prices for recycled products.
"Buy Recycled" Policy
for Frederick County Government, Maryland--This policy requires specific
warehouse items (e.g. copy paper, computer paper, plastic trash cans and
liners, etc.) be stocked in products with recycled content where
available. A cost difference of up to $8,000 total, if any, was funded
through the Solid Waste Management Enterprise Fund during the pilot phase.
Additionally, a limit of 10 percent cost differential will be allowed on
individual items.
Develop a Preferential Policy Statement--A resolution is established
indicating the school district’s preference for procurement of recycled
products.
Pros
- Provides guidance to agencies.
- If publicized, commitment encourages market development.
Cons
- Provides no guidance on price reasonability.
- Policy is ineffective unless accompanied by procedures.
City of San Jose
Source Reduction and Recycling Procurement Policy
(Acrobat PDF, 19KB)--This
policy provides
direction to purchase products that contain the highest percentage of
post-consumer material available followed in preference by materials with
the highest percentage of pre-consumer material available.
Establish Content Requirements and Procurement Goals--Through a
resolution, the school district establishes content requirements and
procurement goals for specific product categories (e.g., 25 percent of all
dollars spent on paper will be spent on recycled paper with a minimum
content of 30 percent post consumer material). Goals may also be set for
individual departments.
Pros
- Provides a good tool for measuring success, both for
individual departments and the whole school district.
- High goal commitment, if publicized, can promote market
development.
Cons
- Provides no guidance on price reasonability.
In California, all local and State public agencies must purchase products that contain
recycled materials instead of those which do not contain recycled
materials whenever price, quality, and availability are comparable. The State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign
requires all State agencies to meet specific content requirements and
procurement mandates for products purchased within 11 product categories.
Require Mandatory Purchase--For specific products, the school district
is required to use recycled products.
Pros
- Will potentially lead to the highest volume use of recycled
products.
- Bidding procedures and contract language are less complicated
than other options.
Cons
- Provides no guidance on price reasonability.
The City of Los Angeles Buy Recycled Program includes the mandatory procurement of recycled products in designated
categories. You can download a
construction
and demolition fact sheet which describes the Recycled-Content
Construction Product Procurement Programs.
California's State Agency Buy Recycled
Campaign--Participation in California’s State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign
is mandatory for all State agencies (See previous section).
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Section 6002, and
Executive Order 13101, federal agencies, as well as state and local
agencies and government contractors that use appropriated federal funds,
are required to buy 54 EPA-designated recovered/recycled products. The
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive recently issued a Model
Affirmative Procurement Plan on
environmentally preferable purchasing to meet the requirements of the RCRA.
Establish a Price Preference--The school district is required to use
recycled products unless their cost is above a specified percentage higher
than equivalent non-recycled products. This policy allows the purchase of
recycled products even if they are more expensive than comparable
non-recycled products. In general, price preferences are in the 5 to 10
percent range.
Pros
- Provides clear guidance on price reasonability.
- Procedures treat recycled products as equivalent to
non-recycled products (e.g., same quantities ordered, same specs).
Cons
- Invitations to bid and contract language are more complex.
- May be difficult to determine at what level to set the price
preference.
- May encourage higher prices for recycled products.
California Education Code
Section 32373 encourages school districts to purchase recycled
paper if the supplier of recycled paper offers the paper at a cost which
does not exceed by more than 5 percent the lowest offer of non-recycled
paper of comparable quality.
The King County Recycled Product Procurement Policy establishes a price preference of up to fifteen percent for
recycled paper products and up to ten percent for re-refined
lubricating oil.
Implement a Set Aside Purchase Program--For specified products, the
school district commits that a specified percentage of the quantity
purchased will be recycled products (e.g., 50 percent of paper purchased will be
recycled paper).
Pros
- Guarantees that a specified amount of products will be
procured.
- Bidding procedures are relatively uncomplicated.
Cons
- May treat recycled products as specialty items (lower volumes
and consequently higher prices).
- Provides no guidance on price reasonability.
- Set-aside amount may discourage purchase of recycled products
above the set-aside amount.
Regardless of the type of purchasing policy a school district
implements, it is important to track the procurement of recycled and other
environmentally preferable products and to analyze the policy’s
effectiveness on an annual basis. This will enable the school district to
measure its success, correct problems, and plan for increasing its
procurement of recycled and other environmentally preferable products in
the future. It is best to track purchases as they are made using an
automated tracking system. For more information, see the CIWMB fact
sheet on Creating A
Successful Buy Recycled Program.
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When evaluating existing purchasing practices, consider the following
waste reduction options:
1. Use minimal, reusable, and/or recycled packaging--Encourage your
suppliers to eliminate unnecessary packaging. In your purchasing, you can
favor suppliers who offer products with minimal packaging. Whenever
possible, buy products in bulk quantities and in reusable and/or recycled
packaging. To reduce waste in your own shipping department, see if you can
use fewer packing layers and ship merchandise in returnable, reusable,
and/or recycled containers.
2. Include environmentally sensitive specifications in all district goods and
services contracts. Examples include: insisting on full disclosure of
manufacturer's chemical use and disposal; removing language from bidding
specifications that require virgin material; specifying recycled products
in contract language; and requiring vendors to minimize packaging, maximize
the use of recycled materials in packaging, and take back packaging.
- Sample letter to vendors requesting their partnership in the district’s efforts to reduce
packaging, reuse shipping materials, use recycled products, etc.
- Vendor Take Back (pallets, cardboard boxes and toner cartridges).
- Sample contract language for Certifying
Recycled Content is available from the California Integrated Waste Management Board
(CIWMB). For all products sold or offered to the state. State
agencies must obtain certification from all suppliers about the
recycled content of those products.
3. Use and maintain durable equipment and supplies--Consider investing
in quality, long-lasting supplies and equipment that can be repaired
easily. These items will stay out of the waste stream longer, and the
higher initial costs may be justified by lower maintenance, disposal, and
replacement costs. Setting up a regular maintenance schedule for machines
will extend their useful lives, cutting back on waste and the need to
replace expensive reordering.
4. Reuse products and supplies--Adopt simple, cost effective measures to
conserve materials through reuse. Disposable items, such as coffee cups
and single-use cafeteria trays, can be replaced with long-lasting,
reusable products. A one-time investment for such items breaks the
frequently expensive cycle of discarding and reordering.
- Create an internal clearinghouse for excess inventory, old
chemicals, and recoverable waste. Encourage employees to reuse common
items such as files and interoffice envelopes.
- Secure materials through a materials
exchange--A materials (waste) exchange provides a mechanism for reusing or recycling
unwanted, but usable, materials. It maintains and distributes listings
of materials available and materials wanted from individuals and local
and international companies. Through the exchange process, one party's
"waste" can become another party's "treasure." It
serves as an information clearinghouse for available leftover materials,
by-products, and unused products.
- Plan ahead to avoid both over purchasing and the purchase of
materials that can be found in the internal clearinghouse or are available through a
waste exchange.
- Label containers properly to encourage reuse and to avoid misuse of
materials.
- Establish well organized storage practices.
- Donate used items to local charities or other non-profit
organizations--See the CIWMB's Reuse Links and
Resources.
- Investigate Used
Textbook Waste Reduction Opportunities.
5. Utilize federal, state and local surplus programs.
- The City of Watsonville was able to take advantage of
California State University, Sacramento's surplus portable
classrooms which were offered free to local governments! Working
through the California Department of General Services, Surplus and
Procurement Division, The City of Watsonville was able to acquire
one of these classrooms, a 40 ft x 60 ft modular building. The
building was transported to and set up at the City landfill. The
building is utilized to provide landfill operation staff office
space (e.g., locker room, restroom, office space and lunch room) and
a 40 ft x 30 ft classroom for their public education/school
program. The City estimates a savings of $50,000 by
"Reusing" an existing modular building.
- CalTrans (California Department of Transportation) realized
significant savings when it obtained office furnishings another
agency sent to the Department of General Services
Surplus
Property Program. The agency no longer needed the furniture because it had moved into
a building that "came with" furniture. CalTrans took the
unneeded property and saved $1.5 million!
6. Purchase recycled and other environmentally preferable products.
Environmentally preferable refers to products or services that have a
lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared
with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. The
product or service comparison may consider raw materials acquisition,
production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation,
maintenance, or disposal.
- CIWMB Recycled-Content Product Database--Search for products, vendors, etc.
- Buy Recycled Resources--Find general buy recycled information, related government web sites,
buy recycled programs in other states, and links to other
recycled-content product databases.
-
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Database--This United States Environmental Protection Agency
database will help you buy greener products and services by
linking you to:
a. Contract language and specifications created and used by
federal and state governments to buy environmentally preferable
products and services.
b. Environmental standards and guidelines for the product you want to
buy and vendor lists of product brands that meet these standards.
c. Other useful sources of information on environmentally preferred
products and services.
-
Participate
in State Recycled Contracts--Public Contract Code, Section 10298
allows local agencies to participate in State procurements including
agreements for goods, information technology, and services. Local
agencies may contract with suppliers awarded these contracts without
further competitive bidding. A local agency is a city, county, city
and county, district, or other local governmental body or corporation
empowered to expend public funds. When they meet the definition, this
includes school districts, water districts, mosquito abatement
districts, transportation authorities and many other agencies.
- Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County--This
program provides
less toxic alternatives to pest controls and cleaners.
- Cleaning
Products Pilot Project--This United States Environmental Protection
Agency web site provides interactive purchasing decision wizards to assist you
in choosing environmentally preferable cleaning products.
7. Participate in purchasing cooperatives--One effective way to reduce costs is through cooperative purchasing.
Cooperative purchasing increases the volume of recycled and other
environmentally preferable products purchased, helps ensure availability,
establishes common definitions and percentages, and lowers the cost of
producing and purchasing recycled products. A similar approach to
leveraged buying power is the formation of Joint Powers Authorities (JPA) or
agreements.
- In the early 1990s, the City of Santa
Monica Purchasing
Division formed a cooperative buying group for the purchase of recycled paper in
order to reduce the price by making large bulk purchases. Members of the
co-op included the City of Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica College and the
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. This arrangement was
effective at reducing the City's cost for recycled paper to a level
closely approximating the cost for virgin paper.
- Los Angeles County’s Cooperative Purchasing Program enables
governmental entities (including school districts) to join the County
(free of charge) in purchasing recycled bond paper and benefit
financially from the advantage of collective purchasing power. By
joining the program, participating cities (and school districts) are
saving a tremendous amount of money (e.g., based on projected annual
consumption, the City and County of Los Angeles alone will be saving
$84,000 and $40,000 per year, respectively, compared with their previous
contracts).
- The El Dorado County Office of Education Stockless Purchase
Program is an example of a purchasing cooperative that saves school
districts time and money while providing low cost office and school,
custodial, computer and athletic supplies. When available this program
bids on and makes available recycled products. For more information,
contact Sue Allen at
(530) 622-7130 extension 240.
- Cooperative Recycled Paper Purchasing--The Recycled Products Purchasing
Cooperative (RPPC) is funded in
part by the U.S. EPA Region IX. The goal of the RPPC is to increase the
use of recycled paper used in the public and private sectors. The
cooperative is accomplishing this goal by providing 30 percent post
consumer recycled paper that meets or beats the price that many
businesses and public agencies are paying for virgin fiber paper. For more information on cooperative purchasing, see
the ReThink Paper
web site and resources on Forming a Paper Co-op: The Basics.
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Policies
Integrated Waste Management
School Board Policy and Procedures--In collaboration with school
districts and the California School Boards Association, the CIWMB
developed sample school board policies and administrative procedures to
help institutionalize the implementation of district-wide waste reduction
programs, including the purchasing of recycled and other environmentally
preferable products.
Green Procurement Policies--The CIWMB has made clear its desire that recipients of State grant
funds should be practicing what the CIWMB preaches. To assist potential
grant applicants, as well as any local government or business that
wishes to establish a written procurement policy, the Buy Recycled
program compiles actual and proposed policies as a resource.
Fact Sheets
Purchasing for Waste Reduction--Managers and purchasing agents can take a number of steps to practice
waste prevention. This list of ideas was approved by professional
procurement officers and is intended to help you jump start your waste
prevention efforts and save money too.
Steps to Implement a Successful Buy Recycled Program--Although this fact sheet is intended for California State agencies,
which are required to purchase recycled products instead of nonrecycled
products, and to ensure that specific content requirements and
procurement mandates are met for specific product categories. This fact
sheet is very useful to school districts interested in developing a buy
recycled and/or environmentally preferable purchasing program.
Publications
- Going Beyond Recycling, Buy Recycled--A practical guide for schools and school districts on closing the
recycling loop by buying recycled products.
- Take the Next Step, Buy Recycled--Guide to the benefits of buying recycled-content products. Describes
how to find and buy recycled-content products, types of products
available, and tips for State agencies. Lists CIWMB staff contacts and
other resources.
- Catalog of CIWMB
Publications, Buy Recycled
-
Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing Guides--Recently published by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency covering: food serviceware,
copiers, cleaners, carpets, electronics, and meetings.
-
Promising Practices Guide for "Greening" Contracts--United States
Environmental Protection Agency’s series of short case studies
highlighting successful strategies for incorporating environmental
factors into a variety of product and service contracts.
- Buy Recycled Train the Trainer Program--This handbook was developed to provide you with information and
examples of how you can design your purchasing program and procurement
processes to be more environmentally responsible. This tool can be used
by anyone that purchases products or services or makes specifications
for such acquisitions.
- The (Minnesota) Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board's (SWMCB)
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide is a reference tool for
government and school purchasers who want to buy more wisely.
Identifying examples in over 30 product areas, the guide will help
identify ways to reduce workplace hazards, consume less energy, and
protect natural resources. In each category, the guide surveys the
latest field information and provides details on cost, performance, and
vendors. Success stories illustrate how buyers are using environmentally
preferable purchasing to improve their workplaces and our communities.
Tools
The Web-Based
Paper Calculator provided by the Office of the Federal
Environmental Executives calculates the U.S. average energy and wood consumption and
environmental releases summed across the full "life cycle" of
each of five major grades of paper and paperboard. For a given grade, it
allows the user to compare the environmental impacts of papers made with
different levels of postconsumer recycled content, ranging from 0
percent (i.e., virgin paper) to 100 percent.
Associations
The School, Home,
and Office Products Association (SHOPA) was founded in 1991 by a
group of industry executives to produce a strong trade show more in tune
with the industry's needs and to provide a forum in which other industry
concerns could be addressed. SHOPA's vision is to provide members with
new ways of doing business, expanded resources, and tools to help their
businesses reach new levels of success. As outlined in its
Environmental Responsibility Statement, SHOP contribution to the
industry and its relationship to the environment:
- Educating consumers about natural resource conservation;
- Promoting environmentally responsible paper production; and
- Conserving forest resources.
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