Waste Management and Environmental Purchasing Procedures

Business and Noninstructional Operations AR 3511.1(a-c)

All District departments and schools shall adopt and promote the use of recycled/recyclable supplies and materials as a department/school priority. In doing so the department/schools shall:

1. Encourage waste prevention, recycling, market development, and use of recycles/recyclable materials through lease agreements, contractual relationship and purchasing practices with vendors, contractors, business, and other government agencies. In ordering, all District personnel will specify recycled and environmentally preferable products whenever practicable. The District shall solicit the use of recycled and other environmentally preferable products in its procurement documents as appropriate.

2. Adopt waste prevention, reuse, recycling and use of recycled supplies/materials as a department/school priority. District department/schools shall practice waste prevention whenever practicable.

3. Generate less waste material by reviewing how supplies, materials and equipment are manufactured, purchased, packaged, delivered, used, and the manner of their disposal.

4. Serve as a model for the District and community to influence waste prevention, recycling and procurement efforts. Work cooperatively with the City of Barstow on waste prevention and conservation efforts.

Definitions

"Environmentally Preferable Products" means products that have a lesser impact on human health and the environment than competing products. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation and/or disposal of the product.

"Recycled Products" are products manufactured with waste material that has been recovered or diverted from the waste stream. Recycled material may be derived from post-consumer waste (material that has served its intended end use and been discarded by a final consumer), industrial scrap, manufacturing waste and/or other waste that otherwise would not have been utilized.

Responsibilities of the Purchasing Department

The Purchasing Department shall be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the procurement guidelines and shall:

1. Develop and maintain information about environmentally preferable products and recycled products to be purchased by the District, departments, and schools.

2. Inform other departments/schools of their responsibilities about waste prevention; provide departments/schools with information about recycled products and environmental procurement opportunities.

3. Seek to participate in material exchanges and Joint Powers Authorities to negotiate prices that are more competitive.

4. Reuse materials whenever possible.

5. Inform vendors of our Environmental Purchasing Policy.

6. Restrict contracts to only recycled-content products whenever economically practically feasible (e.g. office supplies, lubricating oils, and janitorial supplies).

7. Review specifications used in public bidding to eliminate barriers to recycled-content products, such as outdated or overly stringent product specifications and specifications not related to product performance. Requests for proposals shall require vendors to offer recycled products whenever practicable.

8. Provide the District Superintendent with an annual report on the status of key benchmark commodities such as water.

9. Monitor records regarding waste disposal for the District and work cooperatively with the City of Barstow and vendors in waste prevention and conservation of resources.

Responsibilities of All Departments/Schools

Each Department/School shall:

1. Practice waste prevention.

2. Continue recycling programs and expand where possible.

3. Procure and use recycled products.

4. Evaluate each designated product to determine the extent to which Departments/Schools may practicably 
   use it.

5. Ensure that procurement documents issued by the Department/ School require environmentally preferable purchasing.

6. Reuse materials whenever possible.

Nothing in this policy shall be construed as requiring the purchase of products that do not perform adequately or are not available at a reasonable price.

This Barstow Unified School District Regulation was approved on September 13, 2001 in Barstow, California.

District Administration | School Waste Reduction Home

Last updated: September 18, 2008