Business Waste Reduction

Waste Reduction Opportunities in the Landscape Industry

The landscaping of a front yard, back yard, or business grounds is a long-term investment requiring significant resource input. With a little forethought, these resource requirements can be efficiently managed, reducing the amount of waste often produced by such projects. Additionally, current recycling efforts underway throughout the State of California have made available many new products that contain or use recycled materials. By using "recycled-content" landscaping products, virgin natural resources are conserved, markets for the collected recyclable materials are strengthened, and residents and professionals can save money.

Landscaping Supplies--Purchasing and Packaging

The first step in waste reduction takes place when a product is purchased. Look for landscaping supplies that are available without excess packaging, such as in bulk form. Consumers can influence manufacturers to produce products with minimal packaging or packaging containing recycled content by "voting with their dollars," or even contacting manufacturers directly and expressing purchase preferences.

Fertilizers and pesticides can be purchased in bulk quantities, reusable containers, or water-soluble packages. Bulk packaging reduces the amount of waste per unit of product, and usually costs less. Reusable packages are designed to be returned to the manufacturer or distributor to be refilled. Some manufacturers produce water-soluble packaging that is incorporated into the final product.

In the landscape industry, the reuse or recycling of plant containers can have a dramatic impact on the waste stream from landscape operations. Nurseries may accept certain empty plastic flats, as well as plastic and wood plant containers, for reuse. Wood containers can be reused as decorative planters, cut up into stakes, or ground up for mulch. Plastic containers that are not reused can be recycled and incorporated into products such as plastic lumber for landscaping timbers, benches, or playground equipment. Both large and small generators of used containers should consider "material exchange" services, such as CalMAX, to find individuals interested in reusing these materials.

Landscape Design, Installation, and Plant Selection

With appropriate landscape design and plant selection, the landscape waste stream can be significantly reduced, in turn reducing the overall waste stream. An effective way to reduce waste by design is by using plants that require less pruning. Certain trees and shrubs, most often those that are slow growing or drought tolerant, need little or no pruning and produce less waste. Choose plants that fit the available space in order to minimize pruning needs. In addition, the use of both winter and summer perennials can give year-round color without the cost and waste of replacing annual plants.

Further waste reduction can be accomplished by designing the landscape based on anticipated use (turf vs. shrubbery), and then purchasing plants that require less maintenance and water. The installation of perennial ground covers that do not require replacement every year can be an attractive alternative to turf and result in a reduction in waste. If turf is selected, choose dwarf or other slow growing varieties that require less water.

Irrigation Systems

The proper design and operation of irrigation systems can help reduce unnecessary excess growth, maintenance requirements, and subsequent waste. Use of drip irrigation places water next to the plant, enhancing plant health, as well as minimizing weed growth. Less weeding saves labor costs and decreases the amount of organic matter in the waste stream.

Soil Amendments

In addition to plant selection and watering, soil preparation is an important factor in landscape waste reduction. There are soil enhancement products on the market that contain up to 100 percent recycled content. Compost, which has been used by farmers for centuries, is a ready-to-use soil enricher that looks and feels like dark, crumbly soil. It is made from recycled organic matter, and has numerous benefcial effects both before and after planting as a soil conditioner and fertilizer. Compost enhances soil structure, texture, and aeration as well as improves moisture regulation. Compost loosens clay soils to improve drainage, and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost to soils aids in erosion control, promotes soil fertility, and stimulates healthy root development in plants. It also provides slow-release nutrients that feed plants on a constant basis, in contrast to many synthetic fertilizers that cause spurts of growth, often increasing the need for pruning, trimming, and mowing. An innovative product for high traffic turf is "crumb rubber", made by reducing scrap tires into very small pieces which can be combined with composted organic materials. The main benefit from using tires as a soil amendment is the reduction in soil compaction. The incorporation of crumb rubber can promote earlier turf growth, build stronger and healthier root systems, promote drainage, grow turf that will bounce back after continued hard use, and lower maintenance cost.

Mulch

Mulch is any material (wood chips, compost, paper, shredded tires, rocks) placed over the soil surface to reduce evaporation and erosion, prevent weed growth, and insulate plants from extreme temperature changes. Mulch can be applied 3-6" deep on top of your soil. Do not bury or dig in the mulch; just keep it on the surface. It is also best to keep mulch a few inches away from the trunks of trees to prevent fungal infections. Mulching provides ideal, moist conditions for healthy micro-organism and macro-organism populations. These two populations will work together to "rototill" the soil and increase the overall health and structure of the soil.

When purchasing mulches and composts as top dressings or soil amendments, consideration should be given to products with the highest recycled content.

Landscape Edging

Landscape edging helps to separate one spreading or adventitious plant from another, or simply defines areas within a landscape. The requirements of a given landscape make selection and installation of edging materials relatively important.

Small differences in products can result in long-term savings for the property owner and maintenance contractor. Effective containment and durability save maintenance dollars in the future.

Begin by considering what type of edging material is best to use. Available materials include poly/vinyl, aluminum, steel, wood, and even concrete. By asking your landscape supplier you should be able to find materials that are either 100 percent recycled or have some recycled content. Other materials that can be used as an edging material include old bricks, broken chunks of concrete, rocks dug up during the prepping of a yard, or other materials that fit into your designed landscape.

Landscape Maintenance

Waste reduction in the maintenance of turf and landscapes can be accomplished by simply reducing the amount of growth. Proper monitoring and maintenance of irrigation systems can help to keep turf and plant growth to a manageable level. A reduction in growth will translate into less frequent trimming and pruning, and a subsequent reduction in waste. For instance, limiting the amount of water and fertilizer applied to a lawn can allow it to be maintained in a healthy state without producing excess amounts of grass clippings.

On average, a thousand square feet of California lawn produces over 300 pounds of clipping annually. These clippings can be incorporated directly back into the lawn by "grasscycling". Grasscycling is the natural recycling of grass by leaving clippings on the lawn when mowing. Moderate growth through proper management, or more frequent mowing, will produce short clippings that will not cover the grass surface. Grass clippings decompose quickly and release valuable nutrients back into the soil. Grasscycling is simple, easy, and it works! Most mower manufacturers sell mowers that are capable of grasscycling, or have kits which can convert conventional mowers. If clippings must be collected, they should be composted.

Trimmings and clippings from lawns, trees and shrubs can be composted, used as a mulch or even burned as biomass fuel to produce electricity. Mulching and composting can be performed on site, or the material can be transported to an appropriate facility. Prunings and clippings can be mulched at the job site using a chipper/shredder and applied around the garden, or can be transported to a local processor.

Compost can be added to established turf area as well as any planting beds. There are two ways to add compost to lawns by aerating and applying compost into the holes made by the aerator, or simply by sprinkling a layer on top, called top dressing. In the planting bed areas a top dressing of compost once or twice a year will help to ensure a beautiful garden. Additional applications throughout the year could benefit the garden and will not damage the plants. You can either leave the compost on the soil surface as a mulch or work it into the soil.

Although some of the above recommendations may differ from traditional landscape practices, all have been proven to be effective through actual implementation. With yard trimmings alone making up the single largest portion of California's waste stream (15 to 20 percent), any effort to prevent waste through landscaping practices will help communities reach their waste reduction goals.

For More Help:

• See our landscaping waste reduction page.
• The California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA) has produced a comprehensive guide to environmentally sound landscaping practices. The Resource Recovery Hand-Book: Tips for an Environmentally Sensitive Green Industry is available for a nominal fee by contacting CLCA, 2021 N. Street #300, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 448-2522.
• CIWMB Waste Prevention Information Exchange, (916) 341-6363. The Info Exchange has sample outreach materials from other organizations and offers technical assistance.

Publication number 500-94-043

To order this publication, or for more Business Waste Reduction Assistance, please contact us! If you have questions, information, ideas, educational materials, etc., please share it with us so we can share it with others!

Back to Fact Sheets | Business Waste Reduction Home

Last updated: October 21, 2007