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There are many opportunities for reducing waste in building maintenance, custodial
care, and landscaping. Reducing waste can mean saving money on both garbage bills and
buying supplies. The following are suggestions from professionals in property management
and waste reduction.
Building Maintenance
- Service all building equipment as indicated in the warranties.
- Purchase durable, repairable, and energy efficient equipment. It may cost more up front,
but will save money in the long run.
- Keep buildings in good repair; avoid deferred maintenance. Repairs are usually less
expensive if handled right away.
- Use durable, recycled, and recyclable materials when doing maintenance and repairs. To
find businesses that sell recycled-content construction products, see the database on our construction and demolition Web site.
- Obtain and recycle material through the California Materials Exchange
(CalMAX) or a local material exchange; for more information about this free listing
service, call (916) 341-6611. Materials exchanges help businesses and institutions locate
markets for materials they have traditionally discarded and to find materials suitable for
reuse.
- Contact local processors who accept construction/renovation debris for recycling. For a
list of processors see our Construction and Demolition Debris
Recycling Program Web site.
- Donate old furniture, office equipment, outdated forms, or paper that is only used on
one side. These materials can be used by many nonprofits, schools, or other organizations.
Contact United Way, local homeless shelters, or social service organizations for potential
recipients.
- Purchase reusable air filters or air filter frames. Completely reusable air filters
require cleaning with hot water (no soap); reusable frames have a disposable filter
insert. Some organizations have found it cost effective to hire a firm that replaces
filter inserts on a regular schedule.
- Purchase longer lasting light bulbs. Incandescent light sockets in exit signs can be
converted to fluorescent. Check out availability of rebates from your electric company.
- Use sensors or timers to automatically turn equipment on and off. This can reduce wear
on equipment and energy costs.
- Purchase energy-efficient plugs and sockets.
- Maintain building with lead-free paint, and paint on as-needed basis.
- Recycle old paint and other related materials appropriately. See the CIWMB fact sheet Latex Paint--Hazards
and Solutions for Disposal.
Custodial
- Make recycling available to building tenants. See the CIWMB brochure on Waste Reduction
For Business & Industry for more information about how to set up a recycling program.
- Use cloth towel dispensers in bathrooms or purchase recycled and unbleached paper towel
rolls.
- If individual rolls of toilet paper are removed before they are completely empty, save
them and donate to shelters.
- Ask vendors to sell products that are more durable, reusable, repairable, and
recyclable. Also, ask suppliers not to overpackage orders.
- Request that deliveries be shipped in returnable and reusable containers. Ask vendors to
take back packaging. In some cases they may be able to reuse it.
- Prior to recycling or disposing, find out if packaging materials could be reused by your
company or another business. Cardboard and polystyrene may be used for art projects.
- Purchase products with no packaging, less packaging, or reusable packaging.
- Reduce wood waste by requiring suppliers to collect crates, pallets, barrels, and spools
for reuse. These items may also be used internally or can be given to employees to take
home.
- Purchase cleaning supplies in bulk and concentrate form. These give you more product for
less packaging, and are usually less expensive.
- Use cleaners without toxic, corrosive, and flammable chemicals. Read labels. Look for
products that do not require special handling and/or do not have warnings.
- Dispense cleaning solutions in refillable containers like pump-spray bottles. Use
products in nonaerosol containers where possible.
- Use washable rags.
- Eliminate trash bag liners in waste cans where no wet trash is disposed of.
Landscaping
- Compost yard trimmings and use them as a topsoil amendment.
- Chip tree trimmings and use as mulch.
- Plant drought-tolerant plants, they use less water and produce fewer trimmings.
- Avoid overfertilizing and overwatering, which lead to thatch buildup and excess lawn
clippings.
- Practice "grasscycling" by leaving grass clippings on the lawn as you mow, and
allow them to decompose naturally. See ClWMB's brochure on grasscycling.
- Practice integrated pest management which encourages biological pest controls and
minimum applications of pesticides.
- Return plant containers to vendors.
- See the CIWMB fact sheet Waste Reduction Opportunities in the
Landscape Industry.
- See the additional CIWMB resources on landscaping waste
reduction.
For More Help:
- CIWMB Waste Prevention Information Exchange, (916)
341-6363. The
Info Exchange has sample outreach materials from other organizations and offers technical
assistance.
- CIWMB Buy Recycled Program, (916) 341-6481.
- For the name of your local recycling coordinator call the CIWMB's Office of Local
Assistance at (916) 341-6481.
Publication #500-94-032
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!
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