M a r c h 2 0 1 0 

Resource Conservation 

Challenge Update

M a t e r i a l s 

matter
Across the Nation 

Representative Success Stories in EPA Regions

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10

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2

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3

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hawaii

alaska

Puerto rico

U.S. Virgin Islands

Region 1

Burlington Sheraton Hotel Implements 

Successful Composting and Recycling 

Programs. See page 10.

Region 2

NY Sports Teams Get Greener. See page 28.

Region 3

Temple University Recycling Center Keeps 

Electronics Out of Landfills. See page 20.

Region 4

Zero Waste Zone Atlanta. See page 25.

Region 5

Chicago Puts the 3Rs in Motion. See page 17.

Region 6

Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., Reduces 

Priority Chemicals in Rural Communities.

See page 23.

Region 7

Missouri Rewards Contractors for Using 

Environmentally Friendly Practices.

See page 27.

Region 8

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Environmental 

Protection Department Helps Make Tribal 

Schools Safer. See page 16.

Region 9

Tribal Casinos Find Environmental Solutions.

See page 16.

Region 10

Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant 

Builds with Sustainability in Mind.

See page 30.
Table of Contents

Across the Nation ........................................................................................ inside front cover

Introduction............................................................................................................................... 2

RCC Focus Areas........................................................................................................................ 5

Overview of RCC Partners and Stakeholders.................................................................... 6

I. Business and Industry Partnerships......................................................................... 7

II. Federal, State, Local and Tribal Governments ...................................................13

III. Schools and Universities ........................................................................................18

IV. Communities..............................................................................................................22

Infrastructure Design, Construction, and Operation....................................................26

RCC Tools, Education, and Outreach..................................................................................31

Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond............................................................................................33

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 1
Introduction

Laying the Foundation: 

the Resource Conservation Challenge

Through the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its stakeholders have 

made great progress in reducing, reusing, and recycling materials 

in many sectors of society. On a national level, recycling rates 

have nearly doubled in the past two decades, demonstrating the 

impact that education, outreach, and partnerships can have on 

materials management across the country. In 2008, 83 million tons 

of materials were recycled and composted, achieving a recycling 

rate of 33.2% nationwide. On average, Americans recycled and 

composted 1.5 pounds of our individual wasted generation of 4.5 

pounds per person per day. 

Partnership programs like WasteWise have made a difference, 

bringing together more than 2,860 members with the common 

goal to reduce, reuse, and recycle municipal solid waste and 

selected industrial waste. In addition, the National Partnership for 

Environmental Priorities (NPEP) has reduced more than 17 million 

pounds of chemicals from industrial and business processes—all 

since 2004. 

By working with colleges and universities, as well as with supporting 

programs like RecycleMania, EPA is educating the next generation 

of citizens about the benefits of resource conservation. During the 

2009 RecycleMania Challenge, students across the country recycled 

and composted 69.4 million tons of materials as part of the 10-week 

competition.

U.S. Municipal Recycling Rates

0

10

20

30

40

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007 2008

Recycling Rates (%)

National Partnership for Environmental 

Priorities Fiscal Year Totals for Reported 

Priority Chemicals Reductions

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Reduction Amount (millons of pounds)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Fiscal Year

2 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
This update highlights some of the RCC program accomplishments, and provides 

examples of work completed in 2009, in the four focus areas of the RCC: 

1) Municipal solid waste (MSW) reduction, reuse, and recycling; 

2) Green initiatives, focused on reducing the lifecycle environmental impacts of 

electronics and green building; 

3) Industrial materials reduction, reuse, and recycling; and 

4) Reduction of toxic chemicals in products and waste. 

Putting materials to use that would otherwise be considered trash is an important 

element of materials management; however, it is only one component of 

sustainable materials management. EPA is now focusing on the entire lifecycle 

of the materials used in the United States, so that policy-makers, program 

implementers, industry, communities and consumers understand their options as 

they design programs or choose the goods and services they buy. 

To help all stakeholders understand the shift toward lifecycle thinking, in 2009 

EPA released the “Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead” report, 

describing how federal and state environmental agencies can move from a waste 

management approach to a lifecycle-based materials management approach as 

they implement their programs. 

This report suggests a roadmap for a future based on sustainable materials 

management, a future that can fulfill human needs and allows our society to 

prosper, while using less material, reducing toxics, and recovering more of the 

materials used. This report provides three major recommendations and describes 

specific measures EPA and state environmental agencies can take to 1) promote 

efforts to manage materials and products on a lifecycle basis; 2) build capacity and 

integrate materials management approaches in existing government programs; and 

3) accelerate the broad, public dialogue necessary to start a generation-long shift in 

how we manage materials and create a green, resilient, and competitive economy. 

To read “The Road Ahead” in 

full, visit www.epa.gov/waste/

inforesources/pubs/vision.htm

Materials management is focused on:

1) knowing and reducing the lifecycle impacts across the supply chain; 

2) using fewer material inputs (reduce, reuse, recycle); 

3) using fewer toxic materials and more renewable materials; and

4) considering whether services can be substituted for products. 

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 3
To begin to implement the recommendations from “The Road Ahead,” EPA

launched materials management projects to:

• Determine the lifecycle implications of consumer packaging and construction 

and demolition materials.

• Develop guidance for use and disclosure of lifecycle analysis done in support 

of environmental claims made on products and materials.

• Explore options for sustainable financing of municipal recycling programs.

A fully-realized, sustainable materials management strategy addresses the 

recovery and beneficial use of wastes in industrial and product lifecycles, and 

emphasizes powerful upstream opportunities to reduce and change materials use. 

In the spirit of the RCC, EPA continues to challenge its partners to transform the 

materials management landscape so that, together, we can find new ways to make 

the entire lifecycle of materials and processes less harmful to human health and 

the environment.

4 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
RCC Focus Areas 

To target its resources and achieve maximum results, EPA has focused its work in four areas:

I. Municipal Solid Waste

Through the RCC, EPA is challenging 

consumers, businesses, organizations, 

and industries to reduce, reuse, and 

recycle more of the United States’ 

municipal solid waste (MSW), from 

office paper to product packaging. 

In 2009, the U.S. recycled 33.2% 

of its MSW; small choices by every 

consumer, business, and government 

can help our country achieve even 

more, reaping environmental and 

economic benefits. Through the RCC, 

EPA encourages America’s citizens, 

industry, and governments to make 

smart choices in managing materials 

by considering alternatives to disposal 

such as reduction, reuse, and recycling. 

II. Green Initiatives – 

Electronics and Green 

Buildings

The number of computers, televisions 

and cell phones we purchase, use, and 

discard is steadily increasing. Through 

partnerships, the full lifecycle impacts 

of electronic products, including 

design, operation, reuse, recycling, 

and disposal, is gaining national 

attention. Similarly, EPA is 

working with the design and 

construction industries to 

encourage the use of safe 

and reusable materials in 

building construction.

III. Industrial Materials 

Recycling

Industrial byproduct materials, such 

as foundry sand, construction and 

demolition materials, slags, coal 

combustion products, and gypsum 

are generated in large volumes every 

day. However, these materials are not 

typically seen by the general public, 

nor is the role these materials play in 

everyday products—such as highways 

and sidewalks—widely known. The 

RCC is helping to take what was once 

considered industrial waste to create 

highways, bridges, and other basic 

infrastructure.

IV. Priority and Toxic 

Chemical Reduction

While low in volume compared to 

MSW, priority and toxic chemicals 

present potential hazards to human 

health and the environment. EPA is 

working with business and industry 

to reduce the volume of highly toxic 

chemicals in their processes, resulting 

in a smaller and less toxic waste 

streams.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 5
Overview of

RCC Partners and Stakeholders

In 2009, EPA worked with a diverse array of partners and stakeholders to achieve results.

I. Business and Industry 

Office buildings and manufacturing 

facilities have a significant impact 

on the environment. From energy 

used in the physical buildings to 

the materials companies produce, 

many opportunities exist to manage 

materials more efficiently. Many 

businesses and industries have 

contributed to the success of programs 

such as:

• WasteWise, which targets the 

reduction of municipal solid waste 

such as corrugated cardboard 

containers and other packaging 

materials, office paper, yard 

trimmings, and wood pallets, as well 

as selected industrial wastes such as 

non-hazardous batteries, oil filters, 

and foundry sands.

• Plug-In to eCycling, a program 

designed to increase recycling of 

electronic products such as cell 

phones, computers, and televisions. 

• National Partnership for 

Environmental Priorities (NPEP), 

which focuses on reducing the use 

of potentially hazardous chemicals 

from products and processes.

II. Federal, State, Local 

and Tribal Governments 

Government organizations wield 

significant buying power that can 

positively impact reduction, reuse, 

or recycling programs across the 

country. Procurement choices made 

by government at all levels have a 

direct impact on suppliers, and on 

the materials suppliers use in their 

products. EPA supports government 

partners through technical assistance, 

workshops, and development of new 

tools and resources.

III. Schools and Universities 

EPA helps to make K–12 schools 

safer by reducing chemical 

exposures and improving chemical 

management through the Schools 

Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3). 

RecycleMania capitalizes on the spirit 

of competition among university 

students, engaging students so that 

recycling will become a habit that they 

will practice throughout their lives.

IV. Communities 

Communities across the country are 

demonstrating that it is possible to 

increase economic development and 

improve residents’ quality of life 

in a way that preserves the natural 

environment for present and future 

generations. EPA supports communities 

in their efforts to manage materials 

more efficiently by sponsoring 

conferences, hosting forums, and 

developing tools and case studies 

to promote communities’ innovative 

efforts.

6 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
I. Business and 

Industry Partnerships 

Businesses and industry continue to be important RCC partners. 

Their willingness to meet RCC challenges and seek solutions 

to environmental problems benefits their bottom line and 

the environment. 

• WasteWise celebrated 15 years of environmental results in 2009, with 2,860 

members contributing to the prevention and recycling of more than 160 million 

tons of waste. 

• The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) celebrated its fifth 

year in 2009, building on its past success by achieving impressive results in 

priority chemical reductions. In 2009, NPEP’s 260 partners removed more than 

7 million pounds of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals from their 

business processes and products. 

The examples below describe similar work across the nation. 

These programs are achieving continued success in reducing 

the environmental footprint of business and industry.

Learn more about EPA’s partnership programs at: 

www.epa.gov/waste/partnerships

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 7
WasteWise Celebrates 15 Years 

of Environmental Progress 

Americans have been actively recycling since the early 1970s, but the national 

recycling rate did not reach 15 percent until 1990. A vast majority of recycling 

efforts in the past focused on residential recycling programs. Even with the 

expansion of these programs, it became apparent that in order for more materials 

to be recycled, non-residential recycling had to play a key role. Non-residential 

settings such as office buildings, commercial establishments, schools, and 

financial institutions were an untapped resource for recycling. Since 1990, the 

national recycling rate has risen to more than 33 percent, due in large part to the 

gains made in commercial and other institutional recycling. 

To promote commercial and other institutional waste prevention and recycling, 

EPA launched the WasteWise program in 1994. The program, now more than 

2,860 members strong, provides assistance to organizations developing and 

implementing waste prevention or recycling programs. For the past 15 years, 

WasteWise has helped thousands of organizations, large and small, find 

effective and efficient ways to prevent and recycle wastes. Organizations 

reduce MSW and select industrial wastes to the benefit of the environment 

and their bottom lines. Since the program was launched, WasteWise 

members have reported preventing or recycling more than 160 million tons 

of materials1, equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 

from more than 60 million passenger vehicles. 

In 2009, WasteWise launched a new waste management tracking and 

reporting system, Re-TRAC, that allows members to track their waste 

reduction and recycling tonnages by material and in realtime. The system 

also allows members to input their waste reduction and recycling data 

and run multiple reports to quantify accomplishments. The system uses 

EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to calculate GHG savings from 

waste prevention and recycling activities and provides a climate profile 

quantifying the results. The system is particularly beneficial for large 

organizations with multiple facilities that can now report individually, but 

have their data aggregated at a corporate level. 

www.epa.gov/wastewise

1 This figure represents the total amount of waste prevention and recycling efforts 

reported by those WasteWise partners who submitted annual reports to EPA. EPA

is not claiming that all of the waste prevention and recycling efforts achieved by 

WasteWise partners are attributable to the WasteWise program. EPA is working on 

a method to better quantify the impact of WasteWise on business behavior and 

waste reduction.

Paper was 31 percent 

of the U.S.’s total waste 

stream in 2008 with 77.42 

million tons generated

8 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Recycling one ton of paper: 

•	Saves enough energy to 

power the average American 

home for 6 months

•	Saves 7,000 gallons of water

•	Saves 3.3 cubic yards 

of landfill space

•	Reduces GHG emissions 

by one metric ton of 

carbon equivalent 

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 9

EPA Region 3 Launches the 

Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Partnership

In January 2009, EPA launched 

the Mid-Atlantic Sustainability 

Partnership. The Sustainability 

Partnership is a 2-year pilot 

program in EPA’s Region 3 that 

bundles partnership programs into 

a single gateway to environmental 

footprint reduction for businesses, 

communities, and organizations. 

The Sustainability Partnership offers 

major consumers of energy, water, 

and resources a one-stop shop 

approach to reducing their overall 

environmental footprint. 

Sustainability Partnership members: 

• receive an EPA single point of 

contact for sustainability programs 

across the Agency;

• are given tools and educational 

materials to develop and implement 

programs;

• receive support in developing 

sustainability plans and quantifying 

environmental results;

• receive technical assistance from 

EPA, state environmental agencies, 

and/or other partners;

• network and share lessons learned 

with other members; and

• showcase their success through 

public recognition.

There are currently 30 partners with 

numerous other prospective partners 

in different stages of discussion or 

review with EPA and within their 

organizations. 

www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/spp
Burlington Sheraton Hotel Implements Successful 

Composting and Recycling Programs

The hospitality sector deals with a unique mix of materials management and 

energy conservation issues. The high volumes of food, the need to launder 

bedding, napkins, and tablecloths regularly, as well as constant energy use, result 

in conservation strategies that are often difficult to implement. The benefits, 

though, are quickly realized. 

State environmental agencies in the Northeast are working with EPA and each 

other to develop compliance and pollution prevention assistance strategies for 

lodging and restaurants in the region. In 2008, EPA Region 1 worked with the 

Northeast Waste Management Officials Association to enhance the ability of 

the state and local agencies to implement effective environmental assistance 

programs for the hospitality industry. 

The Burlington Sheraton, one of Vermont’s largest hotels and conference centers, 

joined the Vermont Green Hotels program in April 2009. The Vermont program 

is one of many certification programs in the New England states designed 

specifically for the hospitality sector. EPA has an ongoing 2008 RCC grant with 

the Northeast Recycling Council to recruit hotels to the Vermont Green Hotels 

Program, and provide technical assistance and onsite waste audits. 

In its first 6 months of becoming one of Vermont’s Green Hotels, the Sheraton 

reduced the amount of waste going to a landfill by 26.8 tons of materials, 

including: 

• 20.5 tons of food waste composted;

• 6 tons mixed recyclables collected; and

• 500 pounds of unused prepared food and 30 pounds of linens donated to the 

Vermont Food Bank. 

In addition to reducing the amount of waste going to a landfill, the hotel 

eliminated processed food going down the drain. Prior to April 2009, as much 

as 75 percent of the hotel’s food waste was put in the garbage disposal. Since 

the hotel started collecting food waste for composting, there is no need for the 

garbage disposal and it has been removed from the kitchen.

As the environmental and economic benefits of efficient, sustainable hotels are 

highlighted by successful projects like the Burlington Sheraton, the certification 

programs in New England serve as a model for the hospitality industry and hotel 

guests alike. 

www.newmoa.org/prevention/projects/hospitality 

10 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
In its first 6 months of becoming one of Vermont’s 

Green Hotels, the environmental benefits of the Burlington 

Sheraton’s recycling and composting efforts include:

• net GHG savings from recycling of 18 metric tons of carbon 

dioxide equivalent, equal to the carbon dioxide emissions 

from consuming more than 2,000 gallons of gasoline.

• more than 100 million BTUs of energy saved, equal to the 

amount of energy used annually by an average U.S. household.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 11
Manufacturers Step Up To EPA’s 

TV Recycling Challenge 

In 2009, the Plug-In To eCycling program launched a challenge to electronics 

retailers and television manufacturers: find ways to increase responsible TV 

recycling as consumers replace analog TVs with digital flat screens. With the 

digital TV transition on the horizon, time was of the essence to prepare for 

consumers discarding their old TVs for TVs with a digital signal. Manufacturers had 

the additional incentive to increase recycling and help out local governments due 

to voluntary and mandatory state recycling programs. 

Launched in January 2009, the TV Recycling Challenge gave manufacturers 6 

months to build partnerships and develop innovative, long-lasting electronics 

recycling channels. The challenge award criteria included innovation, longevity, 

cooperative partnerships, consumer outreach, accessibility, pounds of TVs 

collected during the challenge, and ability to ensure that responsible recycling 

practices were followed.

Leading TV manufacturers, including Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, and 

Toshiba accepted the challenge by expanding recycling opportunities throughout 

the United States and covering the costs of collection. 

EPA named the Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company 

(MRM), founded by Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba, the winner of the TV Recycling 

Challenge, with 3 million pounds of TVs collected through voluntary state 

programs. MRM developed a TV collection network with a variety 

of collection points, including locations at charities and self 

storage units. MRM plans to expand its recycling network 

beyond the life of the recycling challenge, adding new 

partners and new collection points.

www.epa.gov/plugin

By the end of the Plug-In To 

eCycling competition in August 

2009, approximately 8.2 million 

pounds of TVs had been collected 

for recycling. As a result of these 

recycling efforts, millions of 

pounds of materials—copper, 

leaded glass, and plastics—

were recovered, helping to 

conserve natural resources 

and reduce the need to extract 

and process virgin materials.

12 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
II. Federal, State, Local and 

Tribal Governments 

Materials management and recycling programs are critical 

components of environmental efforts at all levels of 

government. Through partnerships like the ones described 

below, the RCC is able to achieve environmental goals and bring 

together governments across the country to learn from each 

other and share successes. 

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 13
Getting the Lead Out of U.S. Postal Service Vehicles

In November 2009, USPS set a goal to reduce 34,000 pounds of lead from its 

nationwide fleet of 215,000 vehicles. USPS has decided to set an example for all 

federal agencies with large vehicle fleets based on the success USPS had in 2008 

and 2009 in its Pacific Area (California and Hawaii) pilot to remove lead wheel 

weights from its vehicles.

Lead wheel weights, used to balance vehicle tires, can come off while a vehicle is 

in use, causing concern for human health and the environment when the wheel 

weights leach lead into the land and water. In February 2008, the Pacific Area USPS 

joined the National Lead-free Wheel Weight Initiative and pledged to reduce 7,600 

pounds of lead from its fleet. In fact, the goal was exceeded—nearly 11,000 pounds 

of lead was reduced. Building on that success, the Pacific Area USPS (with a fleet of 

more than 30,000 vehicles in thirty-four maintenance facilities across California and 

Hawaii) has agreed to replace the lead wheel weights on all of its delivery vehicles 

with non-lead containing alternatives. 

Kickapoo Nation Conducts Scrap Tire 

Roundups and E-Cycle Events

Solid waste management touches all aspects of tribal and village life—

public health, environmental quality, tribal culture, and land stewardship.

However, tribes often have limited resources to dedicate to waste reduction 

and recycling programs. Competing interests such as education, physical 

and mental health, employment, and economic development often take 

precedence over solid waste management and exhaust tribal funds. With so 

many priorities, solid waste managers have to make the case that materials 

management is an issue that warrants attention and adequate funding. 

The Kickapoo Nation, with more than 1,600 members, located in 

northeastern Kansas, has firsthand experience elevating the 

importance of materials management within the tribal structure. 

The tribe identified two waste materials as priorities: tires and 

electronics. These materials were chosen because they are not 

collected by the nation’s local waste and municipal recycling 

service provider.

Based on a successful EPA Region 9 pilot program 

deployed in the USPS Pacific Area, the USPS transitioned 

its national delivery vehicle fleet from using lead 

containing wheel weights to lead-free alternatives.

Tires and electronics collected 

in the Kickapoo 

Nation

14 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
In 2009, two tire round-up events in the Kickapoo Nation resulted in the collection 

of more than 1,100 tires. Many of the tires were simply waiting to be collected on 

residents’ property. The tires were shredded, the rubber was used for roadbeds 

and track surfaces, and the steel was sold locally as scrap metal.

The Kickapoo Nation worked with the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri, located 

in northeastern Kansas, and EPA Region 7’s General Assistance Program for 

solid waste implementation, to conduct the first electronics waste drive for the 

tribes. The event, held in August 2009, collected approximately 40 monitors, 15 

televisions, as well as computer keyboards, other computer components, and 

various office machines. The electronics were shipped offsite for recycling. 

By focusing on common wastes that are not regularly collected, such as tires and 

electronics, the Kickapoo Nation is helping to protect the health of its members 

and conserve valuable materials. 

North Carolina Project Shows Potential for 

Modernizing Municipal Curbside Programs

States across the country run the MSW programs that companies and residents 

rely on to collect the 250 million tons of trash and the 83 million tons of 

materials the country collects for recycling per year. While the programs vary 

depending upon factors such as existing infrastructure and available resources, all 

share a common goal to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials.

With assistance from an EPA Region 4 recycling grant, North Carolina recently 

completed a project to demonstrate ways to improve the performance of 

curbside programs in medium-sized municipalities (approximately 10,000 to 

50,000 in population). In the project, North Carolina’s Division of Pollution 

Prevention and Environmental Assistance (DPPEA) provided training, 

individualized technical assistance and grants to help approximately 30 

municipalities upgrade their collection and public outreach efforts. 

During Phase I of the project, DPPEA staff produced customized, individual 

profiles for each municipality to show the communities a baseline of their 

performance against the potential for improvement with the adoption 

of Best Management Practices (BMP). The BMP focused specifically on 

operational changes, such as conversion to single-stream cart systems, and 

on renewed attention to education programs to boost participation rates.

Phase II of the project delivered direct community assistance to curbside 

communities, focusing on two main issues: 1) operational changes that can 

increase efficiency and program tonnage; and 2) educational/promotional 

initiatives that can increase participation and tonnage.

DPPEA reports that from 2006 to 2009 this project increased recycling 

by more than 10.8 thousand tons, surpassing the initial goal to increase 

recycling by 6.7 thousand tons.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 15
Tribal Casinos Find Environmental Solutions

Many tribes in the Pacific Southwest operate gaming facilities, some of which 

include ancillary facilities such as hotels, resorts, or golf courses. Waste 

generated at these facilities can be significant, and tribes are leading the way to 

decrease the environmental impact of operations with innovative retrofit projects 

and investments that have paid off in many ways. 

Tribal casinos like the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash are retrofitting slot 

machines with light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which reduce the amount of energy 

used to operate the machines while saving money on electricity bills. Tribes such 

as the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians have established water recycling 

projects at their casino that treat and reuse water in landscaping, saving energy 

and money. Restaurant operations are going green by composting food scraps and 

using the resulting compost for external landscaping. 

To further support tribes in their efforts, in 2009, EPA Region 9 and the Shingle 

Springs Band of Miwok Indians co-hosted a national Greening Tribal Casinos 

workshop where tribes heard from experts on ways to “go green” in all aspects of 

facility operation and management, from the casino floor to the hotel and spa. 

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 

Environmental Protection Department 

Helps Make Tribal Schools Safer

In February 2009, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Environmental Protection 

Department in North Dakota, along with EPA Region 8 and Pollution Control 

Industries, collaborated to make the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation schools 

a healthier environment for students and staff. Together, they worked to 

remove unwanted, unneeded, and outdated chemicals from these schools. The 

tribal environmental protection department gained the support, cooperation, 

and participation of school administrators and staff, which enabled the tribe to 

identify unsafe and harmful chemicals. Tradebe Pollution Control Industries, 

a Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) charter partner, donated its 

services to safely pack and collect chemicals for shipment and proper 

disposal. More than 1,500 pounds of chemicals were removed from 

schools, including neurotoxins, carcinogens, toxic, and ignitable 

chemicals. 

16 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Chicago Puts the 3Rs in Motion

As of 2010, more than 1,000 mayors 

have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate 

Protection Agreement, committing 

to reduce the climate change impacts 

of their communities. The mayors 

committed to meet or surpass 

international targets set by the Kyoto 

Protocol, and to work within their 

communities and towns to encourage 

climate protection. Materials 

management strategies such as 

reduce, reuse and recycle and lifecycle 

analysis are efficient, powerful ways 

for cities to meet their goals and 

contribute to climate protection.

As a participant of the U.S. Mayors 

Climate Protection Agreement, 

Chicago is incorporating the wasteto-climate change connection in its 

policies and programs. With a goal to 

reduce waste by 90 percent by 2020, 

Chicago is making changes across the 

environmental board—saving energy, 

recycling industrial materials, and 

encouraging materials reuse through 

business networks. EPA Region 5 is 

supporting Chicago’s efforts to reduce 

its waste, green its buildings, and help 

those in need. With so many projects, 

Chicago’s successes and lessons 

learned are not going to waste; the 

city created a “Best Practices Guide” 

for stadiums after conducting waste 

assessments at six major stadiums. 

Chicago also developed a toolkit for 

multi-family buildings to increase 

recycling, which resulted in as much 

as a 30 percent increase in recycling 

in pilot buildings. 

Reuse is a major part of Chicago’s 

progress. Successful reuse programs 

include: 

• Promoting deconstruction, instead 

of demolition, of Chicago homes, 

through outreach and the opening 

of the city’s first building materials 

reuse store.

• Supporting Chicago’s successful 

byproduct synergy program, the 

Waste to Profit Network, which has 

diverted more than 165,000 tons of 

waste from disposal. This diversion 

has avoided 102,000 tons of carbon 

dioxide equivalent emissions 

through a network of more than 200 

companies.

• Developing a book donation and 

recycling program for Chicago 

Public Schools, resulting in 35,000 

pounds of textbooks donated to 

Africa and Asia. Donating rather 

than landfilling the textbooks is 

a source reduction strategy that 

reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) 

emissions by 190 metric tons of 

carbon dioxide equivalent, which is 

comparable to the annual carbon 

dioxide emissions produced by the 

annual electricity use of 25 U.S. 

homes.

• Recycling an additional 165 

thousand pounds of books that 

could no longer be used. Recycling 

rather than landfilling the textbooks 

reduced GHG emissions by 400 

metric tons of carbon dioxide 

equivalent, equivalent to the 

carbon dioxide emissions from the 

electricity use of more than 50 U.S. 

homes.

Chicago’s approaches demonstrate 

steps other cities can take to improve 

their recycling and reuse rates and 

minimize the amount of usable 

product going into landfills.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 17
III. Schools and Universities

EPA and our partners are working to ensure that learning 

environments are protective of students and school staff while 

teaching important environmental lessons to our nation’s youth.

EPA has made great strides in reducing harmful chemical exposures and 

improving chemical management in schools. In addition to chemical 

management, many schools are constructing and renovating buildings with key 

waste reduction and energy efficiency goals while implementing aggressive 

recycling campaigns on campus. 

Universities across the country continue to develop unique, cost-effective ways 

to address environmental issues faced by communities and the nation as a 

whole. For example, schools challenge and educate students with programs like 

RecycleMania, which can be replicated on campuses of all sizes. 

With aspiring environmental leaders eager to develop solutions to materials 

management issues, our nation’s universities continue to embrace the challenge 

in the RCC. 

Educational materials to help students reduce, reuse, and recycle are available at 

www.epa.gov/waste/education and www.epa.gov/teensgogreen.

18 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
RecycleMania Winners Continue to Grow

University students thrive on rivalry. RecycleMania, a program sponsored in part 

by EPA’s WasteWise program, capitalizes on the competitive spirit of colleges and 

universities and uses it to increase on-campus recycling rates. The annual 10-week 

challenge rallies students, faculty, and staff to increase recycling rates at a pace 

faster than their collegiate competitors. This year, California State University–San 

Marcos won the grand championship title with a recycling rate of 78 percent, 

out-recycling their closest competitor by 14 percent. From January 18–March 28, 

2009, 510 colleges and universities across the country recycled or composted 

more than 69.4 million pounds of materials, which reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) 

emissions by 88,740 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This reduction in 

GHG is equivalent to eliminating the annual GHG emissions from almost 17,000 

passenger cars.

Building on the success of RecycleMania and capitalizing on the competitive 

spirit, the EPA 2009 Game Day Recycling Challenge made home football games 

an environmental competition for colleges and universities across the United 

States. During the 2009 challenge, the eight participating schools across rival 

conferences diverted more than 40,000 pounds of waste. The reduction in GHGs 

is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of nearly 

12,000 gallons of gasoline.

Even K-12 schools are competing. In fall 2009, EPA ran a trial of the K-12 

Challenge in the State of Ohio. In 5 weeks, 62 schools and 29,950 students, 

faculty, and staff collectively recycled or composted 155,815 pounds of 

waste. 

www.recyclemania.org

Computers and other 

electronics are recycled at 

rates below the national 

average, only 18% of 

computers and 10% of cell 

phones that are disposed 

of are recycled each year.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 19
Temple University Recycling Center 

Keeps Electronics Out of Landfills

Universities have long been centers of 

innovation. With national electronics 

recycling rates at only 18 percent, 

there is plenty of room for innovation 

in the electronics lifecycle. Temple 

University in Philadelphia, PA is in 

the middle of such an innovation. A

Temple graduate, Jonathon Latko, 

and current students created a new 

computer recycling center in 2003. 

Since its inception, 27,000 computers 

have been through the center, 

eventually placed back in university 

departments, sold to students, staff, 

and faculty, or donated to local 

community organizations.

Latko’s Computer Recycling Center 

at Temple won EPA Region 3’s MidAtlantic Environmental Achievement 

award in 2009. The center also 

recently became an official Microsoft 

Authorized Refurbisher. 

The center operates based on an 

“advance recovery fee” that has 

been added to all computers being 

purchased by the university. The 

funds generated from the fee allow 

consolidated collection and landfill 

diversion rates near 100 percent. By 

refurbishing obsolete computers, 

the useful life of the equipment is 

extended. The refurbished machines 

are offered first to university 

departments, then to students who 

might not otherwise be able to buy a 

computer, for the modest fee of $50. 

Equipment not claimed by students 

is then made available to local 

community groups and non-profits 

who want to set up small computer 

labs in an accessible location, 

giving more communities access to 

computers. A small percentage of 

electronics cannot be refurbished and 

are sent to an electronics recycler. EPA

is working with Temple to replicate 

this model at other colleges and 

universities. EPA Region 3 plans to 

host a workshop for colleges and 

universities in the Mid-Atlantic region 

in 2010, with the goal of expanding 

this model to more colleges and 

universities in the region. 

20 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter

More and more organizations 

are offering collection 

points for electronics. 

Collected electronics can 

be refurbished for reuse or 

responsibly recycled. Check 

out www.epa.gov/plugin

to find out which retailers 

and manufacturers offer 

electronics recycling.
Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign 

Embodies President Obama’s Ethic of Service 

to Create Healthier School Environments 

In the Summer of 2009, President Obama called on the nation to make 

volunteerism a part of daily life through “United We Serve,” an initiative 

challenging Americans to meet pressing social and environmental needs.

Grandview, MO met the President’s challenge when the C4 School 

District staff, community and industry partners, and Missouri 

Department of Natural Resources took action to protect 

Grandview’s students from outdated, unknown, and 

unneeded chemicals as part of EPA’s Schools Chemical 

Cleanout Campaign (SC3). 

As a part of United We Serve and the SC3 program, 

chemicals at the school were inventoried, packed, and 

safely disposed of. In addition, staff received training 

at no cost to the school district. Nearly 500 pounds 

of chemicals, including flammables, explosives, and 

caustics, were removed from the school and properly 

disposed of, protecting the health of 1,560 students 

and 215 school staff. 

In Missouri, nearly 500 pounds of chemicals 

were removed and properly disposed of, 

protecting the health of 1,560 students and 215 

school staff at a middle and high school.

Some of the 500 pounds 

of chemicals cleaned 

out through United 

We Serve and SC3 

in Grandview, MO.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 21
IV. Communities

Communities across the country are learning that using 

materials and resources more efficiently is a key component of 

sustainable development. By using energy, water, and materials 

more efficiently, communities are reducing their environmental 

impacts, strengthening local economies through job creation 

and improving the quality of life for their residents.

In 2009, EPA continued to partner with communities to work toward their 

sustainability goals, conserve energy and materials, and reap the economic 

benefits from sustainable materials management. The examples provided here 

include projects in Texas, Atlanta, and community-level projects across the 

country. In addition to community-specific efforts, EPA’s Dallas office (Region 6) 

hosted the first National Sustainable Communities Conference in March 2009, 

bringing together local government and community stakeholders from across the 

country to share information on sustainable community development. 

22 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., Takes 

Back CFLs in Rural Communities

End-of-life management options for products are often limited in rural 

areas of the United States. The lack of environmentally protective endof-life options for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which contain 

small amounts of mercury, highlights the difficulties rural communities 

face when they want to make environmentally friendly choices. The 

Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC), a statewide organization devoted 

to supporting electric cooperatives in Texas, worked with the EPA Region 6 

National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) program to create 

and promote a new CFL take-back program for their member cooperatives in 

rural areas of Texas. 

TEC is working with the 65 cooperative electricity providers in the 

state to offer CFL recycling at their regional offices; more than 

30 cooperative electricity providers now offer CFL recycling at 

their regional offices. The residents of rural Texas now have 

more collection points for proper recycling of bulbs—an 

environmentally preferable choice for their home, their 

community, and the environment. 

In addition to the CFL take-back program, TEC 

is also working with member cooperatives to 

collect batteries containing lead or cadmium for 

recycling. In 2009, TEC recycled 3,642 pounds of 

lead as part of the battery take-back program. 

The Texas Electric Cooperatives’ compact fluorescent 

light bulb (CFL) recycling program has increased the 

number of CFL collection locations, making recycling 

easier for rural Texas residents. Residents of Wellington, 

Texas were 100 miles away from the nearest CFL 

collection site before the program began. Now, they have 

a convenient local CFL recycling collection location.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 23
EPA Region 6 Sponsors a National 

Sustainable Communities Conference 

Communities across the country are working toward sustainable futures.

To help showcase the progress these communities are making, EPA Region 

6 sponsored a National Sustainable Communities Conference in March 

2009 in Dallas, TX. With more than 600 participants, the conference 

brought together municipalities; federal, state, and local agencies; and 

other stakeholders to learn, network, and identify support for sustainability 

projects. 

Sessions focused on everything from toxic chemical reductions to small 

town recycling programs. Conference participants discussed community 

sustainability issues including developing recycling markets, educating 

citizens on the importance of recycling, collection stations and costs, and 

fee structures for pay-as-you-throw programs. Participants also met with 

representatives of the RCC programs to learn more about applying materials 

management concepts in their communities. 

Tools for Local Governments and Community Leaders

EPA’s Web site “Tools for Local Government Recycling Programs” is 

designed to help community leaders create viable recycling programs 

in their communities. This Web site provides resources on how to: 

• adjust recycling contract specifications to improve the 

financial viability of recycling programs;

• consider the impacts of program and policy 

changes on the economics of recycling;

• take advantage of innovative approaches for increasing 

participation in residential programs;

• find outreach materials (e.g., brochures and posters) 

that can be adapted to any community;

• estimate and articulate both the environmental and 

economic benefits of a recycling program; and

• work with schools and businesses to reduce waste and 

increase recycling, including at community events.

Visit the Web site at: 

www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/localgov/index.htm

24 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Zero Waste Zone Atlanta

Communities across the nation are 

establishing zero waste goals. Zero 

waste takes waste management 

beyond recycling and recognizes 

the potential benefits of evaluating 

the complete lifecycle of products 

to reduce the overall environmental 

impact of waste. Atlanta, GA is 

one such community. Atlanta has 

made a commitment to reducing 

environmental impacts from homes, 

workplaces, and communities. Upon 

declaring part of its city as a Zero 

Waste Zone in February 2009, Atlanta 

became one of the nation’s first Zero 

Waste Zones, and the Southeast’s first 

such zone. 

Working in conjunction with EPA

Region 4 and the Pollution Prevention 

Assistance Division of the Georgia 

Department of Natural Resources, 

Atlanta’s initial Zero Waste Zone 

encompasses the Convention District 

and the Georgia World Congress 

Center. Currently in phase one, 

participants, including the Georgia 

World Congress Center, the Hyatt 

Regency and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 

are recycling and reusing spent grease 

for the local production of biofuel 

and composting or donating food 

residuals to drastically decrease the 

amount of waste going to landfills. 

In phase two, Atlanta Recycles and 

the Green Foodservice Alliance 

will develop a model and outreach 

material to expand the program 

within the convention district. Phase 

three will expand the Zero Waste 

Zone outside of the downtown 

convention district to locations 

including Buckhead and Midtown. 

Phase four will expand to other areas 

of Georgia, and help establish Zero 

Waste Zones in other southeast states 

and nationally.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 25
Infrastructure Design, 

Construction, and Operation

Our nation’s highways, bridges, skyscrapers and other built 

infrastructure provide essential services to individuals and 

communities. However, the design, construction, operation, and 

maintenance of these structures can have significant effects 

on human health and the environment due to the amount of 

materials that are used and the ways that these materials are 

produced and managed across their lifecycle.

Each year, industries in the United States produce more than half a billion tons 

of industrial materials that have the potential to be reused and recycled. Using 

recycled industrial materials, such as construction and demolition materials; spent 

foundry sand; scrap tires; iron and steel slags; pulp/paper residuals; and coal 

combustion products, to avoid the use of virgin materials can help communities be 

sustainable in infrastructure renovation, construction, and maintenance. 

• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced by 2 metric tons of carbon dioxide 

equivalent for every ton of steel that is recycled, equivalent to the emissions of 

using more than 200 gallons of gasoline. 

• Reusing steel avoids even more GHG emissions—about 3 metric tons of carbon 

dioxide equivalent for every ton of steel that is reused, equivalent to the 

emissions of burning more than 300 gallons of gasoline. 

• Reusing 10 tons of clay bricks conserves the same amount of energy that is used 

by the average U.S. household annually.

In 2009, EPA strengthened existing partnerships with federal, state, 

local governments, and other stakeholders, to emphasize the 

importance of sustainability in the design, construction, 

and operation of buildings, roadways, and other 

infrastructure projects. 

26 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Missouri Rewards Contractors for Using 

Environmentally Friendly Practices 

As the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable design 

and construction become better known, more state governments 

are looking for ways to encourage environmentally friendly 

practices in construction projects. The Missouri Department of 

Transportation (MoDOT) has found that a financial reward might be 

just the encouragement its contractors need.

In 2009, MoDOT worked with EPA Region 7 to launch a pilot program 

that offers monetary incentives for contractors who use a variety of 

environmentally friendly practices on MoDOT’s highway construction 

jobs. The pilot program, called Green Credits, was patterned after the 

Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, which 

sets environmental construction standards for the building industry. MoDOT

hopes that Green Credits will encourage contractors to generate new ideas for 

green highway construction, and in the process, promote clean air, increase 

recycling, and reduce GHG emissions. Specific Green Credits categories include:

• Recycling and reuse of industrial materials;

• Reducing air emissions;

• Using alternative fuels; and

• Using compost for erosion control. 

Green Credits contractors who meet or exceed project goals for each category 

earn credits with monetary awards. The more credits a contractor earns, the 

higher the award. Conversely, if a contractor establishes a Green Credits goal but 

fails to meet it, that contractor must pay damages of $2,500 per unmet credit. 

By planning ahead and committing to implement key environmental practices, 

MoDOT is demonstrating that innovative ideas can pay off—for contractors and 

the environment. 

MoDOT’s Green Credits program encourages 

contracting partners to generate new ideas for green 

highway construction, which promotes cleaner air, 

increased recycling, and reduced GHG emissions.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 27
Lifecycle Building Challenge: Designing to 

Reduce Construction and Demolition Materials 

Sustainable building design reduces, reuses, and recycles the materials used in 

projects. For the potential benefits, environmental and economic, of increasing 

the reuse and recycling of C&D materials to be realized, new building designs and 

conservation strategies are needed.

EPA’s Lifecycle Building Challenge is a sustainable design challenge to 

professional and student architects, builders, and designers. In 2009, its third 

year, the challenge received more than 70 innovative building and product ideas. 

For the first time, the competition was opened to international participation, 

attracting contestants from Singapore, Taiwan, Argentina, Colombia, France, 

Egypt, and the United Kingdom. Each design and product incorporated the ideals 

of lifecycle building, i.e., reusing building materials or designing buildings to be 

easily deconstructed or modified. Implementing these principles reduces the GHG 

emissions and energy associated with extraction, production, and transportation 

of new materials. The winning designs are available at:

www.lifecyclebuilding.org

NY Sports Teams Get Greener

With 31 National Football League stadiums in the country that range from a 

capacity of 60,000 to 90,000 spectators, football stadiums can have a significant 

environmental impact. However, through thoughtful design and operation of 

these stadiums, impacts can be minimized with materials management strategies 

that consider recycling, industrial materials reuse, and water and energy 

conservation. Ensuring easily accessible public transportation to these large 

stadiums can also reduce impacts on the surrounding community. 

Building on the success of the New York Mets’ new stadium, Citi Field, EPA Region 

2 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the New Meadowlands 

Stadium Company in 2009 for the New Meadowlands football stadium in 

East Rutherford, NJ. This stadium will host the New York Giants and New York 

Jets. The MOU details strategies to reduce air pollution, conserve water and 

energy, improve waste management, and reduce the environmental impact of 

construction. Goals include:

• cutting the stadium’s annual water use by 25 percent, making it 30 percent 

more energy efficient than Giants Stadium; 

• recycling 75 percent of waste generated during construction; and 

• increasing total recycling by 25 percent during operation. 

www.epa.gov/region02/greenteam

The goal of the Meadowlands 

agreement is to avoid emissions 

equivalent to the emissions of 

nearly 1.68 million metric tons of 

carbon dioxide during the stadium’s 

construction and its first year of 

operations. That’s equal to the annual 

emissions of more than 300,000 cars, 

or the emissions from production 

of the energy needed to power 

150,000 American homes for 1 year. 

28 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Pilot Projects Lay the Groundwork for Deconstruction 

Recognizing the importance of sustainable design—specifically planning for 

buildings to be deconstructed—EPA has launched pilot projects throughout the 

country to stimulate creative ideas in support of deconstruction. Deconstruction 

is an important technique that considers building materials and construction 

from a lifecycle perspective, turning much of what is traditionally considered 

demolition waste into a valuable resource. 

Deconstruction and Building Materials Reuse Training is a pilot project to 

train-the-trainer for building deconstruction and the use of reclaimed building 

materials. The project targets representatives from the building industry, 

educators, architects, and other related areas. Sponsored by EPA Region 1, partners 

included ReCycle North, Habitat for Humanity, Pennsylvania State University, the 

Building Materials Reuse Association, and the Yestermorrow Design/Build School. 

Based on the program’s success, the Yestermorrow Design/Build School developed 

a new course, Deconstruction and Materials.

Design for Deconstruction (DfD) promotes a “cradle–to-cradle” 

approach to building materials management. This approach 

involves designing for increased longevity as well as eventual 

disassembly and building materials reuse. Sponsored by 

EPA Region 4, the Community Housing Resource Center 

organized a group of experts to formulate DfD 

principles, design and build a case study based 

on the principles, and promote cradle-to-cradle 

residential building design. DfD design elements 

include moveable walls and waste reduction. 

The study led to development of a best practices 

toolkit, Design for Disassembly in the Built 

Environment: A Guide for Closed-Loop Design and 

Building, for DfD in residential construction, and has 

become a learning tool to test the viability of DfD. 

www.epa.gov/oswer/iwg/pilots/docs/ipco_deconstruct.pdf

Deconstruction is dismantling buildings to maximize 

the reuse and recycling of building materials in a costeffective manner, a key part of sustainable design.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 29
Brightwater Wastewater Treatment System: 

Built with the Environment in Mind

To meet the growing service demands of the Puget Sound region over the 

next several decades, King County, WA, is building a sustainable wastewater 

treatment system. This 1.8 billion dollar project, partly funded through the Clean 

Water Act State Revolving Fund, is King County’s largest clean-water capital 

project in 40 years, and incorporates sustainable design and building practices in 

all facets of its construction and future operations.

The Brightwater Wastewater Treatment system is a 36-million-gallon-perday regional waste treatment facility in Woodinville, WA. Facility architects, 

engineers, and contractors incorporated a variety of sustainable design and 

building practices. The site includes a salmon habitat, a reforestation area, and an 

environmental education and community center. The Brightwater team:

• Used 13,800 tons of fly ash as a cement substitute, avoiding emissions of 

12,543 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (equal to the emissions from 

burning more than 29,000 barrels of oil), and reducing energy consumption 

by more than 73 billion BTUs. Additional reuse and recycling of construction 

and demolition materials avoided emission of even more GHGs, and conserved 

even more energy.

• Reused 200 trees and root wads for salmon habitat.

• Produced 15,000 cubic yards of compost material.

• Used recycled materials in the environmental education and community center.

To date, the Brightwater team 

has diverted 67 percent of all C&D 

materials, reused more than 370,000 

tons of material in construction, 

and saved more than $500,000 from 

reuse and recycling of materials.

Environmental benefits include reducing 12,543 

metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from recycling 

and reuse of fly ash and concrete, which is equivalent to the 

annual emissions from almost 2,500 passenger vehicles. 

ABOVE LEFT: Construction of 

three digesters and a mixing 

tank for the Brightwater 

Treatment System

30 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
RCC Tools, Education, and Outreach

EPA offers a wide array of tools to help individuals and organizations determine the 

environmental impact of their purchasing, manufacturing, and materials management activities. 

New Tools 

The Food Waste Management 

Calculator develops alternative 

food waste management scenarios 

based on the facility’s waste profile, 

available diversion methods, and 

preferences, and then compares the 

cost estimates for the alternative 

scenarios. (www.epa.gov/epawaste/

conserve/materials/organics/food/

tools/index.htm)

iWARM calculates the energy saved by 

recycling small quantities of common 

household products and translates 

the saved energy into the equivalent 

amount of electricity. For example, 

recycling an aluminum beverage 

can rather than landfilling it saves 

enough energy to operate a 60-watt 

incandescent light bulb for 4.3 hours, 

or to operate the equivalent compact 

fluorescent bulb for 20 hours. 

(www.epa.gov/iwarm)

SMART BET (Saving Money and 

Reducing Trash - Benefit Evaluation 

Tool) is a software program designed 

to help community waste managers 

decide whether unit-based pricing for 

solid waste management (or Pay-AsYou-Throw) is the right model for their 

cities or towns. SMART BET allows 

users to input information (e.g., tons of 

waste landfilled and recycled annually, 

local population, and tipping fees) and 

compare their data with nationwide 

average waste data (e.g., disposal 

tonnages, typical Pay-As-You-Throw 

results, and GHG emission factors). 

SMART BET calculates GHG and cost 

savings that the user is likely to see 

after implementing a Pay-As-YouThrow economic incentive program. 

(www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/

payt/tools/smart-bet/index.htm)

WasteWise Re-TRAC is a tracking 

and reporting system that allows 

partners to track their waste reduction 

and recycling tonnages in realtime. 

During 2010, EPA will promote the 

tracking and reporting system and 

encourage partners to track and report 

their progress. 

(www.wastewise.tms.icfi.com)

Additional Tools and Resources

The Electronic Product Environmental 

Assessment Tool (EPEAT) helps 

purchasers in the public and private 

sectors evaluate, compare, and select 

desktop computers, notebooks, 

and monitors based on their 

environmental attributes. EPEAT also 

provides performance criteria for 

the design of products, and provides 

an opportunity for manufacturers to 

secure market recognition for efforts 

to reduce the environmental impact of 

their products. (www.epeat.net)

The GreenScapes Calculators 

compare costs between products 

made of recycled materials and virgin 

materials, including asphalt, concrete, 

brick, lumber, and yard waste. The 

calculators can aid in the selection and 

implementation of more sustainable 

landscape design, construction, 

operations, and maintenance. 

(www.epa.gov/greenscapes)

Industrial Materials Recycling Tools 

and Resources is a collection of 

references pertinent to the reuse and 

recycling of industrial materials. It 

includes fact sheets, guidance and 

technical documents, regulations, 

standards, sample contract language, 

and Web sites to help public, private, 

and government managers to use 

industrial materials in their projects. 

(www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/

rrr/imr/pdfs/tools3-08.pdf)

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 31
Municipal Government Toolkit 

(MGTK), developed by EPA’s Region 

4, provides local officials with 

information to evaluate, support, 

and expand their waste reduction 

programs. The toolkit presents a 

collection of economic data, sample 

legislation, waste reduction efforts, 

guidance resources, and case studies 

regarding the impacts of recycling 

in the Southeast. Users can find 

information on key recycling topics, 

including starting a program, economic 

impacts, climate change aspects, and 

community benefits. 

The MGTK complements the efforts 

of an EPA grant to the Southeast 

Recycling Development Council, 

designed to demonstrate the positive 

economic impacts of recycling in the 

eight EPA Region 4 states, encouraging 

municipal officials to support and fund 

recycling efforts in their communities. 

(www.epa.gov/Region4/waste/rcra/

mgtoolkit/index.html)

Office Carbon Footprint Tool estimates 

the GHG impacts of a wide variety of 

activities including transportation, 

purchasing, and waste management. 

The Excel-based tool allows officebased businesses to estimate the 

GHG emissions associated with their 

activities and gives suggestions 

to reduce the businesses’ carbon 

footprints. (www.epa.gov/epawaste/

partnerships/wastewise/carboncalc.

htm)

RCC Web Academy uses Web-based 

technology to provide information on 

the RCC to thousands of stakeholders 

across the country. The academy 

provides monthly MSW and recycling 

training to local, state, and federal 

agencies, non-profits, and industry 

stakeholders. Since its inception 

in 2007, the academy has reached 

more than 2,100 individual users. 

The program reduces costs for 

the audience by decreasing travel 

needs and utilizing technology and 

equipment that is readily available, as 

well as reducing the environmental 

impacts associated with travel to 

training sites. (www.epa.gov/rcc/Webacademy)

Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool 

estimates the lifecycle, GHG, and 

energy impacts of purchasing or 

manufacturing certain materials. It 

also calculates the GHG and energy 

benefits of increasing the recycled 

content of specific materials. 

(www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/

waste/calculators/ReCon_home.html) 

Recycling Toolkit is designed to help 

building contractors recycle and 

use recycled materials. This toolkit 

contains a collection of resources that 

can help:

• Contractors who want to reduce, 

reuse, or recycle construction and 

demolition materials generated at 

their job sites.

• Contractors who want to use 

recycled industrial materials in 

the construction or renovation of a 

structure. 

EPA developed this online toolkit 

in cooperation with the Associated 

General Contractors of America and 

the Industrial Resources Council. 

(http://www.agc.org/cs/recycling_

toolkit)

Schools Chemical Cleanout 

Campaign (SC3) Toolkit provides 

schools and partners with resources 

to start chemical management 

programs and/or improve their 

chemical management practices. 

The campaign includes fact sheets, 

guidance documents, and manuals 

that address a wide range of topics 

including lab safety, green cleaning, 

safety in arts classes, and guidance for 

administrators. The SC3 Workbook, 

Building Successful Programs To 

Address Chemical Risks In Schools: 

A Workbook With Templates, Tips, 

And Techniques To Build A Successful 

SC3 Program, is a step-by-step guide 

that outlines how to develop and 

implement a chemical management 

program at a school. The workbook 

also includes advice for potential 

partners looking to become involved 

in SC3 work. (www.epa.gov/epawaste/

partnerships/sc3/index.htm)

WAste Reduction Model (WARM) 

estimates the GHG and energy impacts 

of solid waste management recycling 

for 34 materials. WARM allows users 

to measure the combined upstream 

and downstream benefits of source 

reduction, recycling, composting, 

combustion, and landfilling. 

(www.epa.gov/warm)

32 2010 RCC Update | Materials Matter
Today, Tomorrow, 

and Beyond 

The Resource Conservation Challenge accomplishments described in this 

report highlight the many ways that materials management strategies can 

positively impact the environmental, economic, and social fabric of our nation.

Communities across the country benefit when lifecycle approaches are considered 

in the construction of buildings, highways, ballparks, wastewater treatment 

plants, recycling programs and more. The examples in this document demonstrate 

how productive partnerships can be developed between EPA and consumers, 

communities, tribes, local governments, industry, and academia. We invite you 

to consider how you can contribute to improving the lifecycle of materials and 

processes, which contributes to improved human health and a better environment.

Materials Matter | 2010 RCC Update 33
M a t e r i a l s 

matter

reduce • reuse • recycle 

www. epa .gov/rcc

Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery

EPA530-R-10-004 • March 2010 

Limits on EPA and Partner Participation in the Resource Conservation Challenge. Please note that EPA does not endorse the purchase of products 

or services of any company or organization mentioned in this update. EPA is authorized to cooperate with private and public efforts to reduce the 

adverse effects of releasing solid wastes into the environment and to encourage recycling of industrial and commercial materials. The Resource 

Conservation Challenge (RCC) program is open to all companies and organizations that wish to join the Agency in this endeavor. Press releases and 

promotional materials may advise the public of the partner’s participation in the RCC program and identify any recognition awards that EPA provides 

to the partner. However, EPA is prohibited from endorsing the purchase or sale of specific commercial products or services. Our partners cannot create 

advertising that expressly or implicitly violates this prohibition and remain a partner with EPA. All commitments that EPA makes in this program are 

subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Neither the Agency nor its partners are under legally binding obligations to continue participation in 

the program.

Recycled/Recyclable – Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum 50% Postconsumer) Process Chlorine Free