Implementing Selected Waste Reduction Options

Develop and Implement an Action Plan

Develop an action plan and schedule which the company can follow in implementing its waste reduction program. Establish an overall time frame for implementation of immediate, short-term, and long-term priority options.

For each targeted option:

• Identify steps or phases for implementation
• Identify required resources and how to get them
• Identify tasks and personnel assignments
• Estimate construction periods or production downtime (if applicable)
• Set target dates for phase implementation and final completion

Complex options involving new equipment will follow the same phases as other capital improvement projects:

1. planning,
2. design,
3. procurement,
4. construction, and
5. start-up.

Less complex options may not need to be phased at all. And some projects may need additional research, development, or reworking if they do not meet original performance expectations.

Be sure to involve your employees in the implementation process. Share the action plan and schedule with all employees and invite feedback. Prepare and train employees who will be involved with implementation of targeted waste reduction measures and address their concerns.

Waste minimization efforts may require both behavioral and attitudinal changes on the part of employees. During the adjustment period, support and encourage employee efforts to ensure new practices have a chance to succeed.

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Proceed with Caution

For those options which have the potential to affect production and/or product or service quality, you should implement one measure at a time and then observe the results. This way, if any negative effects are observed, you can trace the cause and make necessary modifications. If more than one measure is implemented at a time, you may not be able to directly attribute a particular effect to a specific change.

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Evaluate Results

Evaluate your program to determine the effectiveness of implemented measures and plan future efforts. Success can be measured for either

1. each waste reduction option implemented or
2. the overall waste reduction program.

To determine the effectiveness of a specific option, after its implementation:

1. Copy and complete a new Waste Profile (Form A) and Waste Management Cost Worksheet (WS-1) for the affected wastestream(s).

2. Compare your answers with the Form A and Worksheet 1 that were originally completed during the preliminary review:
   • Has waste generation gone down?
   • Have waste management costsfgone down?
   • Have other costs gone down or have other benefits been realized?

3. Review your answers to Evaluation Worksheet 3. Are your actual results the same as anticipated ? (i.e. Did production go up? go down?, Was quality affected? etc.)

4. Summarize and record your findings in Part III of the Waste Reduction Option Summary (Form C).

If more than one waste reduction measure affects the same wastestream(s), it can be difficult to determine the effectiveness of each individual measure. However, using the same procedure (comparing "before" and "after" results of the waste profile and waste management costs), you can get an indication of the overall effectiveness of your combined efforts.

Some indirect benefits of reduced hazardous materials use and waste generation (e.g. reduced worker injury/exposure and related worker's compensation fees, reduced pollution liability insurance, etc.) will not be evident for a longer period of time. To determine if your program has resulted in these long-term benefits, you will need to wait about a year, or more, and then compare past and current records. Be sure to let your insurance provider(s) know of decreased hazardous materials/waste activity and any improvements in worker injury rates in order to lower your premiums.

Again, keep good records of your results. This information is necessary background for future decisions regarding waste management, which may be made by personnel not familiar with the original assessment.

Adapting Your Program To Changing Needs

Periodic Review

The waste assessment process is an important first step toward waste minimization. Performing a thorough initial assessment results in the selection of economically and technically feasible waste reduction measures. However, as production processes change, waste management costs continue to rise, and new technology becomes available, it will be necessary to review and repeat the assessment process. Periodic review will identify new options and any previously disregarded options which have become feasible. Implementing them will enable your business to maintain a competitive edge by keeping waste management costs down to a minimum.

An assessment (at least a partial or focused one) should be done whenever:

• Raw material or product requirements change
• Hazardous material or waste management costs increase
• New technologies or new regulations are introduced
• A hazardous material/waste related incident (release, exposure, etc.) occurs

Before repeating the waste assessment process, decide if the process used needs any changes to improve its effectiveness. Use the following questions to highlight areas needing improvement:

• Did the waste assessment meet its intended purpose - to reduce waste generation?
• Does waste reduction remain a priority for management and employees?
• Did the assessment identify opportunities to improve production efficiericy and waste management approaches and to reduce costs?
• Did the assessment provide for good communication between employees and management?
• Was the person(s) or team conducting the assessment adequate, or could outside experts or additional information and workers improve the assessment?
• Are there procedures that should be changed or added to avoid any experienced problems?
• Were the information-gathering techniques effective and appropriate?

Again, seek input from employees and incorporate their ideas. Just as other aspects of a business are dynamic, a waste reduction program should be too.

Ongoing Commitment

For a program to be truly effective, waste minimization "philosophy" and practices must become an integral part of operations throughout a business. By employing the strategies discussed in this chapter, your business should be well on its way to achieving a successful program and all the subsequent benefits.

To ensure these benefits continue, it is essential to maintain the commitment of management, existing employees, and new employees to your waste minimization program. The strategies used to develop that commitment initially should be continued and reinforced. Resolve personnel-related difficulties immediately before they become "roadblocks," and continue to look for new opportunities.