Setting Up A Program

Whether you manage a restaurant, work in an office, or provide waste hauling services to local businesses in your community, setting up an effective waste reduction program involves similar steps.

Each business will be unique in the type of waste generated, recycling services that are available, and the willingness of employees to participate in waste reduction activities. The following areas are integral to all successful commercial waste reduction programs:

• Program Set Up Guides
• Technical Assistance
• Getting Management and Organizational Support
• Analyze Your Waste Stream
• Calculate Savings
• Waste Reduction Strategies
• Materials Exchange Programs
• Buy Recycled Guides and Information
• Educate and Promote

Portions of the information in these pages came from:

• Business Guide for Reducing Solid Waste, United States Environmental Protection Agency;
• A Guide for California Businesses, California Integrated Waste Management Board;
• Developing a Reduce Reuse and Recycle Program, The Rotary Club of Portland;
• A Business Guide to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling, The Bureau of Environmental Services of Portland, and
• METRO pamphlets: Recycling is Good Business, The Green Plate, and The Green Key Guide.

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