WASTE REDUCTION/RECYCLING

Waste reduction and recycling not only saves your business money in disposal costs, but they are good for the environment. Recycling lessens garbage, conserves resources, reduces pollution and saves water. Waste reduction is even better than recycling, since we can reduce waste in the first place. See if your business qualifies for the Green Business recycling and waste reduction category.

Recycling saves money! For example, if your business currently has an 8 yard garbage container picked up once a week and no recycling, the cost for garbage is about $260 per month. Since recycling is no additional fee, recycling materials cuts costs. A typical business should be able to easily recycle half of their materials. To cut your garbage container to a 4 yard and add a 4 yard recycling- the total cost per month is approximately $160.00. This saves $100 per month, a savings of $1,200 per year.

Business Name:
 

To qualify for the Waste Reduction/Recycling category, complete each of the four sections listed below.

Section 1: Recycling.

 Calculate and enter your recycling rate below. To initially qualify for the Waste Reduction/Recycling category, your recycling rate must be 50% or higher.

Calculating your recycling rate is the best way to establish a baseline to evaluate your recycling program. As you recycle more materials, you can compare your increased recycling rates to decreases in your solid waste quantities and related solid waste disposal bills. To find your monthly recycling volume and monthly garbage volume, check your bills or call your recycler and garbage hauler to find the size of your container and how often it is picked up. Multiply this amount by 4 (number of weeks in an average month) to get your monthly amount.

For example, if your business has a 4 cubic yard garbage container picked up once a week, your monthly garbage amount is 16 cubic yards.
If your business has a 4 yard recycling container picked up twice a week, your monthly recycling amount is 32 cubic yards.

The recycling rate for this example above is: 200%.

Enter your recycling rate here: (required)

**If you need assistance calculating your recycling rate, please leave the box above blank and City staff will contact you to help**
 
My business does not currently qualify but I am interested in applying for this category and I request a visit from a recycling specialist to conduct a free recycling assessment and receive assistance in setting up a recycling program to increase your recycling rate

Section 2: Recyclable and Recycled-content Products

The City of Kirkland offers free commingled recycling (all-in-one) and commercial food waste.
Check off all that apply. A minimum of six (6) is required to qualify.

Mixed Paper Yard waste
Cardboard Food scraps
Aluminum cans Tin/steel cans
Ferrous metals Wood debris/pallets
Glass bottles/jars Plastic bottles/tubs
Other: Other:

Recycled products are made from recycled materials. Look for the label “recycled-content” on products you have.
Check off all that apply. A minimum of six (6) is required to qualify.

Copy paper File folders
Letterhead Garbage bags
Envelopes Cardboard boxes
Toilet paper Paper towels
Other Other

Electronics and fluorescent tubes and bulbs are prohibited in your regular garbage or recycling. Your business needs to be able to check off both of the following items as being recycled.

Fluorescent bulbs Computers/electronics

Section 3: Involving Employees, Customers, Supplier, and the Public

Your business must conduct at least two of the following activities that involve employees, customers, suppliers, and/or the public in preventing waste, recycling, and using recycled products.
Check off all that apply. A minimum of two (2) are required to qualify.

Provide deskside containers to all employees to use for recycling.
If applicable, have a recycling container in employee lunch areas with a recycling label listing what can and cannot be recycled.
Provide incentives to suppliers, customers, or employees to prevent waste.
Promote recycling through periodic blurbs during staff meetings.
Place stickers or signs on deskside containers listing what can and cannot be recycled.
Email reminders to employees to recycle.
Work with janitorial staff periodically to ensure that materials are properly recycled.
Reuse materials, such as pallets to and from customers.
Invite a City recycling specialist to make a staff meeting presentation or to work with specific departments to improve recycling.
Post reminders about double sided copies.
Establish a recycling committee to promote your recycling program.
Inform suppliers in writing that you want to buy recycled products whenever available.
Include recycling and waste reduction updates in new staff training.
Include language in janitorial contracts for recycling collection.
Other:
Other:

Section 4: Waste Prevention Checklist

Waste prevention is any activity that eliminates or reduces solid waste that would otherwise be thrown out or recycled.
Check all that apply. A minimum of ten (10) activities are required to qualify.

Purchasing and Shipping Practices
Purchase products in concentrated form or bulk.
Negotiate with suppliers to provide merchandise in returnable or reusable. packaging – or in packaging that you can recycle.
Instead of cardboard boxes, use durable containers for shipping.
Reuse packaging materials from incoming shipments – such as boxes, newspaper, tissue, foam pads, and polystyrene “peanuts” – as alternatives to buying new packing materials.
Return, reuse, and repair wooden pallets and crates.
When billing customers have an option to pay online.
Repair rather than replace equipment. Purchase reused of reconditioned office partitions, and remanufactured office equipment.
Invest in equipment that prevents waste, such as: high quality, durable, repairable equipment; copiers that automatically make double-sided copies; computer printers that do not discharge unused sheets of paper; and dish washing equipment (along with durable cups, dishware, and fax cartridges).
Use rechargeable batteries for electronics; use solar-powered calculators
Purchase recharged copier, printer, and fax cartridges.
Purchase durable, reusable products instead of disposables; use refillable pens and pencils; install reusable furnace and air conditioner filters.
Other:

In Lunch Room Areas
 
Provide durable cups, dishware, and cutlery in employee kitchen or cafeteria.
Provide cloth towels as an alternative to paper towels.
Offer beverages dispensed from tanks or refillable bottles instead of individual packages, provided that you make available reusable cups for these beverages. If this is not feasible, provide beverages in aluminum cans plastic or glass bottles, which are readily recyclable.
Other:

For Outdoor Areas and Food Waste

Contact the City of Kirkland at (425) 587-3812 to assist your business with setting up a commercial food waste collection program at no extra cost through Waste Management.
Compost yard waste into a valuable soil amendment through yard waste service.
Use a mulching mower which eliminates the need to dispose of grass clippings.
Set up a worm bin to convert non-fatty food wastes into vermicompost.
Other:

General

Recycle your alkaline, NiCad, cell phone, and button batteries or use rechargeable batteries.
Donate used equipment, furniture, and supplies to charitable organizations or schools.
Start a “reusable exchange” in your building or office park.
Advertise items on www.craigslist.com or www.freecycle.org.
Advertise surplus and reusable items through the Industrial Materials. Exchange (IMEX) for free.
Other:

In Office Areas

Make double-sided copies or reuse single-sided pages for drafts and note paper
Before running a large number of copies, do a one-page test of copier settings.
Avoid making extra copies. Make extras later if you need them.
Post paper-saving copy ideas at every copier.
Proofread documents on the computer screen before printing.
Use outdated letterhead for in-house memos and drafts.
Reuse office supplies such as file folders, binders, and envelopes (manila and padded).
Set up a “reuse station” area for employee use.
Make memos and reports available online, such as through email. For example, employees may not need telephone directories or certain reference manuals in their offices if this information is available online.
Share publications or memos rather than having several copies.
Store old documents on CDs or DVDs to minimize the number of hard copies needed.
Encourage employees to communicate via email.
Contact companies that send your business unwanted mail and ask to be removed from their lists.
Keep your mailing lists up-to-date by requesting corrections and offering the recipient the option of being removed.
Avoid cover sheets for faxes. Use a rubber stamp especially made for fax transmittal.
Create a central filing system instead of maintaining duplicate files for each employee
Other:

 Congratulations! You have completed the Waste Reduction/Recycling category. Please review your application and click on the “Submit” button. City staff will review your application and contact you soon.