Part of the City of El Monte Recycled Content Fair
Thursday, September 27
Workshop sponsored by the L.A. County Sanitation Districts
Arranged by the Southern California Council on Environment & Development (SCCED)

Executive Summary

Overview on Buying Recycled and Eco-Friendly Products: Andrew Basmajian, Environmental Programs Division, City of Santa Monica (310) 458-2227. Our areas of purchasing success include: cleaning supplies, recycled content products, vehicle maintenance products, low emission paints, alternative fuel vehicles, integrated pest control, energy and water conservation, renewable energy, and more.

Using Policies and Bid Specifications to Purchase Recycled Products: Dean Hartwell, Integrated Waste Management, City of Glendale (818) 548-3916, Ext. 8645. We purchase recycled copier paper, rubberized asphalt, speed bumps, and wheel stops. All compost bins we distribute are 100% recycled plastic.

Cooperative Purchasing of Recycled Paper: George De La O, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works (626) 458-5184. The LA County Program enables any government agency in Los Angeles County to purchase recycled bond paper at a reduced price through an open contract. Contact Robert B. Krost at (562) 698-1199, Ext. 514.

Green Building Construction Using Recycled Products: Lupe Maria Vela, Project Manager, AB 939 Sustainability Partnership, City of Los Angeles. We have a 10% Price Preference Ordinance for certain recycled-content products. Our Sustainable Design Program will plan 19 new fire stations and 8 new animal shelters to make them green.

Resources for Buying Recycled Products: Jim Stewart, SCCED (310) 390-4366. We have prepared selected lists of buy-recycled websites, email listserves, and other resources, including phone numbers of some vendors not available via the Internet. Please see the Appendix to this report.

Other Important Workshop Presentations at the El Monte Fair

Purchase Recycled-Content Products — It's a Good Thing: JoAnn Jaschke, State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC), CIWMB, (916) 341-6477. We outline guidelines for implementing a successful buy recycled program, and the state requirements for purchasing recycled content products. There is also a list of helpful websites.

The State of California Property Reuse Program: Ed McKendry, California Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division, Property Reuse Section (714) 449-5891. The Department of General Services Surplus Property Reutilization Program makes salvage and surplus property from State and Federal agencies available to other State and local agencies and qualified non-profit organizations.

Summaries of Speaker Presentations

Overview on Buying Recycled and Eco-Friendly Products

Andrew Basmajian, Environmental Programs Division, City of Santa Monica:

We define green purchasing as environmentally preferable products, that are: less hazardous, less toxic; resource efficient; less polluting; have recycled content; have reusability, durability, good design, high quality (quality products will last longer).

Our green purchasing program came from our Sustainable City program, which was initiated by staff in 1991, adopted by City Council in 1994. The program goals include: establish measurable targets; Reduce Resource Consumption; Reduce Waste and Pollution; Protect Human Health and the Environment.

Areas of purchasing success include:

• Safer custodial cleaning supplies: we now look at every chemical we use, we have replaced 120 chemicals with about 50 safer mainly citrus-based products.
• Recycled content products, including paper, office products, motor oil, street surfacing materials, paint, trash can liners, etc.
• Environmentally friendly vehicle maintenance products, including replacing ethylene glycol antifreeze with propylene glycol, aqueous parts washing solutions, re-refined motor oil.
• Facilities Maintenance: including low emission paints with lower VOC content, no rainforest wood.
• Alternative fuel vehicles, including natural gas powered trash trucks.
• Integrated pest control services: by looking at the way pests behave, and interfering with their lives, we have nearly eliminated use of pesticides.
• Energy conservation: we use energy conserving heating and air conditioning systems, compact fluorescent bulbs and guidelines for new construction.
• Water conservation: we have centralized control of watering in every park.
• Renewable sources of electricity: all municipal buildings are powered with electricity from a geothermal plant, with no global warming emissions.

Keys to success were:

• Get support from the top. Get a manager with vision committed.
• Include end users in the decision making process, involvement is key.
• Do detailed research and testing.
• Implement a pilot program first, using some of your most experienced, yet open-minded staff.
• Train end users in the best ways to use the products.
• Be flexible, and change direction if needed.
• Follow-up is critical.

Using Policies and Bid Specifications to Purchase Recycled Products

Dean Hartwell, Integrated Waste Management, City of Glendale, (818) 548-3916 Ext. 8645:

We have a full range of recycling collection and education programs. We teach the community about the importance of recycling, so we feel we have to buy recycled-content products. In 1992, our City Manager issued a "Recycled-Content Procurement Policy Directive," which called for an annual report on the types and quantities of purchased recycled products.

These reports have proven useful in increasing the awareness of recycled-content products, and many recycled products are now purchased, including recycled rubberized asphalt, speed bumps, and wheel stops. As long as recycled copier paper costs less than 5% more, we have to buy recycled paper.

We expect to be specifying a wide range of recycled products in the construction of our new Recycling Center, including carpet, ceiling tiles, paint, countertops, insulation, wallboard, floor tiles and restroom partitions. All compost bins we distribute are 100% recycled plastic.

Cooperative Purchasing of Recycled Paper

George De La O, Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works (626) 458-5184:

The LA County Procurement Programs and Cooperatives enables any government agency in Los Angeles County to purchase recycled bond paper at a reduced price through an open contract.

In 1999 the LA County Board of Supervisors approved the comprehensive step to have all County agencies purchase 30% post-consumer-content paper even if it cost up to 10% more than virgin paper. The County uses two million sheets of paper per day. We put on bids and selected Spicers Paper in Santa Fe Springs. We are ordering 80,000 cases per year, and saving $40,000 per year. There are a total of 26 cities already in the partnership, ordering over 180,000 cases a year, nearly a billion sheets of paper. By having all this paper be 30% post-consumer-content, we are saving 33,000 trees, 13 million gallons of water, and 9 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.

Contact Robert B. Krost at (562) 698-1199, Ext. 514, at Spicers Paper, 12310 E. Slauson Avenue, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. Just tell him you want to order recycled bond paper under the L.A. County contract.

Green Building Construction Using Recycled Products

Lupe Maria Vela, AB 939 Sustainability Partnership, City of Los Angeles, (213) 473-7896:

All of us need to be concerned about the overall issues of sustainability. To be effective, we need to talk with the various people concerned with waste water, air quality, storm water, solid waste, recycling and learn about the whole spectrum of environmental issues and how they interrelate.

What we have learned about recycled-content products:

• Use Council policies and ordinances as appropriate, but administrative policies are the primary means of implementation.
• Product performance, cost and quality are important.
• Supplier integrity and experience is crucial.
• Adequate in-house staffing is necessary.
• Education of staff and the public is important.
• Documentation of progress helps identify problem areas that need attention.

City of LA Recycled-Content Purchasing Program updates include: Recycled Product Ordinance passed in 1992; 10% Price Preference Ordinance for recycled-content products passed in 1994; Department of General Service's Buy Recycled 2000 Directive (issued in 1999) mandated purchases of recycled materials in 18 categories of products; City Hardwood Policy mandates only purchases of wood approved by the Certified Forest Products Council; Mayor's Executive Directive 2001-33 on Recycling Programs establishes the goal of 70% diversion from landfills.

Use LEED (Leadership in Energy and in Environmental Design) Standards, which go beyond the State Building Code Title 24. LEED is a proprietary rating system developed by the US Green Building Council (see www.usgbc.org). The rating system is a voluntary approach that evaluates performance from a whole building perspective. You can get silver, gold or platinum certification.

Resources for Buying Recycled Products

Jim Stewart, Associate Director, SCCED:

I have prepared selected lists of buy-recycled websites, email listserves, and other resources, including phone numbers of some vendors not available via the Internet. Please see the Appendix to this report.

I want to highlight the reference in "Other Buy Recycled Resources" to the Environmental Defense chart from MERGE's Environmental Guidance Center comparing energy consumption of virgin and recycled packaging materials. The energy consumption to process recycled PET plastic bottles is only 10% of that need to manufacture virgin PET bottles. For HDPE, it is an 87% savings. Thus, the higher the recycled content in the bottle, the greater the energy savings.

The University of California at Berkeley study on "The Economic Impact Of Waste Disposal And Diversion In California," has some impressive data on the economic benefits when a ton of material is recycled rather than disposed in a landfill:

• Total sales impacts (rise from $119/ton in the landfill to $254/ton if recycled)
• Output impacts (from $289/ton to $564/ton)
• Total income impacts (from $108/ton to $209/ton)
• Value-added impacts (from $144/ton to $290/ton)
• Jobs impact (from 2.46 jobs/1000 tons to 4.73 jobs/1000 tons)

Purchase Recycled-Content Products — It's a Good Thing

JoAnn Jaschke, State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC), CIWMB, (916) 341-6477:

Buy recycled is the missing arrow in the usual recycling symbol with the three arrows: reduce, reuse, recycle. Buying recycled-content products (RCPs) complements AB 939 and AB 75, which require the diversion of waste from landfills, by ensuring there is a market for the recyclables that are collected.

Federal and State Mandates: California Public Contract Code (PCC) 12210(a) mandates that all local and State public agencies shall buy recycled instead of non-recycled, if price, quality and availability are equal.

State Agency Requirements:

1. Certify — State agencies shall require all contractors to certify in writing the minimum percentage of post-consumer and secondary material in the materials, goods, or services provided or used.
2. Buy — Buy recycled-content products. Goal is a minimum of 50% of dollars is spent on recycled-content products for purchases in the specified categories.
3. Track — Track purchases when they are made.
4. Report — Report on Form #71 — SABRC Procurement Report.

Guidelines for implementing a successful buy recycled program:

• Track all purchases.
• Obtain upper management support.
• Adopt a policy.
• Develop a Buy Recycled Team — that includes all branches or divisions.
• Share information, network about applications, products and suppliers.
• Ensure there are adequate personnel resources.
• Evaluate your program annually to ensure you are meeting your goals.

The State of California Property Reuse Program

Ed McKendry, California Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division, Property Reuse Section (714) 449-5891:

Every year, many state-run operations have items they no longer need — items that the state designates as surplus property. There are desks, chairs, filing cabinets, bookcases, computers and computer peripheral equipment, copiers, calculators and typewriters. There are also refrigerators and other kitchen equipment as well as cooking utensils and flatware. There is hospital equipment, medical equipment and exercise equipment. There are generators, shop tools and machinery. And there is rolling stock, such as automobiles, trucks and forklifts.

The beauty of the state's program is that it extends the useful life of surplus property that could otherwise end up as landfill. And the program affords those interested in acquiring surplus property the opportunity to save money on items they can use, either for their business operations or for their personal needs.

The State of California has two locations where surplus property is available for sale:

• Fullerton: Property Reuse Program, 701 Burning Tree Road, Fullerton, California 92833. (714) 449-5900 (FAX) (714) 449-5917
• Sacramento: Property Reuse Program, 1700W National Drive, Sacramento, California 95834. (916) 928-4630 (FAX) (916) 928-0304

Selected state surplus property is also available through online auctions. To view the property, go to www.dgs.ca.gov, which will take you to the Department of General Services home page.