Published on: Monday, December 19, 2011

• Find Inefficiencies and Identify Cost Savings with a Waste Audit
• Measure Your Environmental Performance with a Waste Audit
• Looking to Improve Your Building's Environmental Performance? Consider a Waste Audit!
• Waste Audits an as Indicator of Environmental Performance

Reducing costs and environmental impacts are key objectives of waste management plans.  As property managers become more conscious about the environmental performance of their buildings, it is becoming increasingly important for them to be able to benchmark and monitor their progress.  Energy usage has long been a key indicator, but it is now becoming easier and more common to consider other measures such as solid waste generation.  Waste audits, also known as waste composition studies, can help property managers establish baselines, implement targeted improvements and monitor their progress over time. 

There are many reasons to do a waste audit, and it can result in many different benefits. Waste audits can be a useful tool for property managers needing to comply with regulations or meet certification standards such BOMA BESt, ISO 14001 and LEED for Existing Buildings.  Waste audits demonstrate due diligence, provide verified documentation required for environmental certification programs and help property managers position themselves as environmentally responsible players in the marketplace.  All these goals can be achieved in a cost effective manner.

Regardless of the size, type or number of buildings, a waste audit is a relatively simple process. 

1. A site visit will review current waste management programs and equipment to identify issues and concerns.

2. Urban Impact's team collects a sample of solid waste, typically all the waste generated throughout the site over a minimum 24 hour period and transports to a designated off-site facility for physical examination.

3. The waste sample is separated into categories based on the customer's specific needs.

4. The sorted materials are then weighed and composition data is produced.

5. A summary report containing a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of the materials, will be compiled in a level of detail specified by the client.  The data will be compiled into a clear and user-friendly format, which presents ideas for improving waste management systems, your diversion rate, and potentially even your bottom line.

Property managers have a wide array of options when it comes to designing a waste audit. The focus is typically on "garbage," but recycling streams can also be analyzed for contamination to see how well staff are sorting the material into designated containers. Recycling weights can also be measured and compared against the garbage to produce a diversion rate. Audits can be conducted in varying levels of detail, looking at anywhere from very basic, to highly specific material categories, and from buildings en masse, to individual floors and tenants.

The information that a waste audit provides can be used to facilitate targeted and cost-effective improvements to a property manager's waste management system. For example, a waste audit may demonstrate that a building's garbage is largely composed of organics, and implementing a composting system would significantly increase waste diversion and potentially even save money. A comparison of performance among different buildings or tenants may also expose the poor performers and allow a property manager to target those with the most room for improvement. Finally, waste audits are a great way to establish a clear baseline of current solid waste performance and to track future improvements.

Most property managers would benefit from waste audits, so they should be a consideration when budgeting for 2012. Their relatively low cost and high degree of potential for improvement make waste audits a high value complement to your current waste management program.

Article Submitted by Urban Impact Recycling.