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With 75 percent of the waste entering the landfill coming from businesses and more than one-third of that waste being paper, Metro Waste Authority (MWA) has started targeting businesses with its waste-management programs.

And Central Iowa businesses are responding. Sara James, recycling coordinator for MWA, used to have to call businesses about the agency’s paper-recycling program, but now she receives three to six calls daily from businesses asking for more information. The hazardous-waste program served 190 small businesses last year, up more than 300 percent from a few years ago.

“People are finally listening now, and that’s another huge factor in why our programs are working,” said MWA spokeswoman Amy Horst. “One, they’re being managed properly and they’re being effective and the other is people are willing to do it now.”

These efforts are part of MWA’s focus on programs that promote sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. “I think the last couple of years, we’ve really become a resource-management organization,” said Judi Mendenhall, facility manager of MWA’s Regional Collection Center. “If we don’t have the options for them through our organization, we want to be able to lead them in the right direction.”

The paper-recycling program is a free service MWA offers to encourage businesses to reduce the amount of paper that gets thrown away and to implement other environmentally friendly practices. James, who took control of the efforts last October, filling a position that had been open for a couple of years, will assess a company’s existing recycling programs, offer ideas for expanding it and help implement new strategies. Each program is tailored to a business’ unique materials.

“Sara helps establish a program or figure out what that program is all the way from what do you have that can be recycled, how can we implement that program in to your facility and then gives them the next steps that they need to follow,” Horst said.

The incentives for businesses to participate vary. If businesses can reduce garbage volumes, their garbage will be picked up less often, reducing disposal fees, James said, and some companies will pay a business for large quantities of recyclable paper. She added, “I don’t think (recycling) used to be as easy and inexpensive as it is today.”

MWA offers the complimentary resource as a way to help it meet a goal to reduce dumping volumes at its landfill by 25 percent and as a way to be proactive, rather than getting to a situation like that in California, where recycling mandates are in place because landfills are filled to capacity.

MWA attributes the growing interest from businesses to an increase in advertising as well as more media attention on “green” issues and a focus on businesses that have implemented green practices.

“We’ve noticed any time there’s a presidential election or race going on,” Horst said, “people start talking about environmental issues and going green. It always seems to come to the forefront. Metro Waste Authority has had programs for a while and now we’re running on some of the push from the media. And I think the time is right.”

Local efforts

ING Groep NV’s Des Moines office has been working with James as part of the company’s Orange Goes Green program, a grassroots effort at all ING locations nationwide to implement recycling and other environmentally friendly initiatives. Des Moines’ committee formed last fall, started by employees in its facility management division, and has grown into a committee of nine people.

James visited ING as the campaign was starting to take off and offered ideas that have led to ING removing all plastic-foam products from its cafeteria and disposable cups from break rooms, asking employees to bring their own mugs. The committee also has put out bins for fluorescent lights, batteries and old cell phones, among other items employees can bring in from home to recycle, and has set up an office supplies center, where people can put unneeded supplies or find needed materials. It also is considering conducting a trash audit, where it would look at what’s going into ING’s garbage that could be recycled.

“It’s just amazing all of the things that are out there,” said Christy McCoy, director of annuity claims and tax reporting, who is the executive supporter of the committee. “It can almost be overwhelming when [James] starts talking about other things we can do.” James has been helpful in giving them information about where to take recyclable items as well, she said.

“I think what we’re finding is just in the Des Moines site, it really is something you can do without incurring additional costs and then there’s other places where you can actually make money,” McCoy said. The committee is currently looking for a vendor that would pay the company for its recyclable paper.

The Orange Goes Green committee has asked James to come back to speak on Earth Day as part of its effort to raise awareness of environmental issues among employees. Other Earth Day activities include teaming up with organizers of the Earth Day Trash Bash, where volunteers help pick up trash along trails and streets, and giving away trees and reusable shopping bags to employees, paid for by the company.

“It allows ING to easily engage the employees,” McCoy added. “It’s something [the company has] an interest in; they’ve been very supportive of our efforts.”

MWA also has encouraged office building tenants to work together on a recycling program. Under manager Megan Racette’s leadership, the Village Bean in the East Village has started looking at initiatives such as recycling cardboard and using plastic cups made from corn. But to see a greater cost benefit would require all tenants in the building to help reduce garbage levels and possibly combine recycling efforts, which the coffeehouse is striving to achieve.

“It’s not necessarily an advantage” for the business, said owner Jennifer Trow. “It’s just helping the environment.”

Hazardous waste

MWA’s hazardous-waste disposal efforts had primarily targeted residents since its inception in 1996, but now MWA has expanded it with the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) program for small businesses that produce small amounts of hazardous waste.

“We’re more geared toward the residential side, and that’s our main goal,” facility manager Mendenhall said. “So the business portion has just been developed and publicized in the last five years. Before that, whoever came knocking at the door, they accepted.”

Unlike residents, businesses are required to properly dispose of hazardous waste. As part of this program, MWA will have someone assess a company’s purchasing procedures to find less hazardous alternatives and help design a maintenance program for disposing of hazardous waste. MWA claims businesses often save 40 percent compared with using a contracted hazardous waste disposal company.

David McFarland, an analytical chemist with Monsanto Co., said his facility’s hazardous waste has increased since it began working with MWA in 2004, but that Monsanto strives to stay under the hazardous waste limits that would require it to use a different disposal company. Being held accountable for proper disposal of hazardous waste, Monsanto even audited MWA to verify its credentials.

“They just do a good job and they do it correctly,” he said, and have been willing to work with Monsanto as its needs have grown.

MWA’s focus will remain on expanding these programs in the near future.

“I don’t think we’re at a point now where we’re saying, ‘We’ve tackled this market; let’s go on to the next one,'” Horst said. “This is growing leaps and bounds. We’ve skimmed the surface.”