Eliminate waste — save money

Our current linear system of extracting raw materials on one end and disposing used products on the other is expensive and inefficient.

The primary output of today’s production processes is waste. Across all industries, less than 10% of everything extracted from the earth (by weight) becomes usable products. The remaining 90% to 95% becomes waste from production.¹
Domestically, we waste 360 billion pounds of organic and inorganic chemicals used for manufacturing and processing, and 710 billion pounds of hazardous waste generated by chemical production.²
Unnecessary use of toxic materials can cause harm to workers, consumers and the environment. The cost of fixing damages in the form of liability lawsuits or environmental cleanups are generally greater than the costs to prevent them.
Industries that handle and dispose of hazardous substances must also spend money and energy on complying with regulations and permits. If toxins are eliminated, the need to be regulated is also eliminated.

Many businesses have reduced costs by eliminating inefficient processes and recapturing material that can generate revenue. Some examples include:

Hewlett-Packard in California is diverting 92 to 95% of its solid waste, saving almost $1 million per year in waste disposal costs by recycling cardboard, foam, plastic peanuts, and other low-density polyethylene plastics, and reusing pallets.³
Epson Portland, Inc. (EPI) has cut hazardous waste by 37% since 1997 and has recycled close to 6 million pounds of material. The company diverts almost 99% of its waste going to the landfill through recycling and reuse programs and has saved approximately $370,000 through reductions in disposal costs and generation of recycling revenues.⁴
United Coatings, Greenacres WA developed an innovative method for reusing solids, used non-hazardous products wherever feasible to avoid the generation of regulated hazardous wastes, and began purchasing raw materials in packaging that did not require disposal, resulting in savings of $25,000 - $35,000 a year in disposal fees.⁵

These businesses have realized significant savings by making fundamental changes in their operational systems to move from linear to closed-loop systems. In a closed-loop, wastes become resources. Materials slated for disposal are reused and recycled back into products instead of being disposed of as waste. Greater reductions in cost are achieved not only by eliminating the need for permits and expensive treatment or disposal of wastes, but also by using and paying for less raw material. Resources are used more efficiently and there is less demand on the environment.

Ayres, Robert, Technology and Environment, Nat’l Academies Press, (1989), p. 26
Hawken, P., Lovins, A. & L.H., 1999, Natural Capitalism, Little Brown & Co., Boston, p. 52
Towards Zero Waste, Dec. 13, 2002, Green Party Press Briefing
Epson Portland, Inc: Almost Zero Waste! BEST Results, 2000, City of Portland, Office of Sustainable Development
Success Through Waste Reduction, WA State Dept. of Ecology, Pub. #90-22

The Rose Garden, the new arena for the Portland Trailblazers basketball team, has recycled over 95% of the construction waste - nearly 45,000 tons of concrete, steel, gypsum, paper, and other materials - at a savings of more than $150,000 compared to what landfill disposal would have cost.

"Building it Right," In Context #41, 1995

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