NEXT-GEN Supply Group, Inc. has established a Recycling Policy to reduce the amount of waste and toxins hauled to and disposed of in landfills or incineration facilities.
Scope
This policy encompasses all ongoing consumables, durable goods and materials used during facility alterations/additions as described below:
Ongoing Consumables
- Including but not limited to paper, toner cartridges, glass, plastics, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, food waste, metals and other ongoing consumables will be reused, recycled or composted when possible.
- At least 50% of the ongoing consumables waste stream will be recycled and diverted from landfills and incineration.
- Recycling bins for ongoing consumables shall be located at each workstation to serve office and warehouse employees.
- At least 80% of single use and rechargeable batteries used in radios, phones, cameras, computers and other devices or equipment, and 95% of light bulbs will be recycled and diverted from landfills and incineration.
- Recycling bins for batteries and fluorescent lamps will be located by HR Administrator desk, Sales Secretary desk and Warehouse Manager desk to serve office and warehouse employees.
Durable Goods
- Including but not limited to office equipment, such as computers, monitors, copiers, fax machines, printers, and scanners; appliances, such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and water coolers; external power adapters; and televisions and other audiovisual equipment.
- At least 75% of the durable goods waste stream will be diverted from landfills and incineration.
- Including donation programs, statewide electronic recycling programs or similar programs used for site purposes.
Materials used for Facility
- Alterations/Additions
Including but not limited to base building elements permanently or semi-permanently attached to the building itself that enter the waste stream during facility renovations, demolitions, refits and new construction additions. Also included are wall studs, insulation, doors, windows, panels, drywall, trim, ceiling panels, carpet, flooring material, adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings. - Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, furniture, fixtures and equipment are excluded.
Performance Metric
The amount of waste disposed of will be calculated based on the weight of applicable goods and materials. Durable goods will be tracked by replacement value.
Performance Metric
The amount of waste disposed of will be calculated based on the weight of applicable goods and materials. Durable goods will be tracked by replacement value.
Goals
The goals of this policy include:
- Reducing the overall amount of waste generated for:
- Ongoing Consumables by 50% [Goal = 50% or 70%]
- Durable Goods by 75% [Goal = 75%]
Facility - Alterations/Additions by 70% [Goal = 70%]
Batteries by 80% [Goal = 80%] - Mercury Containing Fluorescent Lamps by 95% [Goal = 95%]
- Reusing or recycling materials, wherever feasible.
Procedures and Strategies
The following procedures and strategies will be conducted to comply with this strategy:
- General Operations Manager and General Manager shall evaluate all building and site waste streams and maintain records.
- Operations Manager will develop baselines, metrics and targets to reduce the waste stream.
- Operations and HR Administrator will prepare and distribute occupant education material to encourage reuse and recycling of eligible products.
- Operations Manager will be responsible for donating items to organizations for reuse.
- Encourage digital reproduction and storage instead of paper when possible
- Promote reuse, especially boxes and packing material
- Increase accessibility to recycling of all types with strategically placed receptacles.
- Educate employees on what can and cannot be recycled through signage and as-needed training.
- Target training and signage to each of the three majors ‘waste- generating’ groups: the office, warehouse, and service center.
Durable Goods
- All durable goods that have reached the end of their useful life will be collected in a separate area from landfill waste.
- Employees will be educated on what constitutes a durable good and the hazards of not recycling them properly.
- Facility personnel will be trained to recognize durable goods and to divert them to the recycling stream when they are inappropriately placed in the landfill stream.
Materials used for Facility Alterations/Additions
- Select contractors that divert 70% of base building elements waste materials from landfills or incinerators
- If contractors are not available that divert 70% of waste materials, identify alternative services that will allow meeting of the goal.
Storage, Collection of Recyclables and Recycling Activities
Offices:
- Office paper, Junk mail, Magazines, Newspaper, Paper towels, tissues, napkins
- Employees will place recyclables in designated collection bins.
- Cleaning Staff will empty all recycling stations and bins as necessary and place in central collection area.
- Paper and newspaper will be collected in the provided recycling dumpster. Warehouse Manager will schedule pickup as necessary.
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic bottles will be collected in the in the designated area. Once a sizable quantity of cans has accumulated, Warehouse Manager will coordinate delivery.
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum cans will be collected in the designated area. Once a sizable quantity of cans has accumulated, Warehouse Manager will coordinate delivery.
- Toner, printer ink cartridges
- All toner and ink cartridges will be recycled and remanufactured toner and printer ink cartridges will be utilized in all printers if available.
Operations Manager will observe patterns of misplaced recyclables, and address such patterns by using employee education and communication materials.
Service Center:
- Steel and Non-ferrous metals (copper, brass)
- Service center personnel will place metals in the designated area. Once sufficient quantity accumulates, to make a trip efficient, Service Center Manager will coordinate the delivery of the metals for recycling. The employee that makes the delivery will obtain a receipt for the weight of the metals and give the receipt to Service Center Manager.
- Batteries (wet-cell)
- Service center personnel will place used batteries in the designated area. The battery cores will be exchanged with. Service Center Manager will obtain an annual statement of cores exchanged and give the receipt to Service Center Manager.
Warehouse:
- Cardboard
- Cardboard will be collected in the designated loose cardboard area in the warehouse by drivers and warehouse workers. A designated baler operator will periodically place the loose cardboard in the baler. The baler operator will bale the cardboard once a sufficient quantity has accumulated and place the bale in the baled recyclables area. Warehouse Manager will coordinate the delivery of the bale. The employee that makes the delivery will obtain a receipt for the weight of the bales recycled and give the receipt to Warehouse Manager.
- Shrink wrap
- Shrink wrap will be collected in the designated loose shrink wrap area in the warehouse by drivers and warehouse workers. A designated baler operator will periodically place the loose shrink wrap in the baler. The baler operator will bale the shrink wrap once a sufficient quantity has accumulated and place the bale in the baled recyclables area. Warehouse Manager will coordinate the delivery of the bales. The employee that makes the delivery will obtain a receipt for the weight of the bales recycled and give the receipt to Warehouse Manager.
- Pallets
- Pallets will be collected in the designated area in warehouse by drivers and warehouse workers. Once sufficient quantity accumulates to make a trip efficient, Warehouse Manager will coordinate the delivery of the unusable pallets for recycling. The employee that makes the delivery will obtain a receipt for the weight of the pallets recycled and give the receipt to Warehouse Manager.
- Material reuse
- Pallet Reuse – Drivers and warehouse workers will return all usable, empty pallets to the designated location in the warehouse. Unusable pallets will be recycled as outlined in the recycling section above. Pallets are unusable if they are unsafe.
- Boxes – Drivers, warehouse, and office personnel will return all usable, empty boxes to the UPS or Parts counter for reuse. Boxes that are not reusable will be recycled as outlined in the recycling section above.
- Packing material – Drivers, warehouse, and office personnel will return all usable packing material to the UPS or Parts counter for reuse. Usable packing material may include bubble wrap, used and clean shrink wrap, packing paper, packing peanuts, and non-sensitive scrap paper. Packing material is unusable if it would be unprofessional or unhygienic to present to customers. Unusable packing material will be recycled in the appropriate recycling stream (paper, plastic) or disposed of (Styrofoam).
Facilities:
- Fluorescent lamps
- Florescent lamps will be collected using Mercury Disposal Systems’ (MDS) ‘Recycle Kit’ for florescent lamps according to the manufacturer’s specifications. When the kit is full, Operations Manager will record the number of lamps being recycled before sending to MDS for disposal.
- Florescent lamps purchased for use in the office will be tracked by Operations Manager.
- E-waste (monitors, computers, keyboards)
- E-waste (monitors, computers, keyboards, appliances) will be collected in designated area in warehouse. Once a sizable quantity of materials has been collected, Warehouse Manager will make arrangements for pick-up.
- Batteries (dry-cell)
- Batteries will be collected using MDS’ battery recycling kit. When the kit is full, Operations Manager will record the number of batteries being recycled before sending to MDS for disposal.
- Battery (dry-cell) purchases for use in the office will be tracked by Operations Manager.
Operations Manager will remove any dry-cell batteries, florescent lamps, e-waste, and other recyclables found in the garbage-stream and place them in the appropriate recycle or reuse stream.
