In the spring of this year, the New York City Waste Prevention Coalition created a five-year action plan for implementing waste prevention in the City. The recently released Department of Sanitation Waste Prevention Research Reports recommend programs, policies and strategies that directly reflect the programs proposed by the Coalition. Descriptions of the Coalition’s proposals and the references to supporting information provided in the DOS reports are below. The references are not exhaustive, but nonetheless illustrate the rationale for the Coalition’s recommendations.

1. Community Based Waste Prevention/Recycling Coordinators

• "Philadelphia, PA reported that…the city tried to quantify program benefits by instituting a grassroots campaign that sent representatives door-to-door to teach waste reduction techniques to inner-city residents. The city performed pre- and post-education waste audits and found that the grassroots approach was effective in the inner-city" (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. 9).
• "The City of Blaine, Minnesota conducted a targeted public education campaign…Waste generation in the target zone decreased by 4.75 percent, after adjusting for reductions due to recycling" (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. 19).
• King County, WA’s Master Recycler/Composter Program "accesses volunteers who encourage community involvement through outreach efforts involving waste prevention, recycling, backyard composting, and hazardous waste management. New homeowners receive a Home Resource Kit that includes home waste prevention information. As a result of the kit, 40% of recipients reported that they took some sort of waste prevention action" (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 45).
• In regard to municipalities’ responsibility for reducing packaging waste "the City of New York can act as a driver for more environmental products…by educating the City’s large consumer base" (Packaging Waste, p. 18).

1. Community Based Waste Prevention Projects

• The consultants found that if the NYC Stuff Exchange was expanded to be City-wide, 4,994 tons of waste would be reduced. This highlights the probability of residents utilizing reuse resources and supports the Coalition’s proposals for community based waste prevention projects. (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. 41).
• Materials for the Arts receives goods from residents as well as businesses, clearly illustrating the potential for reuse and material exchange programs at the neighborhood level. The program in 1998 saved DOS $41.50/ton for disposal costs and most likely at present saves more than the projected 2000 savings of $62.88/ton due to the increase in waste disposal costs since the time this report was completed (Measuring Waste Prevention Programs, p. 66). Materials for the Arts also accrues savings to its clients due to reduced need to purchase new products and materials.
• New Threads, a Philadelphia vintage thrift shop, "sells used clothing and new items that contain recycled materials. The store collects old clothing from recycling sites and participates in a door-to-door neighborhood clothing collection." The materials collected through this program are taken to a factory where formerly homeless persons sort through and determine what is to be exported, resold, or reprocessed (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 23).
• San Francisco, CA initiated the Shop Smart campaign, a region-wide effort to bring waste prevention messages to consumers through displays in 200 supermarkets. Shoppers were educated through shelf tags, posters, display units with literature and a media campaign. Product tracking and exit polls showed that sales of well-packaged products increased by almost 20% during the campaign and almost 60% of residents remembered campaign elements. The campaign has since been renamed "Save Money and the Environment Too" (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 39-40).
• King County, WA’s Waste Free Fridays Program has been in existence since 1996. Each quarter, a different business partners with the County to sponsor a particular waste prevention action. For example, Kinkos offered discounts on double-sided copying on Fridays (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 45).

1. Waste Prevention in the Department of City-Wide Administrative Services

• "Expand and enhance waste prevention and recycling education [in City agencies]. City Agency Commissioners and upper management at Agencies, Boards, and Commissions are key to motivating City employees and to raising awareness of the fact that preventing waste can reduce purchasing costs and decrease the cost to collect, transfer and export waste to out-of-state facilities" (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. 118). The Coalition’s staff recommendations include a Deputy Director for Waste Prevention within the Mayor’s Office of Operations.
• "Commit resources to assist the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to identify and provide less wasteful products and services. DCAS could consider offering a list of recycled content, energy efficient, or reusable products available…evaluate the merits and feasibility of making trucks and drivers available to the DCAS Office of Surplus Activities to provide transportation services" (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. 119-120). The Coalition’s staff recommendations include environmental purchasing coordinators. The proposal also calls for trucks and an electronic inventory tracking system.
• Phoenix, AZ’s City Council approved an Office Paper Recycling Program for all 13,000 City employees at 200 locations throughout the city in 1991. Follow up studies indicated a 20% reduction (by weight) occurred as a result of this program (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 24). The Coalition’s staff recommendations include a Waste Prevention and Recycling Coordinator within DCAS.

1. Waste Prevention Technical Assistance to Public Institutions and City Agencies

• "Examine the merits and feasibility of assisting Agencies in establishing a formal waste prevention training plan…examine the feasibility of assisting Agencies to incorporate waste prevention an recycling achievements as one of the performance indicators for Agency management" (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. 119).
• "The audit consisted of a physical sort of all waste and recyclables generated by the operation(s) during a specified 24-hour period" (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. 9). The audits conducted under the CitySen$e project were extremely limited in scope and duration. The waste prevention staff funded through the Coalition’s Technical Assistance to City Agencies program would be able to conduct more comprehensive and meaningful waste audits to identify opportunities for waste prevention.

1. Revolving Capital Funds for Waste Prevention

• Department of Environmental Protection could, "Repair/replace photocopy machines that cannot readily produce double-sided copies" (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. 34). The capital cost necessary to implement this recommendation could be funded through the Revolving Capital Fund.
• Agencies could establish an enhanced pallet management program. In order for the program to be effective, baseline data is needed (NYCitySen$e Project Summary, p. A-3). This research could be funded under the Revolving Capital Fund.
• San Diego, CA’s Environmental Services Department has initiated a Zero Trash pilot program, where employees are required to properly dispose of their own trash, recyclables and food waste. Six vermicomposters have been set up in the building’s composting garden, allowing employees to recycle their food scraps (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 30). If a NYC agency adopted a similar program, the equipment could be funded through the Revolving Capital Fund.

1. Waste Prevention in the Health and Hospitals Corporation

• The Health and Hospitals Corporation generates approximately 257,325 tons of waste each year, of which packaging makes up 30 to 60 percent. If there was only a 10% participation rate for implemented waste prevention programs, 7,720-15,440 tons of waste each year could be prevented (NYC WasteLe$$ Summary Report, p. 54). This would result in a savings of $737,260-$1,474,520 each year.

1. Waste Prevention in Schools

1. Backyard Composting and Organic Waste Prevention

• "The Department of Sanitation has not initiated a comprehensive effort to evaluate or quantify the full waste prevention and cost savings impacts of the ongoing compost initiatives undertaken by DOS-funded staff at the Botanical Gardens" (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. 105). If the composting program was expanded, staff could complete this important task as well as increase the amount of organic waste prevented through intensified outreach and public education efforts.
• The City of San Antonio, TX has encouraged citizens to participate in yard waste prevention programs such as Backyard Composting and Don’t Bag It, through local government cable TV and an innovative door hanger publicity campaign. Three times a year, door hangers are placed at individuals’ households promoting the composting programs (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 25-26).

1. Institutional In-Vessel Composting Pilot Program

1. Technical Assistance to Help Businesses Prevent Waste

• "Wa$teMatch can be expected to raise the waste prevention and recycling awareness of the business community. [Wa$teMatch] benefits the City by helping businesses to become more competitive and sustainable" (NYC Materials Exchange Roundtable, p. 3).
• Philadelphia "established pollution prevention and waste reduction programs to develop simple, creative ways for businesses…to voluntarily reduce the amount of waste they generate on site" (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 23).
• Phoenix Clean and Beautiful provides programs for the commercial sector such as: paper use reduction, packaging reduction and materials exchange (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 24).
• Milwaukee, WI provides a variety of waste prevention services to businesses including: business waste reduction kits, guides, brochures, industry-specific fact sheets and online information services. Business mentors also offer technical assistance to other businesses seeking waste prevention advice through the Be SMART Business Line (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 20).
• Seattle, WA operates the Business and Industry Recycling Venture which provides technical assistance to businesses in the area through a variety of strategies including: Construction, Demolition and Land Use Initiative, Waste Wise Packaging Database, Law Firm Waste Reduction Network, industry specific fact sheets, and direct mail reduction campaign (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 37).

1. Technical and Financial Assistance to Recycling, Reuse and Remanufacturing Businesses

• "Recycled-content products are often produced by new companies…The minimal financial resources of a new company producing recycled-content products should not preclude having the appropriate tests performed and filed for their products, which will serve to enhance their products’ reputations" (Recycled-Content Building Materials, p. 16). The proposed $5 million grant could fund these types of activities.

1. Residential Quantity Based User Fee (QBUF) Pilot Project

• "To achieve the level of industry and consumer behavior change necessary for substantial reductions in the New York City solid waste stream,…politically challenging initiatives, such as quantity-based user fees, are needed" (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. ES9).
• "Packaging in the municipal solid waste stream can be reduced [by] consumers choos[ing] to buy products with the least packaging. Municipalities like New York City [should] continue to develop and expand programs targeting [consumers by] adopting pay-as-you-throw pricing" (Packaging Roundtable, p. 18).
• San Jose, CA has a "pay as you throw" program for both single and multiple family dwellings, which is considered a motivator to prevent waste. "The rate charged for citizens who live in multiple family dwellings is based on the size of the building’s dumpster used for trash collection. All individual inhabiting the building, therefore, pay the same fee, which is included in their rent" (Survey of Waste Prevention Programs, p. 32). The garbage meter pilot program proposed by the Coalition would help determine how best to implement pay as you throw programs in New York City.

• "Waste prevention measurement is a worthwhile undertaking. Despite the stated obstacles to and limited experience in measuring waste prevention, DOS recognizes a number of factors reinforcing the push to develop and refine measurement approaches" (Measuring Waste Prevention, p. 128).