2014-04-22_PWETC_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

There are many ways to calculate the benefits of recycling. To better explain these benefits in commonly understood terms, government agencies, research scientists and economists have created several "calculators" to translate the amounts of recycled materials collected and processed into equivalent positive societal and environmental benefits. Most recently, it has become imperative to measure waste reduction (and all of our activities) in terns of its impact on climate change. This allows us to speak in a common language, understand the impact of our choices and help us prioritize the personal and policy actions that we take. Many cities around the country work with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) to quantify and now register the climate change impacts of their city. It is also important to calculate the carbon impact of waste reduction as the global effort continues to enact a carbon "cap and trade" system. In addition to climate change mitigation, there are other environmental benefits to recycling, including saving energy and protecting air quality, water quality, natural resources, natural beauty, habitat and human health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WARM Calculator The equations used in environmental calculations try to take into account the "full life cycle" of each material everything from offsetting the demand for more virgin materials (tree harvesting, mining, etc.) to preventing the pollution that would have occurred if that material were disposed of (burned or buried). Different calculators may include sonic or all of the many factors that contribute to the "full life cycle" so results will vary from calculator to calculator. While there are many models emerging to calculate greenhouse gas reductions, the most recognized and standard model is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Waste Reduction Model (WARM). WARM was designed to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas emissions reductions from several different waste management practices. WARM, last updated in February 2012, recognizes 46 material types.