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ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS SUMMARY <br />The environmental benefits of Roseville's zero -waste recycling program are quantified <br />transparently using a widely -accepted environmental model. This ensures that all residents <br />have a chance to see how their efforts can be measured and quantified. There are many ways <br />to calculate the benefits of recycling. To better explain these benefits in commonly understood <br />terms government agencies, research scientists, and economists have created several <br />"calculators" to translate the amounts of recycled materials collected, and processed into <br />equivalent positive societal and environmental benefits. <br />Because of the increasing societal focus on both the causes of and the solutions to climate <br />change, it has become imperative to measure waste reduction (and all of our activities) in terms <br />of its impact on the environment. This allows us to speak in a common language, understand <br />the impact of our choices, and help us prioritize the personal and policy actions that we take. In <br />addition to climate change mitigation, there are other environmental benefits to recycling, <br />including saving energy, protecting air quality, water quality, natural resources, natural beauty, <br />habitat, and human health. <br />The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WARM Calculator <br />The equations used in environmental calculations try to take into account the "full life cycle" of <br />each material —everything from off -setting the demand for more virgin materials (tree <br />harvesting, mining, etc.) to preventing the pollution that would have occurred if that material <br />were disposed of (burned or buried). Different calculators may include some or all of the many <br />factors that contribute to the "full life cycle" so results will vary from calculator to calculator. <br />While there are many models emerging to calculate greenhouse gas reductions, the most <br />recognized, and standard model is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Waste <br />Reduction Model (WARM). WARM was designed to help solid waste planners and organizations <br />track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas emissions reductions from several different waste <br />management practices. <br />9,000 <br />8,000 <br />7,000 <br />6,000 <br />5,000 <br />4,000 <br />3,000 <br />2,000 <br />1,000 <br />WARM Model Analysis of Impact on Climate Change over <br />Ten Years of Recycling in Roseville <br />2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 <br />■ Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Reduction <br />MTCO2E (Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions) are figures commonly used when discussing greenhouse gas emissions. <br />Page 51 of 67 <br />