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Roseville Total Carbon Equivalent Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Recycling Reduction Reduction 2~~6 3,441 tons 2,328 metric tons 8,537 metric tons (MTCE*) (MTC02E) 2~~7 3,682 tons 2,460 metric tons 9,018 metric tons (MTCE*) (MTC02E) 2~~$ 3,556 tons 2,383 metric tons 8,736 metric tons (MTCE*) (MTC02E) 2~~9 3,281 tons 2,206 metric tons 8,090 metric tons (MTCE*) (MTC02E) *MTCE (Metric tons of carbon equivalent), MTC02E (Metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions) are figures commonly used when discussing greenhouse gas emissions. What do all these numbers mean? The numbers above help municipalities calculate and track their environmental footprint. For more information about the process of measuring the environmental benefits of waste reduction, visit: httn://cna.~ov/climatcchan~c/wvcd/wa~~tc/mea~~urc~h~.html#clic.k. These numbers, however, don't make much sense to the average person. To help recyclers understand the significance of their actions, the EPA has also developed tools to translate these numbers into equivalent examples that people can more easily understand. • For example, using the figures above, the EPA estimates that Roseville would have had to remove a total of 1,482 cars from the road for one year to have had the same environmental impact in 2009 as they did recycling. To achieve this, approximately 10 of Roseville's households would have had to give up one car for a year. • Another example of how these efforts can be translated into energy savings can be found in the EPA calculator. It shows that the energy savings gained by the recycling efforts of Roseville's residents in 2009 could power the homes of over 460 of their neighbors for one year. Although WARM is the most widely peer-reviewed and accepted model, it is considered to have several flaws. Many believe the use of this calculator is conservative and understates the real impact of waste reduction efforts. However, despite these flaws, WARM is awell-recognized, published calculator. Until a better calculator is peer reviewed and accepted, WARM gives us a conservative starting place to measure these impacts and work towards our goals. Even with WARM, as you will see, the impacts are quite significant. (http //epa.gov/climatechan eg /vwcd/waste/calculators/Warm Form.html) Jeffrey Morris Calculator Jeffrey Morris, Ph.D. Economist at Sound Resource Management in Seattle has developed a calculator that begins with the EPA's calculator and expounds upon it to gather information on not just Carbon and C02, but also several other important environmental and human health indicators. Although new and not yet widely-used, this calculator shows the significant benefits that WARM does not consider. 11