Tools & Resources

EPA created the Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool to help companies and individuals estimate environmental impacts from purchasing and/or manufacturing materials with varying degrees of post-consumer recycled content.

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® is the most-used energy measurement and tracking tool for commercial buildings in the United States. With more than 45 percent of the U.S. commercial building market using Portfolio Manager for energy benchmarking (and, in many cases, water tracking), the addition of waste tracking brings greater visibility to waste management and the opportunities to reduce costs and environmental impacts. By using Portfolio Manager to track waste, you can help support the development of comparative metrics and data trends on waste management by property type and geography.

Tips to help organizations achieve their waste reduction goals across four areas: reducing waste, reusing materials, donating/exchanging aterials, and recycling

Covers the three things needed for an effective waste assessment: identify waste generated at your facility and purchasing management practices; examine current waste reduction practices and assess their effectiveness; and identify the areas and materials in which waste reduction efforts will be most effective

EPA provides design assistance to help support sustainable communities that protect the environment, economy, and public health and to inspire local and state leaders to expand this work elsewhere.

Financing of Recycling Infrastructure to build new MRF or upgrade old MRF capital. Ex: With financing from the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund, the Waste Commission of Scott County will increase participation and diversion with a new single-stream collection program for 48,500 households and an upgraded MRF with more than double capacity to serve the Quad Cities region.

A curated compendium of industry commitments aimed at improving packaging sustainability. Discover trends, analyze goals, and learn which topics have the most momentum in the world of sustainable packaging. This database is exclusively for SPC members.

Website devoted to proven solutions and innovative new approaches to reducing food loss and waste

On September 22, 2012, EPA launched the SMM Electronics Challenge. The Challenge encourages electronics manufacturers, brand owners and retailers to strive to send 100 percent of the used electronics they collect from the public, businesses and within their own organizations to third-party certified electronics refurbishers and recyclers. The Challenge’s goals are to: Ensure responsible recycling through the use of third-party certified recyclers. Increase transparency and accountability through public posting of electronics collection and recycling data. Encourage outstanding performance through awards and recognition.