Zero Waste Certification Flashcards Exam Questions And Answers

Zero Waste International Alliance - ANS The Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) is an international non-profit that develops standards to guide zero waste practices, policies and implementation for business, communities and individuals. Zero Waste - ANS Zero waste is an ethical, economic and ecologic guideline and practice to encourage people to change their lifestyle and to emulate sustainable, natural cycles by designing all "waste" into a resource. The zero waste goal aims at to design and manage products, and their processes, to systemically avoid and eliminate waste and its toxicity. Additionally, it aims to conserve and recover all resources by not burning or burying them, as we do in standard practices like dumping them in landfills and incineration sites. The benefit of zero waste is eliminating all toxic discharges to land, water and/or air that are a threat to planetary, human and animal health. The zero waste commitment is toward encouraging cultural change, challenging existing waste practices, searching for continual improvement ("kaizen"), and an increasing awareness of its sustainable practices. Reduce, Reuse, Redesign, Re-Earth - ANS In the context of zero waste to reduce is to examine all existing practices of an individual or facility and make changes to avoid and eliminate waste. To reuse is to avoid disposal by using an item again, as is, or by giving it a new function. To redesign is to right-size waste systems (outgoing materials) and purchasing agreements (incoming material) to eliminate wasteful practices from production and processing. And finally, to re-earth is to collect organic material and decompose or compost it for another purpose. Upstream Management & Activities - ANS Upstream management capitalizes on every opportunity to mitigate wasteful practices before waste gets into one's hands. Upstream activities include raw material extraction, production, and transportation. Highest & Best Use of Resources - ANS The highest and best use of resources ensures that the end use of discarded materials must recover to the highest value of its embodied energy. For example to reuse a product for its original purpose, alternative purpose or reusing its parts. Composting and recycling should be the last resort, and nothing should ever be sent to landfill. Closed-loop Supply Chain - ANS Closed-loop supply chains are designed for the environment, clean production, resource recovery, and producer responsibility, as well as support consumer buying power. A zero waste facility has the following: - ANS - It prevents waste from occurring. - It pre-plans for what materials must be managed. - It seeks out practical ways to reduce, reuse or repurpose material. - It recycles and composts as much as possible. - It conducts actions locally as much as possible. A zero waste infrastructure includes the following: - ANS - Comprehensive recycling programs. - Company training programs. - Internal collection and sorting systems. - Organic diversion and composting plans. - Construction and debris diversion plans. - Local food reuse or donation plans. The steps to a 100% diversion plan: - ANS 1. Initiate a zero-waste discussion with all employees in all departments. 2. Evaluate all details of the operation, such as tracking waste, reviewing purchasing records, conducting waste audits, recreating policies, and observing infrastructure, etc. 3. Develop a zero-waste plan by implementing strategies, policies, economic feasibility, service opportunities, etc. 4. Implement the zero waste plan effectively. GBCI - ANS GBCI stands for Green Business Certification Incorporated, which is a premier organization independently recognizing green businesses globally. TRUE - ANS TRUE stands for total resource use and efficiency. GBCI's TRUE zero waste certification is the only certification that includes the Zero Waste International Alliance's definition of zero waste. A certified, zero waste project is defined by: - ANS The legal property boundary in which the facility resides. It is available to any physical facility, as long as that facility has been operational for a minimum of 12 months and has a defined baseline period for waste diversion data. There is no minimum or maximum size of a project. Material scope of zero-waste encompasses: - ANS All solid, non-hazardous discards generated within a project's boundary. Hazardous material is defined by the local jurisdiction, state or country. Liquids are only included if they are accepted in landfill by local or state jurisdiction. Wastewater is not included due to its volume and velocity. Diversion Rate - ANS Diversion rate is defined by the materials diverted from landfill, incineration (WTE) divided by the total volume/weight of "waste" generation. The Seven Program Requirements include: - ANS - A zero-waste policy is in place. - The facility has achieved an average of 90% overall diversion rate in the most recent twelve months. - A facility meets all waste and recycling laws and complies with all air, water, and land discharge permits. - There is data documenting a base year and measurements since then. - A facility has not exceeded 10% contamination for any materials leaving the facility. - Twelve months of diversion data was submitted to GBCI. - A case study regarding the zero waste project was submitted to GBCI. Redesign - ANS The intention of redesign is to examine all purchasing agreements (incoming materials) and waste systems (outgoing materials). Redesign | Credit One: right size collection containers and service levels - ANS Ensures that container volume, amount and number of pick-ups for each material type is accurate and appropriate to the amount of "waste" generation. Here, we are required to evaluate all containers to ensure the most optimal size and schedules for pick-up are in place. We are also required to implement a strategy for the periodic review of these containers and adjust the sizes and frequency of pick-ups accordingly. This looks like doing a physical observation of open containers prior to hauling, a review of certified weight tickets to compare them to the actual weight of containers, and an evaluation of the most optimal times of pick-up to ensure cost efficiency. Redesign | Credit Two: restructure solid waste collection agreements for zero waste - ANS Incentivizes all parties to reduce waste through solid waste collection agreements. Here, we are required to review solid waste collection agreements from all vendors handling waste and reusable/recyclable material. We are also supposed to identify and implement modifications to any of the agreements to incentivize reduction of waste to landfill, incineration and the environment. To do this, we partner with service providers to explore tactics for a win-win relationship. We work to reduce contamination, as well, to ensure high value of materials for resale and discover opportunities for profit sharing models from the sale of recyclables. Redesign | Credit Three: review all nine points of generation - ANS Ensures a thorough review of all aspects of waste generation in every area of the facility. Here we are required to review all points of generation and scope out opportunities for each material to meet its highest and best use (compared to baseline practices). First, we would determine which of the nine points of generation exist in the facility (not every facility has all nine) and then we would analyze the material generation. Then, we would look for opportunities to design out wasting and implement those waste reduction strategies.