Saturday, October 20, 2007

The White House: Waste and Trash Disposal

Waste and trash disposal can be broken down into four main categories: yard, paper and office supplies, furnishings, and hazardous waste. Recycling is also an important part of this arrangement, where a program has been established to deal with aluminum, paper, newsprint, furniture, batteries, light bulbs, paint solvents, and ink cartridges. Bins are also available in living areas and staff is educated about the recycling program.

Landscaping is a significant element of the property. Yard waste and shredded documents are composted and reused on site. Furthermore, document waste is mitigate by the use of two-sided prints, automated travel documents, and recycled paper. When regarding the disposal of hazardous waste, it is done in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Agreements on procedures, inspections, storage, spilling equipment, and recordkeeping have been established. The décor of the White House, for both for permanent use and temporary events, greatly contribute to the generated waste. Repairing furniture is favored over buying new products.

From paper to large events, waste and trash disposal plays a significant role in the management of the White House and its activities and over the last fourteen years there has been a large effort to improve this system.

Greening the government through waste prevention, recycling and federal acquisition has extended this endeavor to include the entire federal government. This initiative promotes recycling and the purchase of recycled content products for the daily business of government agencies. Education and awareness plays a large role, where green websites and recognition strategies have been promoted, including the White House Closing the Circle Awards Program and ofee.gov.

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