Waste and Recycling

Waste Composition Study

Client: The U.S. Pentagon

As the world's largest office building, which houses a wide variety of activities and sources of solid waste, the Pentagon represents a complex waste generation and disposal system. Cascadia conducted a waste characterization study in order to understand this system, and establish the foundation for future waste reduction, recycling, or waste diversion activities.. Cascadia designed the study to gather quantity and composition data for wastes associated with distinct functional areas within the building. Over two seasons, we characterized 200 samples of waste, allowing for waste reduction and recycling efforts to be specifically and effectively targeted.

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Cascadia began to immediately overhaul the way Resource Venture services were marketed, delivered, and tracked; ultimately resulting in superior outcomes. Among the dramatic changes we noted were (1) an increased level of accountability; (2) a more strategic focus; and (3) service documentation that demonstrated a more effective and efficient program. In particular, Cascadia’s “targeting and tracking” database made it possible to focus on the biggest commercial resources users with the greatest potential for conservation, and then measure their progress over time. The program’s unique targeted approach is extremely cost-effective; Cascadia has helped reduce the City’s program costs from about $100/ton diverted in 2006 to about $45/ton in 2008.

- Phil Paschke, Seattle Public Utilities