Integrated Resource Management (IRM) has replaced Integrated Waste Management (IWM) as the way of managing materials use, from purchasing practices, through use to finding alternate uses for no-longer-wanted materials. By using resources efficiently, businesses can achieve significant savings and reduce the amount of waste generated.

Business systems should be designed and implemented that reduce the amount of resources used to deliver a given amount of products or services to their customers.

This course will evaluate how Cities can design and implement programs to help businesses, and how businesses can take advantage of the systems available to them.

Topics to be covered include:

1. Overview:
   • What is in the commercial waste stream
   • Opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle
   • Tools and resources to perform waste audits
   • Monitoring business recycling programs
   • State legislative mandates and how they apply to businesses
2. For Cities:
   • Working with waste and recycling companies to get the best programs
   • Contracting for commercial recycling services; RFP & Contract Language Tools
   • Promoting business waste prevention
   • Conducting waste assessments with your businesses
   • esponding to AB 32: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
   • Mandatory Commercial Recycling Ordinances
   • Financing your business recycling or composting program.
3. For businesses:
   • Targeting resources purchase and use by business type
   • Buying smart, and buying recycled products
   • Efficient use of resources
   • Reusing materials you currently throw away
   • Reducing waste within your business
   • Buying secondary materials to make new products
   • Saving money and reducing environmental impacts
   • Working with waste and recycling companies to get the best services at the best price
   • Contracting tips and tools to increase diversion and save costs
4. Business Success Stories

Background:

Cities throughout California are required to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 50%. For most communities more wastes are generated by businesses than is generated by residents, but programs are focused on the residential waste stream. For communities to meet the state mandates, they must have support from the business community, and businesses can achieve significant savings by reducing their waste stream.

The course will evaluate the material resources purchase practices by businesses and municipal programs to help businesses deliver products and services to its customers while decreasing wasteful habits and increasing reuse and recycling activities. This course will help identify ways to implement effective recycling programs within businesses, and composting programs for grocery stores, restaurants and other food service businesses. For the recycling system to work well products made from recycled materials must be purchased by the businesses that recycle.

Instructors:

Richard Gertman is the owner of Environmental Planning Consultants, a small private consulting firm based in San Jose, California. He is an instructor in the California Resource Recovery Association's Resource Management Professional Certification Program, teaching their 'An Introduction to Recycling' and 'ReThinking Wastes' Courses. His firm provides technical assistance to many businesses. He has recently co-authored a Best Practices Manual and companion Best Practices Guide to Single Stream Recycling with Susan Kinsella of Conservatree. His primary business is to help communities improve their waste and resource management practices.

Tracie Bills is a Project Manager at Environmental Planning Consultants. She provides business recycling technical assistance to businesses in Cupertino, Morgan Hill and Palo Alto, to cities in San Mateo County, to community colleges and to Counties at government facilities. She is involved in promoting recycling activities, sustainability, green business practices and green building. Tracie serves on the Board of the CRRA.