Large Tech Company
Technical Assistance in San Francisco
Client: Large Tech Company in San Francisco
Date: September 2019 - March 2020 Highlights √ Envirolutions Consulting partnered with Zabble to give technical assistance to one of the largest tech companies in San Francisco to help them achieve Zero Waste Goals. √ Zabble's technology app streamlined the user interface for Envirolutions Consulting staff to conduct seamless floor-level waste audits on their cloud-based mobile platform. √ Provided deliverables that included staff training, waste sorting events with recycling quizzes, floor level and locking dock waste characterizations, and ultimately a waste diversion “playbook” to provide guidance for implementing zero waste strategies across departments and throughout operations. |
Background
Envirolutions Consulting was engaged by a large private tech company in San Francisco committed to adhering to San Francisco’s Zero Waste ordinance, especially as it pertains to the Large Refuse Generator Ordinance (LRG) that went into effect on July 1, 2019. This ordinance stipulates that all LRGs of 40 cubic yards of waste generation per week or greater be able to pass a waste characterization with minimal contamination in their trash/recycling/organics streams or pay significant surcharges and hire Zero Waste Facilitators, or waste sorters, to ensure they can pass subsequent re-audits. This tech company anticipated the difficulties in being able to pass this waste audit and hired Envirolutions to devise a plan to institute a culture of correctly recycling and composting throughout all operations and departments across their three largest buildings in downtown San Francisco. The largest of the three buildings totals over 1 million square feet with over 8000 employees occupying the space on a daily basis. It is estimated that the buildings could incur up to tens of thousands of dollars per month in fines if found out of compliance. In addition, these buildings might also lose their diversion discount and pay additional surcharges for contamination. Baseline waste audits conducted by Recology were used as a precedent for knowing what the weekly generation is, and the current diversion and contamination rates for each of the buildings. Results
As the project is still in process, the results are not quite ready to report. From the first of two waste audits conducted however, it is clear room for improvement exists for training and educating all employees, including janitorial staff on better diversion of all three waste streams. At project summary, it is assumed that this client will have a robust and thorough Zero Waste implementation plan to roll out across its operations, both within San Francisco and further afield. |
