By Sarah Kraszewski and Michael Arny, Leonardo Academy

This article is based on information provided by Bob Cline, the Director of General Services at the National Geographic Society, during a recent discussion with Leonardo Academy Staff.

The National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. is a LEED-EB Certified Silver complex composed of 635,000 sq. ft. of occupied space and a total of 830,000 sq. ft. including underground parking and storage areas. 

In 2002, the facility was at the 32% percent recycling level at the year-end.  By 2005, 46% of the facility waste was recycled. Cline reported that the 2006 building goal is to get over the 50% mark and to continue to improve upon that number in the years to come. 

How has recycling benefited the facility?
Recycling has contributed to a significant decrease in the cost of waste disposal.  The cost for facility waste disposal has been reduced by 68% since 2000 due to waste reduction!  Even after including the amount of labor needed to maintain the recycling program, the reduction in waste disposal costs is around 40%.

Having a vigorous recycling program has also fostered the identification of additional ways to repurpose materials that would otherwise have stayed in the waste stream. For example, furniture that is no longer needed at the facility is now taken to organizations that will resell or reuse the furniture.

What materials are recycled?
The National Geographic Society has a vendor that collects all forms of paper as ‘mixed paper.’ The facility also recycles cardboard, all metals, shipping peanuts, lamps, ballasts, cell phones, carpet, and used furniture. 

Landscape waste is composted and the facility recently began composting all food waste from the cafeteria kitchen.  “Food waste will contribute 24 tons to the amount of materials that we recycle annually at the facility, and will help us to reach our 2006 goal of recycling 50% of the total building waste,” said Cline.

How are materials collected?
‘Paper only’ bins are located in each office or work area. There are additional containers located in the copy rooms and work rooms of each floor.  Each of these rooms contains a bin for paper and a bin for mixed recyclables that includes glass, aluminum cans, and #1 & #2 plastics.  

A few stalls in the underground parking area of the building have been repurposed as space for the aggregation and storage of recyclables. All paper and cardboard products are baled here before going to the recycling vendor.

“We also offer a pick-up on demand for VHS tapes from users within the facility.  We found a vendor that collects VHS tapes and repurposes the materials,” stated Cline.

How does the facility keep track of the amount of waste and recyclable materials?
The National Geographic Society receives monthly or quarterly bills from the recycling vendors and waste collectors that indicate that weight of the collected materials.  These numbers are used to compile the yearly waste records.

How can the National Geographic Society surpass their goal of recycling 50% of building waste in the future?
“Two important elements in achieving higher levels of recycling are continued education of building occupants and better purchasing practices for materials that are brought into the facility,” explained Cline. They are always scanning publications and articles on recycling to find ways that their facility can improve on decreasing waste.

How is education used to inform building occupants about the recycling program?
Employees are first introduced to the recycling program during the new employee orientation.  Education is given to building services personnel and other existing staff as well.

What are the challenges in maintaining the recycling program?
Cline stated, “Continuing staff awareness of the recycling program is always a challenge, but is essential to the success of the program.  We work hard to make recycling as convenient as possible for building occupants by providing sufficient containers in areas where materials will need to be discarded.”

What are your suggestions to other facility managers who are interested in developing or improving their recycling program?
“Get involved with your local USGBC groups and stay involved with other groups participating in the LEED program,” said Cline.  Cline attributed much of the success of recycling programs and markets in the Washington Metropolitan area to LEED, with LEED-EB in particular.  The acceptance of the LEED programs in buildings has led to growth in recycling availability in the area.  Cline says it is useful to have strong communication with other LEED participants as well as the recycling vendors.  “Finding what types of recycling programs that other organizations are using, or talking with vendors to determine what they are doing for other customers, can provide information on how your facility can improve your recycling program.”