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The Internet provides a wealth of information on waste prevention and recycling for both government agencies and businesses in New York City. Helpful sites worth checking out are listed by category below. NOTE: Our mention of these resources does not constitute an endorsement. If you find any outdated information, or would like to suggest additional resources, please email NYCWasteLe$$.
Click on the links below to go to resources on additional topics in waste less at city agencies & schools.
Visit recyclers and vendors to find local businesses and manufacturers that provide alternative products and services. The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation sponsors the NYS Environmental Excellence Awards and the New York Environmental Leaders Program for businesses, organizations, and individuals that demonstrate leadership on environmental issues. USEPA’s WasteWise program is a free, voluntary program through which organizations eliminate municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes. WasteWise provides free technical assistance to help organizations develop, implement, and measure their waste reduction activities.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RELOCATION ASSISTANCE The New York City Economic Development Corporation provides links to numerous financing and incentive programs available to current NYC businesses seeking to expand, to prospective new businesses, and to businesses relocating to or within New York City. Empire State Development provides information on tax and financial incentive programs and research and development assistance programs to New York State businesses. The Partnership for New York City’s New York City Investment Fund invests in early stage companies that will create jobs, help to revitalize distressed areas, and utilize innovative ideas or products that position New York at the cutting edge of growth sector industries. The business section of the official New York City website offers access to a variety of resources to support anyone interested in starting or growing a business in New York City, including rules and regulations and access to financial assistance and business services. The New York City Small Business Resource Center (SBRC) helps small business owners locate information sources and assistance programs throughout the City. The New York City Department of Small Business Services (212) NY*Magic (696-2442) offers free business advice to existing or developing NYC businesses and can direct businesses to available resources. return to business assistance programs Consolidated Edison Co. of New York offers incentives to encourage business creation in New York City and Westchester County. Its Businesses Incentive Rate, Economic Development Zone Gas Rate Program, and other energy programs offer special reduced rates for energy and natural gas, to attract and retain businesses and jobs within New York City. The New York City Economic Development Corporation provides links to City/State incentive programs, utility programs, and tax exemption programs to current and future New York City businesses. Empire State Development offers a host of programs to help New York State businesses save on energy costs. KeySpan Energy Delivery offers economic development and energy saving programs and consulting services to businesses throughout NYC. Go to products and services for businesses and enter your location of interest for more information. KeySpan also offers green building consulting services as part of its Business Solutions programs. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers a number of programs and financial incentives to help commercial establishments become more energy efficient. return to business assistance programs POLLUTION PREVENTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE/INNOVATION Empire State Development offers resources and funding opportunities for capital investments, research, development and demonstration, and technical assistance projects that produce measurable results in pollution prevention, reuse, and recycling. The Environmental Economic Development Assistance Unit of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection provides pollution prevention training, environmental compliance assistance, and financial assistance counseling for industrial and commercial establishments in New York City. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is the state regulatory agency overseeing air, water, and solid and hazardous waste regulations and permitting. They coordinate information management, technical assistance, and support activities for businesses that are interested in participating in their multi-media pollution prevention (M2P2) initiative. The Unit also assists NYSDEC’s Green Building Initiative by accepting and reviewing applications for funding. NYSDEC’s Recycling and Composting Program offers businesses technical assistance, as well as education and outreach materials, to enhance waste reduction and recycling efforts. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority runs the Environmental Product Development Program, which assists companies that are interested in developing and commercializing new or improved environmental products or processes. Construction and demolition waste ALSO SEE deconstruction and green building for additional information. King County Solid Waste Division’s construction recycling page includes design specifications and a cost and savings calculator for C&D recycling. California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)’s construction and demolition debris recycling page includes a contractor’s toolkit with C&D recycling plans and specifications. The Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) is a member organization who tries to education about C&D recycling. greenGoat is a consultant specializing in construction and demolition waste management. The New York City Department of Design and Construction’s Office of Sustainable Design developed the Construction and Demolition Waste Manual to provide an overview of what other municipalities are doing and serve as an introduction and resource handbook for construction and demolition waste reduction, reuse, and recycling on New York City Projects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s waste reduction page for construction and demolition (C&D) waste offers numerous resources, fact sheets, and case studies on how to reduce C&D waste and deconstruction. ALSO SEE construction and demolition waste and green building for additional information. Visit Build It Green!, a newly opened non-profit reuse center in Astoria, Queens selling a wide variety of affordable, used, and surplus building materials. The center is a project of the Community Environmental Center. It is located at 3-17 26th Avenue and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 6:30 pm. The Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) is a member organization who tries to education about building deconstruction and reuse. Read “Deconstructing for Dollars” to learn about the success of reuse warehouses in Washington State operated by The Restore, a nonprofit used building materials supplier. The Deconstruction Institute provides educational materials, tools, resources, and case studies on deconstruction practices in the United States. The Institute for Local Self Reliance gives an overview of deconstruction and provides links to publications and relevant articles. The Loading Dock is a warehouse distributor of surplus and used building materials serving the Baltimore area affordable housing market. The ReBuilding Center runs a deconstruction service, manufactures furniture from reclaimed wood, and operates a retail outlet for used building materials in Portland, Oregon. Habitat for Humanity has established more than 50 ReStores across the United States and Canada. They sell quality used and surplus building materials at a fraction of retail prices. Proceeds fund the construction of Habitat houses. The Used Building Materials Exchange is a free worldwide information exchange for companies and individuals who want to buy, sell, or trade lumber; doors and windows; plumbing fixtures; electrical, heating and cooling equipment; and other used building materials. Environmental management systems The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its Region 2 office provide information and resources related to environmental management systems for businesses, associations, the public, and state and federal agencies. The Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center’s Healthcare Guide to Pollution Prevention Implementation through Environmental Management Systems presents industry-specific tips, resources, and relevant case studies. The website of the International Organization of Standardization (the international body responsible for the development and publication of ISO 14000 and other standards) provides information on principles behind the ISO 14000 standard, its key elements, and benefits. The ISO 14000 Information Center contains news releases, overviews, training information, as well as a list of ISO 14000-certified companies (click on “Community” to view the database). ISO 14000 / ISO 14001 Environmental Management explains each of these standards and provides a series of easy-to-use resources and guides. The National Database on Environmental Management Systems is a research study of facilities that are implementing environmental management systems such as ISO 14001. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides organizations with the information they need to better understand the Environmental Management Systems (EMS) concept, as well as the tools to effectively develop an EMS at their organization.
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance provides extensive information on product stewardship, including international product stewardship efforts, a suggested legislative policy proposal, and some case studies. Northwest Product Stewardship Council is a group of government organizations, businesses, and nonprofit groups that are endeavoring to integrate product stewardship into the policy and economic structures of the Pacific Northwest. Products and/or sectors the Council is targeting include apparel, electronics, medical, mercury, and tires. Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center provides a number of examples of companies that have implemented various product stewardship strategies into their manufacturing process. Product Stewardship Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell assists state and local government agencies in establishing cooperative agreements with industry and in developing other initiatives that reduce the health and environmental impacts from consumer products. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlights the latest developments in Product Stewardship, both in the United States and abroad, and provides numerous links to other sources of information, including some printed materials. Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, a nonprofit public service organization sponsored by battery manufacturers, has established partnerships with retail sites and other programs to facilitate the return of spent rechargeable batteries. NYC Retailers who sell rechargeable batteries, or products containing rechargeable batteries, can use this program to help comply with New York City's Rechargeable Battery Law. Sprint Nextel, offers two take-back programs for cellular phones and accessories. Sprint Project Connect will accept any make or model of cell phone, cell phone battery, or cell phone accessory at no cost for recycling. Sprint BuyBack is a program offered to Sprint Nextel customers that gives customers an incentive for returning specific cell phones to Sprint Nextel. Sprint Nextel retailers can use this program to help comply with New York City's Rechargeable Battery Law. Hewlett-Packard provides take-back and recycling services for its ink-jet supplies, LaserJet supplies, and hardware. IBM, in addition to recycling personal computers from any manufacturer, accepts nickel cadmium and sealed lead-acid batteries for reuse, recycling, and proper disposal. KODAK offers a variety of take-back programs for many of its products, including canisters, lids, spools, and cartridges emanating from film processing, one-time-use cameras after they are processed, drums used in the photo finishing process, and DryView film cartridges. M•A•C Cosmetics encourages its customers to return empty M•A•C plastic containers to a M•A•C distribution center, retail store, or a M•A•C counter, to be sent to a recycling facility for remanufacturing. To thank customers for their efforts, M•A•C will exchange one free lipstick for every six empty plastic containers returned. Nike collects used athletic shoes of any brand and grinds them up to give them new life as athletic surfaces and Nike products. Product Care is a not-for-profit industry-sponsored association that manages environmental stewardship programs for paint, flammable liquids, pesticide, and gasoline on behalf of its members across Canada. Through its Green World Alliance, Xerox runs a supplies and cartridge recycling program to encourage customers to recycle or dispose of supplies in a manner that minimizes their impact on the environment. The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center provides information and case studies on the concept of “designing for the environment.” Hewlett-Packard has incorporated design improvements that facilitate disassembly and reduce the amount of protective packaging required during shipping. Xerox remanufactures returned end-of-life equipment, reusing 70 to 90 percent (by weight) of machine components, while meeting performance specifications for equipment with all new parts. National Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative is an association of stakeholders from the electronics industry, environmental advocacy community, and government agencies from across the United States who are working to address electronics-related solid waste issues through different product stewardship initiatives. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a sampling of businesses and electronic retailers implementing product stewardship initiatives. ALSO SEE Computer and cell phone — donations and recycling in waste less at home. Hewlett-Packard is continuously developing, testing, and implementing more environmentally effective shipping and storage methods. IBM has developed “green” packaging guidelines. Stonyfield Farm has worked with the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems to improve the environmental performance of their packaging. CEILING AND FLOORING RECLAMATION Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a voluntary initiative between members of the carpet industry and government to prevent carpet from burdening landfills. CARE focuses on developing carpet reclamation and recycling methods. Interface Flooring Systems sells a long-term carpet maintenance and replacement service. The company offers customers a bundled service package that includes design, layout, carpet-tile installation, ongoing maintenance, and ultimate removal of carpet tiles for recycling. Invista offers sustainable practices throughout every stage of its Antron brand carpet’s life cycle. The Antron Reclamation Program removes and collects used carpeting and installation scraps and ships it to an Invista recycling center.
ALSO SEE the green building page, construction and demolition waste, deconstruction and product stewardship for additional information. The NYC Department of Design and Construction’s (DDC) Office of Sustainable Design established contract specifications for various green building categories as well as a sustainable design training program. They also produce various guidelines to help integrate high-performance features into the programming, design, construction, and operation of municipal facilities. In addition, DDC developed tools to assist agencies and consultants in complying with Local Law 86 of 2005. The NYC Department of Buildings proposed changes to the building code include efficiency standards and financial incentives for all construction projects in the City. They also maintain a list of guides and publications about green building in New York City. The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority, a public organization created to manage Battery Park City on Manhattan’s Lower West Side has created environmental guidelines for building residential and commercial/institutional properties on the property. These guidelines have resulted in a high concentration of green buildings within Battery Park City. Following the completion of the Solaire building in Battery Park City, the authority created a cost impact study to determine the cost impact of their residential environmental building guidelines. The NYC Office of Environmental Coordination (OEC) manages the the implementation of Local Law 86 of 2005. In addition, OEC sponsors the Green Building Competition for New York City. The NYC School Construction Authority (SCA) developed the NYC Green Schools Guide, which includes a rating system and guidelines to help NYC schools comply with Local Law 86 of 2005. The Skyscraper Museum’s website from their “Green Towers for New York: From Visionary to Vernacular” exhibition includes information, images and video on many of New York’s green buildings.
The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system provides a common definition and standard of measurement for green building. USGBC runs professional accreditation workshops and exams for building professionals and maintains a searchable database of LEED accredited professionals. USGBC also maintains resources on green building including cost analysis with models of buildings that cost the same or less than a non-green building. The Department of Energy's Energy Star program rates homes and created guidelines for buildings based on their energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Their Target Finder tool offers a performance rating scale to compare new building design with definitive energy goals, while their Portfolio Manager tool helps monitor and manage the energy performance of existing buildings. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers is an international organization that writes standards that set uniform methods of testing and rating equipment and establish accepted practices for the HVAC&R industry worldwide. California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)’s green building design and construction page includes program design elements with studies and information on the cost of green building, the materials used in green building and standards and guidelines. The Forest Stewardship Council puts forth principles and criteria for certification of wood and wood-based materials derived from environmentally responsible forestry practices. The Green Building Initiative also maintains a green building rating system called Green Globes. This system is an American National Standards Institute accredited program that is assessed online and then verified by a third party. The USEPA’s Green Buildings site provides numerous resources on green building, including the BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software. The downloadable software allows users to select cost-effective “green” building products and was developed by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Building and Fire Research Laboratory, with support from the USEPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) Program and the HUD Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). GreenTree, sponsored by the National Center for Appropriate Technology, helps you select building materials and technologies that help conserve resources by using them efficiently. The High Performance School Design Online Training is a free training program for architects and engineers, where they take 28 online courses on high performance schools and earn continuing education credits. King County Solid Waste Division’s Construction Recycling and Green Building program offers information about recycling job-site material and green building practices, technologies, policies, and standards in residential and commercial development. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Toolbase Services has developed various green building resources including the Green Home Building Guidelines which has a checklist, a point system, and a users guide to help implement the checklist program. The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council maintains guidelines for homebuilders and schools as well as Energy-10 energy simulation software. The American Institute of Architect’s Writing the Green RFP: Sustainable Design Language for Consultant Requests provides guidance and model language for including sustainable design in requests for proposals or qualifications for architectural services. Capital-E provides a detailed report on the cost and benefits of building green. ConEdison Solutions has teamed up with Community Energy, Inc., a leading marketer and developer of wind-generated power, and the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) to bring GREEN Power in the form of NewWind Energy™ to commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities in New York City and Westchester, Orange, and Rockland counties. Visit their website to find out how to purchase non-polluting wind power for your company. Visit the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy for information on state and federal green building incentive programs. See the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s site for information on “green” building initiatives and the governor’s green building tax credit. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority provides financial assistance, computer modeling, and materials’analysis to building design teams interested in building green. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Green Value page looks at the cost of green buildings including productivity and market value as well as upfront and maintenance costs.
BuildingGreen, Inc. publishes the Environmental Building News, GreenSpec and the Building Green Suite. The Environmental Building News offers articles and resources addressing land-use, building design, and construction strategies that reduce environmental impacts. GreenSpec is a directory of over 2,000 green products and the Building Green Suite is the online version of all of their publications. City of Austin Green Building Program’s Sustainable Building Sourcebook is a comprehensive guidance document on sustainable building that also contains information on relevant publications and materials vendors. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program offers information on making new and existing buildings energy efficient, including energy-conserving techniques for various business and institutional sectors, energy codes, energy simulation software, and research/funding partnering opportunities. Visit EERE’s High Performance Building, Building Technologies program, and Energy Codes pages. DOE’s Smart Communities Network and Rebuild America Network both also provide a great deal of information on greening buildings. The OIKOS website is dedicated to sustainable and energy-efficient construction. OIKOS provides the Green Building News, the Energy Source Builder Newsletter, and a Green Products directory and gallery. Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility’s (Northern California Chapter) Resource Guide on Green & Healthy Building gives details on alternative building materials and vendor information. Energy Star, a voluntary Partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy, provides case studies, tools, and resources to help hospitals and healthcare facilities save money through energy efficiency. The Greater New York Hospital Association is a trade association comprising nearly 200 not-for-profit hospitals and continuing care facilities in the metropolitan New York area. Its mission is to act as the principal advocate for its members in improving the access to, as well as the quality and cost of, health care in the metropolitan area, through policy analysis and development, advocacy, communication, education, research, and business services. The Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center’s Healthcare Guide to Pollution Prevention Implementation through Environmental Management Systems presents industry-specific tips, resources, and relevant case studies. Healthcare Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals, healthcare systems, medical professionals, and environmental and community groups promoting the elimination of incineration of medical waste, the minimization of toxic constituents in waste materials, and encouraging the safer use of materials and treatment practices in healthcare settings. The Tellus Institute publication, Healthy Hospitals: Environmental Improvements through Environmental Accounting explores the potential and practice of Environmental Accounting (EA) in hospitals, with a particular focus on the barriers to and opportunities for EA created by regulatory and institutional context. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “Hospital eTool” describes a number of occupational hazards healthcare workers face and recommends possible precautions and alternatives. Potential hazards include latex allergies and exposure to glutaraldehyde, ethylene oxide, mercury, waste anesthetic gases, and needle sticks. Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) is a voluntary program designed to help hospitals enhance workplace safety, reduce waste and waste disposal costs, and become better environmental stewards and neighbors. The site provides tools, case studies, and resources regarding waste prevention, green purchasing and value analysis, green building, reducing mercury usage, and pollution prevention. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation supplies general background and specific compliance and pollution prevention information, as well as publications on an array of healthcare industry topics, including mercury management, regulated medical waste, and environmental compliance and pollution prevention at hospitals. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority offers guidelines, technical assistance, and economic incentive programs for hospitals and institutions that are interested in making their facilities more energy efficient. Sustainable Hospitals provides technical support to the healthcare industry for selecting alternative and/or reusable medical equipment, cleaners, and disinfectants, and work practices that reduce occupational and environmental hazards. USEPA’s Region 2 Office supplies information on enhancing environmental compliance and pollution prevention efforts in the healthcare field. The U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration provides general background information and an overview of regulatory requirements for hospitals reprocessing single-use devices. The Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation is a citywide economic development organization that helps New York City's manufacturing and technology firms compete and grow through a broad range of technical and business services. Made In NYC is an initiative aimed at providing information, links, and other contact information for the thousands of manufacturers of products made in New York City. The initiative is a collaboration of the New York Industrial Retention Network (NYIRN), the Manufacturers Association of New York City (MANYC), and the Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC). The Manufacturers Association of New York is a membership organization that acts as an advocate for NYC manufacturers on legislative and regulatory issues. The New York Industrial Retention Network is a citywide, not-for-profit economic development organization dedicated to strengthening the manufacturing sector and saving manufacturing jobs. NYIRN provides a wide range of services to help individual companies and address broader industry-wide needs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment program is a partnership program working with individual industry sectors to compare and improve the performance, costs, and human health and environmental risks of existing and alternative products, processes, and practices. Manufacturing with recycled content ALSO SEE recycled-content product guides and directories in waste less at agencies & schools. Clean Washington Center presents more than 90 publications to help recyclers, reclaimers, manufacturers, and service providers develop new recycled-content products and markets. Technical publications include recycling best practices for glass, wood, rubber, and plastics, along with project reports covering processing, manufacturing, and product performance issues. Empire State Development’s Environmental Investment Program provides funding for capital investments, research, development and demonstration, and technical assistance projects that produce measurable results in pollution prevention, reuse, and recycling. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Financing Guide for Recycling Businesses: Investment Forums, Meetings and Networks is a guidebook describing how recycling businesses can obtain private equity financing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Jobs Through Recycling program fosters recycling market development by facilitating information exchange, providing networking opportunities, and offering grant awards. Minnesota’s Office of Environmental Assistance gives detailed information and resources on using recycled feedstock, sourcing recycled materials, and selling recycled products. Energy Star, a voluntary partnership between the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, offers restaurant-specific energy management strategies, tools, and resources. The Green Restaurant Association works to make restaurants more efficient through the incorporation of environmentally friendly business and purchasing practices. NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s Guidelines for Preventing Grease Discharges into Sewers details how businesses that disposes of grease, fats, or oil should have a grease interceptor, to prevent these materials from entering and clogging sewer lines. The National Restaurant Association is a legislative advocate for the restaurant industry. The association provides educational and promotional support, among other services to its members. The New York State Restaurant Association is a trade association affiliated with the National Restaurant Association that provides similar services on a local level. The National Retail Federation acts as the legislative voice of retailing in Washington. It analyzes proposed laws and regulations, testifies before committees and agencies, lobbies, and educates government about retailing and retailer concerns and priorities. Its subsidiary, the Association for Retail Technology Standards, was established to ensure that standards set for retail technology will enhance a retailer’s ability to cut costs and develop store-level business solutions. The Retail Industry Leaders Association is a full-service trade association providing industry research and education, government advocacy, and a unique forum for its members to establish relationships, solve problems, and work together for the benefit of the consumer and the mass retail industry. The Retail Council of New York State is a full-service membership trade association that offers a wide range of merchant services. The Retail Technology Buying Consortium (RETEX) is the nation's largest not-for-profit, retail buying consortium, utilizing the buying power of 2,300 retail members to receive increased invoice discounts and rebate savings from top providers of retail specific programs and services.
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