Building owners and managers can now track their waste generation and management, as well as their energy and water use with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which is a benchmarking and tracking tool.
The free online tool can benchmark 29 types of waste often generated in the commercial context – including building materials, glass, paper, plastics and trash. The user can track each of these 29 waste materials across four different management methods: (1) Recycled, (2) Composted, (3) Donated/Reused or (4) Disposed (which can be broken down into subcategories).
According to EPA, the transportation, decomposition and burning of waste material generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other air pollutants. By tracking materials management, EPA says buildings can improve their environmental footprint and also save money and increase revenue.
But note that Portfolio Manager does not calculate GHG emissions associated with the disposal of your waste and materials (e.g., the gas from a truck that travels X miles to a landfill; the GHG emissions from an incinerator, etc.). If you would like to estimate these emissions, EPA recommends that you consult its Waste Reduction Model (WARM), found at www.epa.gov/WARM.
The addition of waste tracking is the culmination of a year-long collaboration between EPA’s Energy Star and Sustainable Materials Management programs and industry to identify key performance metrics for waste and materials management.
To learn about EPA’s new waste tracking feature: www.energystar.gov/trackwaste.
To learn more about sustainable materials management: www.epa.gov/smm.