4. MAINTENANCE TRACK
Presentations
and Demonstrations Held at the Santa Monica City Yards
Moderator:
Kim Braun
,
Solid Waste Superintendent, Department of Environmental and Public Works
Management, City of Santa Monica: Today, we will show you how we buy and use
environmentally-friendly products in Santa Monica.
Buying
Green Cleaning Products
Debbie
Raphael
,
Environmental Programs Division, Department of Environmental and Public Works
Management, City of Santa Monica
Toxics
Use Reduction Program
:
Santa Monica adopted in 1993 a Toxics Use Reduction (TUR) Program which
governs the purchasing of all products that contain chemicals. This program,
which was uated in 1998 by the US EPA, includes:
Custodial Supplies
Fleet Maintenance
Pest Control
Street Maintenance
Plumbing/Paint Shop
Custodial
Product Accomplishments
:
Identified "green" alternatives in 15 of 17 product categories.
Eliminated 3,200 pounds of hazardous materials in products purchased annually.
Saved about 5% over previous annual costs.
Improved custodial morale, developed improved avenues for training and feedback.
Our
process was as follows:
1. Define
specifications
:
We developed a set of 20 criteria to uate cleaning products (see list on
our website at http://www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/ environment/policy/purchasing/
2. Identify
vendors
:
We initially received bids from 17 vendors covering 200 products.
3. Evaluate
responses
:
We reviewed the Material Safety Data Sheets (
MSDS)
and other information to determine the contents and dangers of products.
4. Test
products
:
We used hands-on testing by custodial staff.
5. Justify
selection
:
We uated all the information and made the decisions. As Eddie Greenberg,
Maintenance Crew Leader for the Promenade District, said, "The results
are really fantastic. . . . Everybody seems to be pleased, . . . because they
are not exposed to toxics. . . . We're a lot healthier."
Barriers
and Solutions
:
Issue of Low Bid
:
We have overcome the need to always take the lowest bid by relying on the
Santa Monica City Municipal Code which requires purchasers to choose the "
lowest
and most responsible bid
."
The code states that the criteria may include "the quality of the
material or services offered." The current City Council supports a broad
interpretation of this language to include "environmentally
preferable" products.
Use the "Sandwich Approach:"
We have broad buy-in from the
City
Council and top management
.
To involve the
end
users
,
we ran a 10-month
pilot
testing program
of the new cleaning products, involving the custodial mangers and supervisors
and staff with special expertise and interest in testing new products. We found
training
in using the products
was
key.
Definition of "green:"
It
is difficult to define and uate environmentally-preferable products, so we
needed technical support. We got volunteer experts around the country to help
uate products for human health and environmental concerns. We are
especially grateful for assistance from The Washington Toxics Coalition, Green
Seal, SAFE Consulting, and the Environmental Purchasing staff at the State of
Massachusetts and Federal EPA.
For
more information:
EPA Report on the City of Santa Monica's Environmental Purchasing
Programs:
To
download a complete copy of this and other reports, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp/pilotprojects.html (or call Eun-Sook Goidel
at US EPA (202) 260-3296)
Purchasing
Policies and Programs
:
For an overview of Santa Monica's policies, plus very detailed bid
specifications for 18 custodial products, go to:
http://www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/policy/purchasing/
Santa
Monica Sustainable City Program
:
See an overview of the entire program at:
http://www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/policy/
Companies
:
Santa Monica has a list of companies that offer environmental products (call
Debbie Raphael (310) 458-2255). Some of the products approved in 1995/96 were:
The
Clean Environment (The Natural Product Line) (800) 266-2353
Biochem
Systems (Bio-T product line) from Mamco International (800) 442-4686
Other
companies include:
AFM
(619) 239-0321
Harvey
Universal (800) 800-3330
Naturally
Yours (417) 889-3995
Enviro
Care (800) 688-7642
BCD
International (800) 422-9290
Technical
Information Sources
:
State
of Massachusetts: Eric Friedman (617) 727-3260
State
of Minnesota: Kelly Luck (612) 215-0220
St.
Paul Neighborhood Energy Coalition: Pat Schoenecker (612) 644-5436
Washington
Toxics Coalition: Philip Dickey (206) 632-1545
Green
Seal: Arthur Weissman (202) 588-8400 (ask for Choose Green report)
SAFE
Consulting: Sophia Wakefield (307) 733-5418
Richmond
and Santa Clara, California: Tom Barron, consultant (925) 283-8121
Recycled
Products at the U.S. Post Office
Martin
Graham
,
District Environmental Coordinator, San Diego District, U.S. Post Office
Nationally
the USPS has the largest compressed natural gas (CNG) delivery fleet, with more
then 7,500 long-life vehicles converted. Also, we have a sizable electric and
ethanol-powered vehicle fleet.
The
USPS is a national leader in the use of re-refined oil and retread tires. More
than 100,000 postal vehicles currently use re-refined oil, and more than
100,000 retread tires are purchased annually.
Since
September 1995, the White House has presented the Postal Service with 24
"Closing the Circle Awards" for pollution prevention and recycling
accomplishments. In 1996 the San Diego District was the recipient of a
"Closing the Circle Award" for recycling and waste reduction.
The
San Diego District consists of San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside and
Imperial Counties, with over 400 outlying offices. We back-haul cardboard,
white paper and US mail to two central points.
District
Facts & Statistics
:
Postal
Vehicles
4,275
Vehicle
Maintenance Facilities
5
Alternative
Fueled Vehicles
452
Tons
of Paper & Cardboard Recycled 6,364
Tons
of Scrap Metal Recycled
160
Pallets
Recycled
1,793
Gallons
of waste oil recycled
17,970
(gaining
a $2,875 rebate from the State)
Cost
Savings
:
Our
remanufactured 10W40 bulk oil costs only $3.75 per gallon. We have purchased
lifetime oil filters for postal vehicles. We use on-site recycling of waste
antifreeze at a cost per gallon of less than $2.50 (about 8,360 gallons in FY
98). We recycle antifreeze sludge to avoid disposal cost.
Recycling
offers opportunities for additional cost avoidance, such as reduced costs of
manifesting, tracking, documentation, training, and less trips to the site to
pick up wastes or deliver new products.
Carefully
characterize your waste
:
Just because you are recycling or buying recycled doesn't mean you are
getting the best bang for your corporate buck. One company that did recycle
their solvents manifested them as a hazardous waste as per their
characterization and incurred a large disposal cost.
We
did our own characterization and reclassified our profile. This waste stream
is shipped as a non-hazardous waste. There are no heavy metals if the system
is maintained properly. Any sludge can be recycled or waste water treated. We
use aqueous-based solvents with enzymes.
No-Maintenance
Recycled Plastic Lumber Saves Money
Larry
Wheaton
,
Maintenance Supervisor, City of Claremont:
We
have found that using lumber made from recycled plastic saves considerable
money because it lasts so much longer than wood, and has substantially lower
maintenance costs.
We
have used a high density plastic board for backstop reconstruction. It has
been in place for six years with no maintenance costs whatever. It is vandal
and graffiti proof (graffiti washes off with water). It is made by Janusetcie
(310-652-7090) from plastic milk bottles.
We
have also used a recycled plastic encased "Santaboard" from Adobe
Lumber for three and a half years with no maintenance required so far.
Re-refined
Oil Works Well
Grahame
Watts
,
Environmental Analyst, Environmental Programs, Public Works, City of Thousand
Oaks:
Use
re-refined oil
:
We have promoted the use of re-refined oil both by the City and private
citizens. All city vehicles have been operating with re-refined oil for the
past 3 years. We have found that it is equivalent to virgin oil. We also
found studies have proven that oil needs to be changed only about every 5,000
miles (instead of 3,000 miles), so we do that in our city vehicles and it works
fine.
Ford
Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation, General Motors, and Detroit Diesel have
all issued statements that re-refined lubricants meeting API standards and
vehicle specifications will not void their vehicle warranties. (Call
805-449-2453 for fact sheets.)
Close
the loop
:
We have closed the loop by having the oil brought in by the public and
collected from city vehicles sent to be re-refined by Safety Clean. Then we
buy all our re-refined oil from Safety Clean.
We
also promote the use of re-refined oil among the general public in gas stations
and the Whole Foods Market using videos and point of purchase displays. We
have gotten a very good response from the public and the use of re-refined oil
is doing well in Ventura County.
Need
more promotion
:
But there is insufficient promotion of the purchase of re-refined oil by the
industry. The result is that less than 5% of the oil collected is re-refined
back into motor oil. Most of the rest of the collected waste oil is burned
off-shore as fuel in large ships (because the toxic emissions from burning used
oil are not allowed on land).
Environmental
Practices in the Fleet Maintenance Facility of Santa Monica
Ralph
Merced
,
Fleet Maintenance Supervisor, Department of Environmental and Public Works
Management, City of Santa Monica;
During
the tour of our fleet maintenance facilities, we presented the following
information:
Refined
oil
:
Santa Monica purchases oil from the Rosemead Oil Company, (562-941-3261).
Home-made
rack
to drain bottles to remove all the remaining liquid from bottles of oil and
anti-freeze.
Re-refined
hydraulic fluid
.
Oil
filters:
Santa Monica doesn't crush them so they can be recycled more easily.
(Santa Monica uses Delta Four in Sun Valley (818-767-2302) to recycle them for
a small fee.)
Water-based
parts cleaner
,
which is used when doing brake work, etc. (Santa Monica purchases from Colleen
Hassell at Dura Chem 714-630-4100).
Re-conditioned
batteries
(Santa Monica purchases from Advance Batteries in Santa Monica 310-450-1630).
Retread
tires.
Propylene
glycol antifreeze
is less toxic than regular antifreeze (Santa Monica purchases from Cummings).
Bucket
Loader with a rubber blade
made of 100% recycled tires (the rubber blade reduces wear on the transfer
stations' concrete floors).
CNG
filling station
for trucks and cars (over 50% of the Solid Waste Division vehicles are CNG).
Environmentally-Friendly
Street Maintenance
Robin
Jarrett
,
Street Maintenance Division, Department of Environmental and Public Works
Management, City of Santa Monica:
White
topping
:
We are resurfacing streets, alleys and sidewalks with a special white topping
concrete, putting a 4-inch layer over existing asphalt, especially in alleys.
It contains nylon fiber to make it last longer (estimated 50 years), reduces
cracking (no rebar is needed), and blends in with the asphalt. It is much less
expensive than ripping out asphalt and putting in 10 inches of new concrete.
The white color is more visible at night and is cooler in summer. (A video is
available from the Concrete Pourers Association, but any concrete company will
mix it up for you.)
Recycling
waste
:
All asphalt and concrete that is removed is taken to the Blue Diamond Company
in Santa Monica to be recycled and ground up into aggregate which is then used
as base material for fill underneath concrete or asphalt.
Smart
dig techniques
:
We use smart dig techniques when we remove roots under sidewalks. We recycle
the roots separately from the dirt and fill. We also use brick pavers to
replace sidewalks near trees.
Rubberized
sidewalks
:
We are testing a rubberized sidewalk, made from recycled rubber tires
(currently it is commonly used on kids playgrounds), made by US Rubber
Recycling Inc. (909-466-4365). We are testing 5' x 3' squares for
use beside trees, but we need a way to fasten it down.
Stocking
Recycled Products at the Central Warehouse
Mark
Breed
,
Facilities Superintendent, Department of Environmental and Public Works
Management, City of Santa Monica:
The
Santa Monica City-wide goal is to reduce, recycle and reuse whenever possible.
At the Central Warehouse, we emphasize providing supplies that are recycled,
which can really make a difference. For example, our annual volumes of common
products are:
Toilet paper
:
14,280 pounds (a total of 814 miles long, 13 million sheets)
Paper towels
:
17,500 pounds (187 miles long)
Copier paper
:
96,000 pounds (2,281 miles, 12 million sheets)
Cleaning rags
:
30,000 pounds (equivalent to the weight of materials required to build a 3
bedroom house)
We
use rags from recycled textiles. Our outdoor lights are mercury free lamps
using recycled plastic. Almost all of our cleaning products are
environmentally friendly. We recycle toner cartridges. And our sweepers that
clean the Promenade and parking structures recycle their water.