Federal Acquisition Service

U.S. General Services Administration

Kenya A. CrossonArea Property OfficerPersonal Property Management Division May 2012

Kenya A. CrossonArea Property OfficerPersonal Property Management Division May 2012

Environmental Benefits of Reuse Environmental Benefits of Reuse

Environmental Benefits of Reuse

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Reuse is Recycling…

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From Dictionary.com

re cy cle⋅ ⋅   riˈsaɪ kəl/ [ree-sahy-kuh l] verb, -cled, -cling, noun –verb (used with object) 1.to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse: recycling paper to save trees. 2.to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of: The old factory is being recycled as a theater. 3.to use again in the original form or with minimal alteration: The governor recycled some speeches from his early days. 4.to cause to pass through a cycle again: to recycle laundry through a washing machine. –verb (used without object) 5.to pass through a cycle again; repeat a process from the beginning.6.to undergo reuse or renewal; be subject to or suitable for further use, activity, etc.: The industry will recycle and become profitable once more. –noun 7.the act or process of recycling.

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Reuse is Recycling...Utilization is Reuse…

Donation is Reuse…

Computers for Learning is Reuse…

Sales offers property for Reuse…

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Reuse is Recycling...Key Requirements

FMR 102-36.220 requires that… generally, all excess property is to be reported to GSA

FMR 102-36.35 requires that… “all executive agencies must, to the maximum extent practicable, fill requirements for personal property by using existing agency property or by obtaining excess property from other Federal agencies in lieu of new procurements”

FAR 8.102 requires…”When practicable, agencies must use excess personal property as the first source of supply for agency and cost-reimbursement contractor requirements…must make positive efforts to satisfy agency requirements by obtaining and using excess personal property

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Executive Order 13514Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance

Sec 2. Goals for Agencies: Promote pollution prevention and eliminate waste by:

• (i) minimizing the generation of waste and pollutants through source reduction;

• (ii) diverting at least 50 percent of non-hazardous solid waste, excluding construction and demolition debris, by end of fiscal year of 2015

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Reuse

A means to prevent solid waste from entering the landfill by taking useful products discarded by those who no longer want them and providing them to those who do 

Requires fewer resources, less energy, and less labor, compared to recycling, disposal, or the manufacture of new products from virgin materials

Provides an excellent, environmentally-preferred alternative to other waste management methods, because it reduces air, water and land pollution

Limits the need for new natural resources 

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Reuse

Reusing an item means that it continues to be a valuable, useful, productive item, and replaces new items that would utilize more water, energy, timber, petroleum, and other limited natural resources in their manufacture.

Buying and using items that are reusable supports a method of waste management that has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others, as a priority method of handling materials.

Recyclers have successfully kept materials out of the landfill by collecting, segregating, processing and manufacturing their collected goods into new products. Reusers, with little or no processing, keep materials out of the waste stream by passing the goods they collect on to others…

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Role of Government and Industry

The U.S. government is one of the largest purveyors of used goods in the United States.

• Government regulations largely prevent the purchase of used items by the U.S. government and require the labeling of products containing used parts in a way that may discourage the use of used parts by industry.

There are both incentives and disincentives for reuse by industry. • Reuse, remanufacturing, repair, and refurbishment of products and

parts can be economically beneficial for industry. • Firms in some cases have an incentive to discourage reuse of their

products, in order to maintain and increase production of new goods.

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Advantages of Reuse

Reuse has certain potential advantages:• Energy and raw materials savings as replacing many

single use products with one reusable one reduces the number that need to be manufactured.

• Reduced disposal needs and costs. • Cost savings for business and consumers as a reusable

product is often cheaper than the many single use products it replaces.

• Some older items were better handcrafted and appreciate in value.

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Disadvantages of Reuse

Disadvantages are also apparent:• Reuse often requires cleaning or transport, which have

environmental costs. • Some items could be hazardous or less energy efficient

as they continue to be used. • Reusable products need to be more durable than single-

use products, and hence require more material per item. • Sorting and preparing items for reuse takes time, which

is inconvenient for consumers and costs money for businesses.

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Not just in the United States

Triple Bottom Line Benefits of Reuse• Reusing technology has even greater benefits than

recycling:– Environmental Benefits– Social Benefits– Economic Benefits

From Renewed Computer Technologyhttp://www.rcto.ca/Reuse/default.aspx

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Environmental Contribution

Product reuse contributes significantly to the fight against global warming in two crucial ways:

• Avoids emissions today by displacing the production of new goods into the future when the manufacturing of products will likely be less carbon intensive

• Displaces the purchase of a new product into the future, where manufacturing and production will be more efficient and have a smaller global warming impact

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More and more we are recycling things we would otherwise throw away— This is great, but could be much better if those things were reused! The environmental cost to produce a computer and monitor

• Requires 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 50 pounds of chemicals, and 3,330 pounds of water.* Extending the life of computers is a win for our environment and a win for our community.

US EPA Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator shows environmental savings for computer recycling and reuse in terms of energy, materials, CO2, toxic emissions, and more.

• It is roughly 25 times more beneficial environmentally to reuse computers than to recycle them at three to five years of age.

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Recycling 100 Computers:

Saves enough electricity to power 2.75 U.S. households in a year; compared to 68 if those computers were reused.

Is the same as removing 1.95 passenger cars from the road per year, compared to 48 if those computers were reused.

Reduces air emissions by 142.2 tons, compared to 3,508.7 tons if those computers were reused.

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Cooler

A for-profit social venture whose mission is to connect every purchase to a solution for global warming

Methods for calculating the emissions avoided by reusing a product:• Net zero method: Reused products are considered to displace new

products on a one-to-one basis. (best for durable goods)• Time value of avoided emissions: Reduces overall greenhouse gas

emissions in two critical ways: Purchase of a used product delays emissions that would be

generated by the production and consumption of new products.

Net effect of delaying the production of new goods is to ensure that those goods are produced with less overall impact as well, since the production of goods is becoming more carbon-efficient with time.

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Example

Cooler estimates that buying a used golf driver saves 95% of the emissions associated with buying a new golf driver.

• The sale of used golf clubs, in a two year period, has reduced the amount of GHGs equivalent to

– Taking 22,000 cars off the road for a year, – Reducing gasoline consumption by 13,600,000

gallons, – Planting 3,000,000 trees, or – Providing 100% renewable energy to 16,000 homes.

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Example

Buying a used Coach handbag on can save up to 90% of the emissions associated with buying a new one.

• The total emissions savings from selling 1.6 million used handbags is nearly 94,000 tons of CO2e. That’s the equivalent of:

– Taking 17,000 cars off the road for a year– Reducing gasoline consumption by 10,600,000

gallons – Planting 2,400,000 trees– Providing renewable electricity to 12,400 homes

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Reusing just one computer with a Cathode Ray Terminal monitor saves: -30 pounds of hazardous waste -77 pounds of solid waste -1333 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted -7719 kilowatts of energy Buying a used HP Pavilion laptop saves over half the emissions

associated with a new one. The sale of used laptops instead of new ones in 2007

• Reduction of over 69,000 tons of GHG emissions The sale of used laptops in a two year period

• Reduction of over 66,400 tons of GHG emissions • Equivalent of saving 462 acres of forest

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Zero Environmental Footprint (ZEF)

ZEF is GSA’s moon shot goal. Working towards sustainability and ZEF means working

and living in ways that do not jeopardize our precious environmental resources.

ZEF supports EO 13514.

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Carbon Footprint Savings Tool

Will document the global warming reduction benefits that come with reuse.

GSAXcess® and GSA Auctions® will have the tool on their websites providing carbon saved and equivalencies.

• Also, Computers for Learning and Agency Asset Management System

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Carbon Footprint Savings Tool

Documentation of global warming reduction benefits will:• Quantify the environmental value of reuse• Encourage federal and state agencies and the general

public to turn to reuse as a preferred, environmentally-friendly solution to the disposal of federal assets at the end of life

• Measure the degree to which federal and state agencies and the general public achieve global warming benefits through reuse

GSA Access

GSA Access

GSA Access

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EquivalenciesGallons of Gasoline Used

Trees Growing for a Year

Days Energy for Average Household

Years of Driving a Car Trees Years Average Household Energy

Miles Driven Acres of Trees Washing Machine Loads

Acres Tree Growth for One Year

Dishwasher Loads

Days of Refrigerator Use

BOS-DC round trips Hours Laptop Use

SFO-LAX round trips Days of Cow Methane Hours Desktop Computer Use

NYC-PAR round trips Hours of Cell Phone Use

Short hop Flight Miles Hours TV (27”)

Long Flight Miles Hours Listening to Stereo

GSA Auctions

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Reuse is Recycling...Utilization is Reuse…

Donation is Reuse…

Computers for Learning is Reuse…

Sales offers property for Reuse…

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Questions/Contact

Kenya A. CrossonArea Property OfficerPersonal Property Management DivisionEmail: kenya.crosson@gsa.govPhone: (404) 331-0529