SACRAMENTO — The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has unveiled its Commercial Climate Calculator to help businesses evaluate the benefits of reducing waste, including cost savings.
CalRecycle”s online calculator complements Air Resources Board and Department of Toxic Substances Control tools developed for use by businesses, industries and the general public to gauge their carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“With California”s new commercial recycling requirement soon to take effect, we”re working hard to provide tools like this so California businesses, schools, and others can develop their own blueprint to achieve success,” CalRecycle Director Caroll Mortensen said. “The calculator will help Californians see that recycling and waste reduction make sense for our environment and their bottom line.”
Two-thirds of California”s waste is generated by the commercial sector. AB 341, recently signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, requires expanded recycling by businesses, multi-family residential buildings of five units or more, schools and other public entities if they produce 4 or more cubic yards of waste per week.
CalRecycle”s Commercial Climate Calculator is available at www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Climate/Calculator/default.htm in a downloadable spreadsheet format.
It is designed for virtually any California business, multi-family residential building or public entity (such as a government agency) to evaluate the financial and environmental benefits of reducing waste and recycling discarded materials. Businesses can use the calculator to model waste reduction or recycling scenarios, estimate the associated diversion from landfills and resulting cost savings, as well as learn the climate change benefits of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
