Save Award 2010 Ideas

Many communities across USA do not have different kinds of recycling bins kept at the trash pickup spots to enable the users to keep recyclable (paper, plastics and glass) and not recyclable stuffs (others) separately. It would be very expensive for the government to install 2-3 different kinds of bins in all the trash pickup spots. Instead trash bags manufacturing companies could sell trash boxes that contain bags with... more »

Currently at the Department of Energy Headquarters building, there are trash and recycling containers near each elevator. The two recycling containers accept (1) newspapers and (2) bottles/cans. Unfortunately, there's a lot more to recycle. I recommend that each individual office have a comingled recycling bin, which accepts all material with a recycling code of 1-6. These would be emptied daily by the custodial staff.... more »

Provide large wheeled recycling bins for reusable office supplies every time an office moves its location. Then make salvagable supplies available without expense to the new user in a location similar to the retail outlet we now use for supplies. Not going to save billions, but we waste huge amounts of money tossing reusable binders, folders, paper, butterfyl clips, CDs etc every day as people toss goods they'd reuse... more »

I suggest Federal Agencies do more than just collect recycleable materials such as paper, aluminum and plastic. Considering the prevalence of utensils and containers made of compostable materials, and the weight and volume of organic waste that is normally thrown out, I suggest we collect organic waste such as fruit and vegetable matter, coffee grounds, etc. in separate containers, to be composted. This would decrease... more »

Here at the CDC we have recently acquired a Styrocycler that compresses expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) packaging (commonly known as Styrofoam™) into blocks that are 2% of the size of its previous volume. The blocks are then recycled by a vendor to create new EPS products, resulting in a closed loop material cycle. It’s great because it keeps all the Styrofoam out of our dumpsters and landfills. It saves plenty of money... more »

Eliminate print versions of newsletters, weekly newspapers, and fliers, and make online versions available instead. This not only saves money on printing costs but reduces garbage and helps the environment.

Place cigarette-butt recycle containers near all designated smoking areas within the Federal government. Not all buildings are fully government owned. People smoke outside - that's just the way it is, but there are actually cigarette-butt recycle containers that collect the butts and recyele the butts. It's trash. It's collected - but not dumped just anywhere... it is recycled. That will save money.

I have walked all around Ft. Sam and I have noticed that none of the houses or buildings have solar panels, wind turbines or water conservation systems save one or two. Almost no effort is made to conserve any resources. Food and paper alike are thrown away without a second thought about recycling to the commonly heard phrase, "I didn't pay for it".

Make recycling of all items that can be recycled a requirement for the Federal Government.

Required Agreements with local City and County governments to establish a recycling method that would promote a greener environment. An established SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) the all can understand and follow would alleviate alot of "how to's" Ex. who picks up the plastics? Who picks up the paper? These required SOPs with these agencies would promote and help understand the procedures on getting the system... more »

I suggest that the Government Printing Office offer contracts that would provide loading of electronic documents onto "flash" drives, to greatly reduce our distribution of paper notes, manuals and reference materials. The program could even offer a recyclable feature with customers returning blank drives for reloading.

I suggest we create a program for recycling people. This program would involve taking people that currently may not be able to take care of themselves and making them useful to society. This program would involve taking people applying for welfare, or anyone that feels they need "recycling" and preparing them to be productive in society. This program would start with a physical, mental, dental and vision exam to ensure... more »

Papar, plastic, and aluminum recycling bins should be mandatory at federal facilities comprised of ten or more employees.

Much hardware put into space is used once and discarded, burned up in the atmosphere, crashed into the moon, or left stranded in useless orbits and creating orbital debris hazards after meeting initially planned objectives.

Future space operations may capitalize on residual value of such hardware. Everything launched into orbit has potential value from the transportation cost and as raw material for future development;... more »

I suggest electronics be recycled across the federal government. Many power cords, adapters and other connectors become separated from their original machines. Also, many electronics become outdated and are retired. These electronics, along with batteries, must be recycled. They are very damaging to throw away and are nowhere near degradable. There are companies that collect and recycle electronics and batteries- the... more »