Client

One of the largest building in San Francisco.

Summary

Building reached compliance in under two months, and a 50% surcharge on waste services that the city levied against the property was dropped.  Waste diversion increased to 85 percent, and waste costs decreased by $10,000-$20,000 per month.

Challenge

The building asked Great Forest for help because it was facing a 50% surcharge on waste services after it had failed a city-led audit due to contamination levels that were above the city’s mandated threshold.  In addition, the building’s waste diversion rate was 51%, well below its competitors in the region.

Solution

Great Forest took the following steps to get the client back on track:

• Performed a comprehensive Waste Audit to understand the building’s waste profile, and developed customized diversion programs and educational materials based on the resulting data.
• Conducted an intensive tenant education and outreach program to improve upstream waste separation performance.
• Trained janitorial crew to sort the building’s waste.

Results

• After just two months working with Great Forest, the building met or exceeded regulatory thresholds. As a result, the city eliminated the 50 percent surcharge on waste services.
• The site’s waste diversion rate rose from 51 percent to 85 percent.
• The building’s waste hauling costs decreased by $10,000-$20,000 per month.