Value Of GSA's Recycling Service
Centralized Administration:
Government agencies as well as recycling contractors benefit
from GSA’s centralized contract administration. Contractors submit all paperwork-the pickup slips-to
GSA instead of to each of the dozens of facilities, a procedure that saves the companies a
substantial amount of administrative time. GSA’s centralized recordkeeping allows individual agencies
to get online data for required Congressional, State, and jurisdictional annual reports.
Decentralized Dispatching:
Agency participants can call the recycling company directly for
regular or ad-hoc pickups without needing to go through GSA. This procedure eliminates a layer
of bureaucracy and giving the agency direct operational control.
End-Point Monitoring:
GSA monitors the weight and grade of recyclables at the recycling contractors’
processing plants, watching the containers as they are dumped in order to judge the purity of the contents.
Agency representatives have joined GSA at the processing plants to determine for themselves if the containers are properly graded after leaving the agency’s loading dock. This quality control measure
successfully eliminated most of the disputes that arose in the past when contractors downgraded loads.
Flexibility of Service:
GSA’s contract can service a variety of facilities—from warehouses to historical
buildings—because the GSA recycling contract offers multiple ways to store and haul paper, cans, and
bottles. Agencies can use one method or a variety of methods in the same facility; they can also change
methods as circumstances dictate.
Waste Management Clearinghouse:
GSA can give technical advice on many topics, from self-contained compactors to building recycling rates to janitorial collection procedures.
Education/Outreach:
GSA conducts training for new programs and refresher courses for established
ones, and has extensive experience working with agencies to craft educational programs customized
to a particular building or organization.
Compliance with Federal and Local Directives:
By being part of the GSA recycling contract, agencies
are able to comply with the most stringent of local recycling laws in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
