Case Study: Xerox Document University/Xerox Corporation

Located in Leesburg, Virginia, the Xerox Document University is a corporate training center and conference facility including a hotel, food services, classrooms and labs with 350 employees. The 860 guest rooms accommodate visitors that range from the military to large corporations to church groups. Xerox's recycling program started in 1976 by recycling white paper and returning yard debris to nature. Xerox has sponsored a cross-functional Recycling Team that includes representatives from purchasing, food services, housekeeping, facilities and grounds maintenance, plus other interested employees.

Materials Recycled: White paper, mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, newspaper, aluminum/steel, plastic, wooden pallets, glass, polystyrene packing peanuts
Cost Savings: Spends $3,000/month on disposal and $500/month on recycling. In FY 97 recycling revenue was $8,444 and disposal cost avoidance was $14,520
Waste Reduction: Includes returning yard debris to wooded areas for natural decomposition. Transferring, selling or donating surplus assets such as furniture, linens, bedding, fixtures and equipment. Returning wooden pallets to motor freight companies for reuse, donating them for fire training, or recycling into wood chips. Double sided copying and e-mail. Beverages are from a dispenser. China and glass dinner ware are used. A pulper was installed in the kitchen to grind food waste. It separates the water from the solids, which reduces their waste volume by 80%.
Buy Recycled: pencils, all paper products
Education: Flyers, labels on waste baskets, posters, newsletter, video tapes
Keys: Look at your waste or have a recycling company audit your business. Find out how much you can save and how much you can afford to recycle.
Challenges: Transient guest population. Educating new employees sufficiently. The marketplace. If recycling areas are not kept clean, you could have a bug or rodent problem. Where and how to collect, labor intensive.
Hauler: BFI
Recycled: 220.12 tons total

Waste Disposed: Total: 733.54 tons
Recycling Rate: 23%