10.2190/RX6R-PRM7-PVTF-0CKC RX6RPRM7PVTF0CKC 2 Packaging and Process Improvements: Three Source Reduction Case Studies 21 37 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 RX6RPRM7PVTF0CKC.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=RX6RPRM7PVTF0CKC 1 Gregory A. Keoleian Dan Menerey University of Michigan, Ann Arbor This is the second of a two-part article (part one appears in <i>J. Environmental Systems</i>, Vol. 20(4), pp. 343-357, 1990-91) documenting five case studies of successful solid waste source reduction programs. The substitution of washable dishware and cloth diapers for single-use equivalents was investigated in the first article. This article includes the following three case studies: 1) bulk merchandising at a cooperative grocery, 2) process improvements and packaging reduction at a furniture manufacturer, and 3) a department store chain's use of shredded waste paper as a packing material. Two bulk items studied at the grocery generate less packaging waste than their packaged equivalents if customer-provided containers for bulk purchases are used at least twice. Total labor, space and disposal costs to the store are the same or lower for the two bulk products. Process improvements and packaging reduction achieved through reuse and redesign lower both costs and solid waste production in furniture manufacture and distribution. At the department stores, shredding paper for use as a packing material cuts costs 57 percent and lowers solid waste generation by 99 percent compared to the previous system. Solid Waste Research Group, <i>Waste Reduction in Food Retail, Case Study Report: People's Food Cooperative Packard Store</i>, Office of Waste Reduction Services, Lansing, Michigan, 1991. Solid Waste Research Group, <i>Waste Reduction in the Furniture Manufacturing Sector, Case Study Report: Steelcase, Inc.</i>, Office of Waste Reduction Services, Lansing, Michigan, 1991. Solid Waste Research Group, <i>Waste Reduction in the Department Store Sector, Case Study Report: Hudson's Department Stores</i>, Office of Waste Reduction Services, Lansing, Michigan, 1991. EPA, OSWA, <i>The Solid Waste Dilemma: An Agenda for Action</i>, Washington, D. C., p. 17, 1989. W. D. Conn, Consumer Products in the Context of Material and Energy Flows, in <i>Resource Conservation</i>, D. W Pearce and I. Walters (eds.), NYU Press, New York, pp. 127-130, 1988. W. D. Conn, Product Design and Municipal Solid Waste, <i>Journal of Resource Management and Technology, 17</i>:2, pp. 100-103, 1989. M. E. Henstock, <i>Design for Recyclability</i>, North American Publication Center, Brookfield, Vermont, pp. 2-5, 1988. W. E. Franklin, <i>Paper Recycling: The View to 1995</i>, Franklin Associates, Ltd., Prarie Village, Kansas, pp. 1-20, 21, 1990. Franklin Associates, <i>Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States 1960-2000</i>, U. S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (WH-565E), Update, pp. H-6, I-14, April 1988. EPA, <i>Characteriziation of Solid Waste in the United States: 1990 Update</i>, Washington, D. C., EPA 530-SW-90-042A, pp. ES 5, 6, 1990. G. A. Keoleian and D. Menerey, Disposable vs. Reusable Systems: Two Source Reduction Case Studies, <i>Journal of Environmental Systems, 20</i>:4, pp. 17-31, 1992. S. L. Johnson and R. Sommer, Prices of Unpackaged and Packaged Foods, <i>The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 19</i>:2, pp. 309-311, 1985. D. P. Odland, Bulk Foods-Cost and Other Considerations, <i>Family Economics Review, 1</i>, pp. 34-36, 1986. T. Allen, B. Platt, and D. Morris, <i>Beyond 25%-Material Recovery Comes of Age</i>, Institute for Local Self Reliance, Washington, D. C., pp. 10, 11, 1989.