Waste not, want not. The proverbial phrase can easily be applied to recycling and material management. And it can mean big savings.

In 1995, carpet manufacturer Interface (full disclosure: a Sustainable Atlanta advisory board member) began its QUEST program to identify, measure and eliminate waste in its manufacturing process. As a result of its employees' suggestions for minimizing material usage and improving process efficiencies, the company reduced its waste cost per unit by 50 percent - resulting in $372 million in avoided waste costs to date.

Another carpet manufacturer, Shaw Industries (based in Dalton, Ga.), annually converts 100 million pounds of used carpet into nylon that can be used to manufacture new carpet or into other recycled material that can be used to make items such as automobile parts. As a result, the company has recycled enough nylon fiber to wrap the Earth more than 2,000 times, and the use of this recycled nylon saves approximately 2 trillion BTUs annually compared to the energy required if virgin materials were used.

As Chrysler and Waste Management have shown, auto assembly plants can turn tons of waste-paint solids into fuel supplements diverting materials from landfills and reducing the amount of coal burned (thanks to the fuel supplement). Manufactured products consist of the raw materials and the energy required to create them, so manufacturers who practice smart material management certainly stand to make a major impact and see significant gains.  However, those outside the manufacturing sector are not to be overlooked. By looking closely at business operations, retailers, professional service firms, hospitality venues and others can equally identify ways to use their resources to the fullest. Recyclers are converting drywall to fertilizer using the gypsum in drywall to add calcium to the soil. Real estate developers are turning old concrete foundations into backfill.

As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  When Atlanta lost a convention to a city perceived to be more green, the city's convention service businesses rallied, and the southeast's first Zero Waste Zone was born.

In February of this year, the downtown Atlanta convention district became one of the nation's first Zero Waste Zones - encouraging businesses operating within the zone to increase their recycling efforts and put materials to good uses rather than sending to the landfill. For example, restaurants are sending used grease to local biofuel producers and donating food to the Atlanta Community Food Bank or sending residuals to composting centers. The effort expanded to Buckhead in May, and zones are in the works for Midtown, Decatur, Athens, Milton and academia.  Companies leveraging recycling and material management as a means of optimizing use of resources and increasing operational efficiencies share similar best practices. They:

1. Engage employees in the solution.  Create cross-functional teams to examine challenges and opportunities from myriad perspectives.  Rally all employees around a common goal. Reward them for their contributions.

2. Align materials management and recycling goals with financial performance.  Illustrate the connection between the identification of waste and the potential financial gain or savings if small steps are applied throughout the company.

3. Measure and report on the results of your efforts - to clients/customers, partners, investors, employees and others.

4. Understandably, many office-oriented businesses may be new to these types of practices. Office workers can contribute to recycling and material management efforts as well upholding the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle. The collective result can be astounding. Here are some basic considerations to help get the ball rolling:

5. Print double-sided to reduce paper consumption by half. 

6. Place large recycling bins in high-volume areas such as by copiers and shared printers; the EPA estimates that 90 percent of all office waste by weight is paper. 

7. Consider moving to one deskside container for all recyclables (paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, et al) to encourage greater usage.

8. Encourage employees to drink from mugs or glasses rather than plastic, paper or Styrofoam cups. The benefits are multi-fold. There are tremendous opportunities for cost savings and strong return on investment. Employees feel a greater sense of pride and stronger connection to the company. Tons of materials are diverted from landfills. Energy is conserved. Organizations benefit from a green halo.

It all contributes to the bottom line.

Lynnette Young is executive director for Sustainable Atlanta, the non-governmental organization that facilitates the collective work of government, business, institutions, nonprofits and other organizations to develop and implement an action plan for environmental sustainability in Atlanta.