Please be kind to me, because I'm rather fragile today!

Company - 3 year old automotive (fasteners) manufacturer with 9k registration last year, shooting for 14k this year.

My job - do all of it and get it right the first time, asap.

My question - In establishing a target for a program, I'm up against a wall here. I don't know if my problem is that I can't think clearly today or if I'm just not 'getting it' or if this truly is a somewhat tricky situation. This is why I seek the guidance of you wise and experienced professionals!

The gist of the program is that until now (for three years) we've rather carelessly just tossed virtually everything (legal) into the dumpster and had it hauled off to the landfill. Boo, hiss. We're now going to recycle our paper through a program that provides the container at no cost, dumps it at no cost and then allows us to choose a non-profit organization (such as a local school) to receive the check each month for our recycled paper.

In establishing a target for this, I'm stuck.

If I say the target is to reduce waste to the landfill, I have no idea how MUCH we're shooting for reducing. We don't get a report back from the trash people saying we had X number of tons for X time period. We get a bill for the number of times they dumped our container.

If I say the target is to recycle X tons of paper per X period of time, I'm stuck again. We only have 48 employees, we've never recycled paper before and I have no idea how much to estimate we'll be recycling. Might be nothing much, and then if I 'overshoot' on the target, we've missed our target.

Since it turns out that putting my head on my desk and weeping for the rest of the day isn't an option, I'm seeking your help. Please? Pretty please?

What would YOU do?

THANK YOU!

Have you asked your "trash people" if it would be easy / possible to get a weight from them for each container? Or can you get the info from the recycling people? Just because you haven't received that information in the past doesn't mean that it is not available. If you can't get weights, how about targeting a reduction in the number of dumpsters sent to landfill (e.g. reduce from 4 dumpsters pulled per week to 2 dumpsters pulled per week).

Please be kind to me, because I'm rather fragile today!

Company - 3 year old automotive (fasteners) manufacturer with 9k registration last year, shooting for 14k this year.

My job - do all of it and get it right the first time, asap.

My question - In establishing a target for a program, I'm up against a wall here. I don't know if my problem is that I can't think clearly today or if I'm just not 'getting it' or if this truly is a somewhat tricky situation. This is why I seek the guidance of you wise and experienced professionals!

The gist of the program is that until now (for three years) we've rather carelessly just tossed virtually everything (legal) into the dumpster and had it hauled off to the landfill. Boo, hiss. We're now going to recycle our paper through a program that provides the container at no cost, dumps it at no cost and then allows us to choose a non-profit organization (such as a local school) to receive the check each month for our recycled paper.

In establishing a target for this, I'm stuck.

If I say the target is to reduce waste to the landfill, I have no idea how MUCH we're shooting for reducing. We don't get a report back from the trash people saying we had X number of tons for X time period. We get a bill for the number of times they dumped our container.

If I say the target is to recycle X tons of paper per X period of time, I'm stuck again. We only have 48 employees, we've never recycled paper before and I have no idea how much to estimate we'll be recycling. Might be nothing much, and then if I 'overshoot' on the target, we've missed our target.

Since it turns out that putting my head on my desk and weeping for the rest of the day isn't an option, I'm seeking your help. Please? Pretty please?

What would YOU do?

THANK YOU!Why not say you are going to recycle X number of containers of paper per week, month or year?

The suggestion to ask the recycling company is a good one. They should know...

If not, can you use the stuff-in, stuff-out principle? How many reams of paper does your company use in a given year? Assuming you aren't keeping all of it (you can deduct a portion for mailing and/or filing away if you think it's a good idea) you might feel okay in estimating based on how much is bought.

Here's a site I found to calculate the weight of various kinds of paper.

http://colourprep.com/paper_calc_table.html

I hope this helps!

Actually you establish targets for objectives and programs to achieve them, but lets not worry about the minor stuff.

Objectives are nothing more than what want to do with respect to environmental performance improvement and targets are how much you want to do it, in a manner of speaking. Your program (which must be documented) must specifically state who is responsible for the O&T's (at all the relevant functions and levels that can help to achieve them), identify how they will be achieved (the "means") and the timeframe in which they are to be accomplished

Here's the catch...Do what you want, as much as you want! Just be able to achieve it and show that it is an improvement over past performance levels.

That's it. I've attached a couple of examples I found of what all this can look like.

Gundy and Al - - - that is exactly what I needed! Thanks! So obvious, but yesterday, nothing was so obvious to me. (Okay, my need to have an Absolut Mandarin on the rocks as soon as possible was very clear to me, but...)

Jennifer - yes! Thank you for the link! This is something I can use for a couple of 'open' items sitting on my desk, two of which are really old and waiting for exactly this kind of tool. I'm saving that link. Thanks!

Since we have no data for recycling efforts past (haven't ever done it), I have no guidelines for what to expect. Since we have no data on the number of tons of garbage we have hauled, I have no guidelines to get me started that way, either. We are 'small time' and the garbage people especially tend to treat us with a little 'tude - and by that, I mean they're not going to go out of their way to give us lots of information about trash we've had them haul off in the last year or so.

Another thing that complicates the matter for me is that in the last year, we have doubled in size. In the coming year, we will grow by another 1/3. Since there hasn't been a real 'ground zero' or steady pattern to go by, estimations and predictions (for targets) get sketchy.

Oh, one more thing! Randy, both your response and your post attachment were useless. You missed my point completely but thanks for playing. I'm fully aware of the definition of an objective, a target and a program. When you said, "Just be able to achieve it...", you said it all! That was my question, Village Person. Without any way to estimate what we'll be able to achieve, how do we go about setting the target? But you were right about one thing - we shouldn't worry about the minor stuff. I did take that advice, and I can assure you that I am not worried about the minor stuff. Ahem.

Indeed.

Thanks again, Gundy, Jennifer and Al!!

Oh, one more thing! Randy, both your response and your post attachment were useless. You missed my point completely but thanks for playing. I'm fully aware of the definition of an objective, a target and a program. When you said, "Just be able to achieve it...", you said it all! That was my question, Village Person. Without any way to estimate what we'll be able to achieve, how do we go about setting the target? But you were right about one thing - we shouldn't worry about the minor stuff. I did take that advice, and I can assure you that I am not worried about the minor stuff. Ahem.

Indeed.

Thanks again, Gundy, Jennifer and Al!!

I'll be sure to let you drown in the future:agree1:

I'll be sure to let you drown in the future:agree1:

Randy..I thought your post and attachment were beneficial and helpful.

I guess you were just not appreciated for your assistance. ;)

In establishing a target for this, I'm stuck.

If I say the target is to reduce waste to the landfill, I have no idea how MUCH we're shooting for reducing. We don't get a report back from the trash people saying we had X number of tons for X time period. We get a bill for the number of times they dumped our container.

If I say the target is to recycle X tons of paper per X period of time, I'm stuck again. We only have 48 employees, we've never recycled paper before and I have no idea how much to estimate we'll be recycling. Might be nothing much, and then if I 'overshoot' on the target, we've missed our target.

What would YOU do?

THANK YOU!

What would I do? I'd follow Dr. Deming's advice and eliminate numerical targets. I'd figure out the metrics to measure and control chart them. After a few months take a look and see what progress has been made. I assume you will know how much recycled paper leaves, so measuring that weight or volume should be easy. You may want to estimate the amount of regular garbage going out (what proportion of the dumpster is full each morning or evening). Even though that sounds like a pain, if you do manage to reduce the outflow of garbage such that it doesn't need to be picked up so often, I assume that will save the company money.

What would I do? I'd follow Dr. Deming's advice and eliminate numerical targets. I'd figure out the metrics to measure and control chart them. After a few months take a look and see what progress has been made. I assume you will know how much recycled paper leaves, so measuring that weight or volume should be easy. You may want to estimate the amount of regular garbage going out (what proportion of the dumpster is full each morning or evening). Even though that sounds like a pain, if you do manage to reduce the outflow of garbage such that it doesn't need to be picked up so often, I assume that will save the company money.:applause: :applause: :applause:

Steve points out what should be obvious but is oh-so easy to forget. Charting success is not necessarily a hit or miss thing. Improvement is measured in progress as well as outcomes.

Here's an idea: let's find a way to generate less paper so there will be less trash to throw out and to recycle.

--Let's streamline processes and combine documents where it makes sense so we don't need so darned many.

--Let's find ways to reduce reiterations in process checks so time and documented efforts to produce good product is reduced.

--Let's identify sources of errors so as to reduce rework and its associated documentation.

Do these things and find a way to measure them (this forum has quality cost calculators as attachments) and your savings--bottom line improvements--will dwarf those of recycling.

If the effort is one to reduce your impact on the environment, mucho kudos! Find earth friendly chemicals that can replace nasty stuff to reduce your ugly waste. Big savings can result.

So now this discussion has changed course. Now it is What can we do to best reduce our costs and impact on the environment? versus How can we develop reachable objectives for targeted programs? These two are rather alike, but the second is more system focused on the organization's effectiveness.

I hope I haven't muddled things too much.

With the subject matter at hand it's simply do what you want, to the level you want, within the time frame you want.

In other words be able to make a decision while at the same time taking into consideration those things that must be.

This ain't rocket science.

With the subject matter at hand it's simply do what you want, to the level you want, within the time frame you want.

In other words be able to make a decision while at the same time taking into consideration those things that must be.

This ain't rocket science.

Please be aware there are differences of opinion on this. As Dr. Deming might say - nothing is so simple, yet so dangerous. Such pronouncements of "do this by then" can have unintended consequences as folks focus on nothing but that statement. The Vietnam conflict is full of stories of actions taken to fulfill the numbers Washington DC wanted, to the detriment of accomplishing the mission.

Recycling efforts normally come in three stages:

1 - Establish a recycling program
2 - Improve the program to capture as close to 100% of the material as possible
3 - Reduce the absolute amount of material recycled (still capturing as close to 100% as possible) - ie why are we using so much paper and how can we reduce the amount sent for recycling

Your overall objective in stage 1 could be to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill - specific target establish a paper recycing program by ___ (date)

In stage 2 you could have an overall objective of improving your recycling program - specific target - capture say 95% of all waste paper in the recycling bin (dumster diving or waste auditing (in Ontario) is probably needed here)

In stage 3 you could have an overall objective to reduce paper use and set whatever specific target you deem reasonable.

Remember the standard says objective and targets should be measureable where practical. Not all initiatives are measureable.

By the way I agree Randy''s advice seemed very sanguine to me for someone who said they were lost and close to tears :D

Thanks Tiger for the nice comment...

1st Steve old buddy.....I stated "subject matter at hand" which was environmental O&T's ....whatever quality krap or other things you might have had on your mind don't matter. What is required and what is allowed is very clearly defined for the user in the standard, all one has to do is look, understand and apply.

2nd...Don't be refering to VN, numbers and anything like that please...remember we try to stay off of the political and sensitive things as much as possible (and I'm sensitive as are others of those who don't have 1st hand knowledge of that period)...Other than that I enjoy what you do say because it is great and I frequently refer folks to your postings.

Recycling efforts normally come in three stages:

In stage 2 you could have an overall objective of improving your recycling program - specific target - capture say 95% of all waste paper in the recycling bin (dumster diving or waste auditing (in Ontario) is probably needed here)



tigerfan - you beat me to it. I was going to suggest a waste audit as well. Must be an ontario thing! :)

Also, as others suggested, try talking to your waste haulers. I'm certain you'll find that they know the weight of the paper being sent out each month. Wether or not they give you that info easily is another story but I don't see why they would have 'tude with you on this.

In the case where you're growing, your waste will grow and so will your recycling efforts. You can assume the waste generated would be somewhat proportional to the growth in people. The problem with using # of paper dumpsters recycled, is that as your number of people go up, so with the amount of paper generated. So if you do a waste audit right now, you could find out what % of paper is in your garbage. Then do another audit in a few months/year (whatever you decided) and see what the % is at that time. Set your goals based on the initial audit.

Once you have the recycling program in place, another good objective would be to reduce the amount of paper being used, which can be measured by the amount of paper you are purchasing.

Good luck BruisedOrange...I always find setting measureable, specific targets for my objectives to be the hardest part!

You don't have to define targets first thing. Implement the program. Evaluate Aspects & Impacts. Establish the significant ones. Begin to track and measure your performance. Eventually you will have the data where you can begin to establish objectives and targets. If you do it too soon, you will only be guessing.

Since you are thinking about objectives, targets and management programs to achieve them I guess you have already finished with evaluating your aspects and impacts. I agree with most of the posts above. Indeed you need to gather data to get an idea of how much waste is going out. When I started working on establishing environmental management in our company, I have bins put on the shop floor in key locations to gather contaminated rags, got 1 ton IBC containers to collect used solvents and chemicals and waste paper bins to collect waste paper to recycle. These were my starting data points. I also started a database to record how much oil we use per month and how much used-oil we send waste facility so forth and so on....

Oh and indeed you will need to check the bins for paper recycle, garbage containers. For example, I check our garbage bins we placed next to our contaminated-waste-collection bins to see if there is any contaminated waste in them, record and build a basic frequency table monthly to see if our efforts do pay off. I hope I didn't fall off the target of the topic :notme: