SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Waste incineration can be done at the massive federal complexes like already done at hospitals.

Also being done in Virginia. Set up furnaces to incinerate the office waste including print and then use steam turbines to generate electricity. Incinerate papers un-shredded (!) as well as those daily litter generated at our workplaces, cafeterias and yard care.

For now they end up in landfills someplace far away, ‘shredded’... more »

When I enlisted in the USAF in 1983 I cut the grass at my unit. I emptied the trash, I vacuumed, I cleaned the bathrooms. Other airmen did the same details.

Today the airmen don't do any of that. We have contractors who cut, weed, empty trash, clean, etc. Why? The airmen are still there, but now they have nothing to do except surf the web.

Get rid of the contract cleaning and mowing. Too much money being spent... more »

Automatic flush toilets are a horrible waste of water because many of them flush several times per user (especially when the user has to deal with nylons and the sensor keeps detecting movement within the stall.) Some even flush when someone just passes by the stall.

Automatic Sinks can also be a huge waste of water (and electricity) since the user cannot turn the water off immediately when they are finished.

Paper... more »

I propose a solution that improves the government's use of funds in a sustainable, green, efficient manner that fosters education and creativity while linking the country together and allowing kids to create and explore. I propose the government catch up and do what private industry has been doing for decades. Places like RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching) combine industry “waste” and turn trash into treasures for teachers... more »

In our canteen, we are using Styrofoam plates and plastic silverware. If this is true for the canteens throughout the country, then this needs to be fixed. The amount of trash this creates just from one day of lunch is enormous. That’s not very green!
Why can't we use the trays similar to the ones we used in high school and elementary school. The hard plastic reusable trays. They would only require a high heat wash like... more »

Our office is almost paperless, and the little paper we generate is taken to containers around the office for shredding, to protect personal information, and recycling. Yet, we still each have a trashcan in our office, and contract workers come around each day, during office hours, to empty each trashcan. This is unnecessary and may interrupt the work we do. I propose that individual workers take their trash to central... more »

Rather than pickup trash 3-4 times in a day from the individual cubicles/offices, it would be cost efficient to reduce it to once a day and if need be to cut more, make it on alternate days. The large trash bins in the hallways/kitchens can be used by people to throw perishable items which may have foul smell.