2010 recycling and solid waste annual report

The University of Utah's Recycling & Solid Waste Programs have achieved great success. This report summarizes these accomplishments for 2010, explains current processes, gives program highlights, and gives suggestions for continuing improvement. Three key indicators help determine the University's success: the diversion rate, net avoidable disposal cost, and carbon footprint.

2010 Recycling and Solid Waste Annual Report Compiled by Cindy Morris, Intern MBA Candidate 2012 June 10, 2011 Office of Sustainability 2010 Table of Contents 2010 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 3 1. Diversion Rate ................................................................................................................. 3 2. Net Avoidable Disposal Cost ........................................................................................... 4 3. Carbon Footprint ............................................................................................................. 5 4. 2010 Climate Action Plan ................................................................................................ 6 5. Thank You. ....................................................................................................................... 6 RECYCLING PROGRAMS ................................................................................................................... 7 6. Campus Recycling Zones ................................................................................................. 8 Facilities Managements Recycling .................................................................................. 8 HRE ................................................................................................................................. 9 University Hospitals ...................................................................................................... 10 Red Butte Gardens ........................................................................................................ 11 University Student Apartments .................................................................................... 11 7. Other Recycling Programs ............................................................................................. 12 Surplus and Salvage ...................................................................................................... 12 Archives: Records Management ................................................................................... 13 University Guest House ................................................................................................. 13 RECYCLED MATERIALS .................................................................................................................... 14 8. Cardboard ..................................................................................................................... 14 9. Office Pack .................................................................................................................... 14 10. Mixed Paper .................................................................................................................. 14 11. Aluminum Cans ............................................................................................................. 14 12. Plastics ........................................................................................................................... 15 13. Batteries & Cell Phones ................................................................................................. 15 14. Scrap Metal ................................................................................................................... 15 15. Wooden Pallets ............................................................................................................. 15 16. Printer Cartridges .......................................................................................................... 16 17. E‐Waste ......................................................................................................................... 16 18. Florescent Lights ........................................................................................................... 16 19. Solid Waste ................................................................................................................... 17 20. Hazardous Waste .......................................................................................................... 17 21. Construction & Demolition ........................................................................................... 18 22. Organics & Composting ................................................................................................ 19 23. Styrofoam ...................................................................................................................... 19 24. Cds/Dvds ....................................................................................................................... 19 25. Glass .............................................................................................................................. 19 COMPARISON WITH PAC 12 UNIVERSITIES.................................................................................... 21 MOVING FORWARD ....................................................................................................................... 22 26. Areas For Improvement ................................................................................................ 22 27. SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................................................... 22 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 23 APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................................... 24 28. A: .................................................................................................................................. 24 29. B: .................................................................................................................................. 26 30. CURRENT RECYCLING CONTAMINATION RATES ....................................................................... 28 BOOK COLLECTION AT BOOKSTORE ENTRANCE 2010 RECYCLING AND SOLID WASTE ANNUAL REPORT University of Utah 2010 OVERVIEW The University of Utah's Recycling & Solid Waste Programs have achieved great success. This report summarizes these accomplishments for 2010, explains current processes, gives program highlights, and gives suggestions for continuing improvement. Three key indicators help determine the University's success: the diversion rate, net avoidable disposal cost, and carbon footprint. Diversion Rate The diversion rate is calculated by dividing the total tons of material diverted from the landfill by the total tons of waste generated. Because the trash at USA, Red Butte Gardens, and the University Guest House is not weighed, the 143.84 tons of recycling diverted by them was not included in the overall diversion rate. The diversion rate for fiscal year 2010 was calculated at 33%. The diversion rate is the best indicator of how successful the University of Utah is in keeping materials out of the landfill, working towards a zero‐waste campus. The diversion rate can be used to measure how the University is doing compared to previous years, other higher education institutions, and Salt Lake City. 2010 Accomplishments  Diverted 1530.9 tons of waste from the landfill due to recycling  Diverted 453.5 tons of landscaping debris from landfill waste to composting programs  Overall Diversion Rate of 33%  Landfill cost savings of $121,500  Net Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions of 1,939 MTCO2E  The Climate Action Plan 2010, created by the Office of Sustainability, with a goal of a zero waste campus. Recycling Zone Total Trash (tons) Total Recycling (tons) Diversion Rate Facility Management Recycling Program 1654.9 658 27.7% Green Waste(composted) 453.5 453.5 100% University Hospitals 1719 431.55 20.1% University Student Apartments Not weighed 108 Not Known Nor Included in Total Housing and Residential Education 200 Included in FM Recycling Included in FM Diversion Rate Red Butte Gardens Not weighed 17.7 87.45‐green waste Not Known Nor Included in Total Surplus and Salvage 69.65 244.6 77.8% Archives‐Paper Shredding Included in FM Trash 52.9 Included in FM Diversion Rate University Guest House Not weighed 18.14 Not Known Nor Included in Total TOTALS 4097.05 1984.39 33% The amount of surplus that is sold to the public is not weighed; it is not included in the diversion rate. E‐waste and hazardous waste are also not included in the diversion rate because of the complicated nature of their disposal. Construction & Demolition waste is handled by the contractors; most data for LEED projects is known and listed in this report, but not included in the diversion rate because of the temporary nature of these projects. Net Avoidable Disposal Cost Net avoidable disposal cost is a calculation that shows whether it makes good economic sense to recycle. The net avoidable disposal cost is calculated by subtracting the average cost per ton to recycle from the average cost per ton to landfill, and then multiplying the difference by the total tons recycled. An attempt to calculate this is included, but because there are so many different recycling programs and vendors at the University, more detailed records will need to be kept and shared with the Office of Sustainability in order to get an accurate estimate. If the material recycled in 2010 had been sent to the landfill, the University would have paid an additional $116,546.661 on its garbage bill. The fee at the composting area of the landfill is $16.00 (or 1 Cost of $76.13 per ton was calculated using the Union Center Trash: Cost for 2010/tons of trash = $17,347.48/227.86 INCLUDES WASTE FROM UNION DUMPSTER INCLUDES PAPER RECYCLED FROM SHREDDER and CARDBOARD INCLUDES GROUNDS DEPT, RED BUTTE GARDENS, AND USA less depending on how "clean" the load is) per ton vs. $24.00 per ton for regular trash disposal, giving the University a cost savings of $8.00 per ton, or 33%. For 2010, this translates to a savings of $4,963.57 in tipping fees by taking the green waste to the composting program. The total savings was $121,510.23. Carbon Footprint The disposal of solid waste produces greenhouse gas emissions in three primary ways. The anaerobic decomposition of waste in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The transportation of waste to disposal sites produces greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of the fuel used in transport. Making new products to replace items disposed of in the landfill produces greenhouse gas emissions because fossil fuels are used to obtain raw materials and/or manufacture the new items. The EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) is designed to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reductions associated with various waste management strategies. By calculating emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), the model divides waste into multiple categories depending on waste type and allows the user to designate landfill, incineration, recycling, or composting as the method of disposal. A carbon footprint is defined as the total set of GHG emissions caused directly and indirectly. The results of the WARM calculations are in the chart below. WARM reports net emissions only from the "mixed MSW"(Municipal Solid Waste) category. Recycled or composted materials result in net reductions of GHG emissions, as indicated by the numbers in parentheses. Recycling and composting are considered less GHG intensive. The EPA's Waste Reduction Model (WARM) was used to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions or reductions associated with the management of the University's waste. Net emissions result from landfilled waste ("mixed MSW"). Net reductions result from all other materials because they were recycled or composted.2 By recycling or composting the waste generated in 2010, the University's Recycling & Solid Waste programs had a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of 1,939 MTCO2E, resulting in a decreased carbon footprint. The recycling from programs where the trash was not weighed are not included in these calculations. 2 University of Washington's 2010 Recycling Report Recycling Program Expenses Income Amount Recycled Cost/ton FM need $70,341 658 USA $5,025 n/a 108 $46.53 Red Butte Gardens $2,871.00 n/a 17.7 $162.20 Archives n/a $4,555.29 52.9 ($86.11) University Guest House $4,204.50 n/a 18.14 $231.78 Hospital‐recycling Hospital‐shredding Hospital‐cardboard need need need n/a n/a need 47.88 337.63 46.05 Surplus & Salvage n/a $55,152.55 244.6 ($225.48) Green Waste $23,930.82 n/a 448.9 $53.31 Material Tons Generated Total MTCO2E Mixed MSW‐Landfill Waste 3643.55 4,202 Mixed Paper 715.8 (2,513) Scrap Metal 466.6 (2,522) Cardboard 146.25 (454) Green Waste 449.4 (89) Mixed Recyclables 178.02 (511) Glass 13.7 (4) Plastics 7.8 (11) Aluminum 2.7 (37) Pre‐Consumer Fruits & Vegetables 5.2 (1) 2010 Totals 5095.1 (1939) 2010 Climate Action Plan This comprehensive plan was a collaboration of 80 individuals from the University and the community. It includes the following goals pertaining to waste reduction and recycling:  The University will reduce its waste‐stream volume through avoidance, durability and reuse, diversion, and aggressive recycling.  (The University) will seek to achieve a 25 percent waste reduction in five years by implementing a more efficient and comprehensive record of all campus‐based waste flows, improving education, and forging steps towards a zero‐waste campus.  All campus‐based food vendors and members of the campus community will seek to close food waste cycles by 25 percent by reducing food waste . . . between 2010 and 2015.  Compost 100 percent of garden waste. Investigate potential for composting . . . throughout the campus community. Thank You. Thanks to the custodial staff, the University's students, faculty, staff, and community partners for their commitment to the environment, willingness to recycle, and support of the campus recycling programs. It is through the collective efforts of many individuals that the University of Utah has achieved success. Recycling at the University in 2010: What do these numbers mean?  Saved the energy equivalent to supplying power to 578 homes for 1 year  Saved the equivalent of 475,882 gallons of gas  14,316 trees saved from recycling paper  Recycled aluminum cans saved enough energy to keep a television powered 24 hours a day for 52 years RECYCLING PROGRAMS Generally speaking, two recycling systems are implemented on campus-single stream and separated stream. Single stream refers to a system in which recyclables are mixed together in a collection bin at the primary source. Single stream usually makes it more convenient to recycle, which may increase participation. With single stream, collection routes can be serviced more efficiently; however, there are more costs involved in sorting the recyclables. There is more contamination and more of the material ends up being sent to the landfill as waste.3 Separated stream refers to a system where recyclables are sorted into different bins by end users based on categories. Separating the recyclables at the source decreases processing costs and helps to keep the materials in acceptable condition to maintain their value and their grade of recyclability. Since there is no sorting facility at the University, single stream here is an expense program, whereas separated stream has an income component as well as expense. Figure 1. Current Recycling Zones *Many buildings in Research Park are not included in the Main Campus recycling program. Josh James can give information on the program and costs to be included in the program. 3 http://www.swana.org/Portals/Advocacy/ISWA_Waste_and_Climate_Change_12‐09.pdf University Hospital Single stream Recycling contact: Rick Lee & Cheryl Henson Office: 801‐581‐8667 Email: Health Science Education Buildings Separated stream Recycling coordinator: Joshua James Main Campus Separated stream recycling Recycling coordinator: Joshua James Office: 801‐581‐5173 Fax: 801‐585‐9308 Cell: 801‐ 654‐0027 Email: [e-mail] HRE (Housing and Residential Education) Changing from separated to single stream Recycling contact: Frank Sitton (Associate Director of Facilities) Phone: 801‐587‐0852 Email: [e-mail] Research Park* Leased/unleased buildings have different recycling systems and responsible groups Mostly single stream Recycling contact: Josh James for information South Campus Dr. Mario Capecchi Dr. University Student Apartments (USA) Single Stream Recycling contact: Rick James Office: 801‐581‐8667 Email: [e-mail] Foothill Blvd Red Butte Gardens Single Stream Recycling contact: Rita Dodge, Conservation Dept Director Phone: 801‐585‐5853 Email: [e-mail] Campus Recycling Zones Figure 1 shows the seven recycling zones on campus: the University Hospital, the Health Science Education Buildings, HRE (Housing and Residential Education), Main Campus, Research Park , Red Butte Gardens and the University Student Apartments. Main Campus and the Health Science Education Buildings apply separated stream recycling systems and are managed by Facilities Management's Recycling Program. The University Student Apartments and Red Butte Garden areas have recycling contractors and use single stream recycling. HRE will change from separated stream with FM Recycling to single steam with a contractor in summer 2011. The University Hospital has a recycling contractor and uses separated stream. The Orthopaedic Center, the Moran Eye Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Madsen Health Center were not included in this report because of time constraints, but should be investigated as to their recycling and solid waste systems. Some of the buildings in Research Park with University tenants are managed by outside leasing agents. These leased buildings generally have their own independent recycling systems. These buildings also need to be investigated further. FACILITIES MANAGEMENTS RECYCLING All of the FM Recycling programs are revenue generating, because they are collected in separated streams. A risk in having consumers separate materials is that the recycling stream will be contaminated with inappropriate items causing the recycler to reject the recyclables. Education, proper location and amount of bins, and bin signage/labeling can help fight contamination. Paper is picked up each Thursday throughout campus. The amount of paper collected has gone down over the past 3 years, as can be seen in Chart A. One possible explanation for this decrease is the efforts at the University use electronic instead of paper documents. This could be verified if numbers were available that showed trash volume has not decreased proportionately. Cardboard is generally collected in cardboard trailers and picked up as needed. Plastics #1 & 2 are currently collected together, similar to aluminum cans, in separate bins with circular‐hole lids. Custodians gather the containers 0 100 200 300 400 500 2008 2009 2010 Tons Recycled Paper Cardboard Chart A Facilities Management manages the recycling program for Main Campus. They also pick up recycling in the Health Science Education Buildings, paper and plastics for the Huntsman Center, paper for HRE, and plastics and cardboard for the Williams Building (beginning around November). ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Paper‐325.3 tons Scrap Metal‐222 tons Cardboard‐100.2 tons Plastic‐7.8 tons Aluminum‐2.7 tons Trash‐1654.9 tons 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2008 2009 2010 Tons Recycled Aluminum Plastic 0 100 200 300 2008 2009 2010 Tons Recycled Scrap Metal and consolidate them; the custodial crew leader contacts FM when they are ready for a pickup. Each building generally has one recycling station, but various other recycling containers are used to supplements. This can be confusing for campus residents. (See Appendix A for more explanation). Also, recycling bins must be purchased by departments, while trash cans are free. Below is a table showing the approximate income from the amount of Recyclables collected by FM during 2010: HRE 4 The Scrap Metal price is estimated based on the price received by Surplus and Salvage, and the plastic would have received this price if it had not been contaminated (it actually received $0). The aluminum is also an estimate based on the current rate paid as of July 2011 (it doesn't usually fluctuate much). FM Recycling Recycled (tons) Price ($)/ton Total Income Cardboard 100.2 $24.39 $2,667.99 Mixed Paper 215.65 $10 $1,626.50 Office Pack 75.03 $60.41 $4,532.73 Printers'Mix 41.53 $84.53 $3,510.40 Scrap Metal 222 $245.71 $54,547.62 Aluminum 2.7 $1,280 $3,456.00 Plastic 1&2 7.8 $50 $390 TOTAL 664.91 $70,731.244 Housing and Residential Education is responsible for the single student resident halls, over 200 apartments with kitchens, some of the houses in Officer's Circle, and 2 single student apartment buildings downtown (at 400 east and S Temple and 1st Ave) for a total of about 2500 residents. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Separated Stream Recycling, part of FM Recycling Program Trash‐200 tons Recyclemania This is a national collegiate recycling competition that takes place every year. The University's participation in this program began as a way to help track results as part of the President's Overall Climate Commitment. For 2010, the University's goal was to be 50th in the nation. The website shows that the U was 109th, but, if you compare only Division 1 schools, such as ours, the University of Utah was actually 28th in the nation! Waste Recycling Paper Recycled Cardboard Recycled Total Recycling Rate 18.5 lbs/person 5.9 lbs/person 3.73 lbs/person 1.93 lbs/person 31.89% These numbers are for the Facilities Management Recycling only, and for Fiscal Year 2010. "What Goes Around Comes Around." Each spring, the dumpsters outside the dorm buildings in HRE fill with all kinds of items. The Office of Sustainability, in partnership with ASUU, student volunteers, and The Lowell Bennion Community Service Center has been involved in a "usable products" diversion program where they rescue items that are functional from the dumpsters, including clothes, electronics, lamps, couches, and pillows, and donate them to local charities No tracking of the items HRE pays for its own trash services and for the University's Grounds Department to take care of the landscaping. For 2010, recycling in the residence halls was a separated stream to enable participation in the FM Recycling Program, who picked up this recycling. Due to limited space in the residence halls, recycling opportunities were limited to one Sagepoint building in 2010. Separate measurements were not done; the recyclables captured were included in the FM recycling program numbers. For 4‐5 days during resident move‐out and move‐in (about August and May), cardboard trailers were requested from FM Recycling to capture all of the additional cardboard that is disposed of during those periods. The office area of the HRE recycles all of its office paper and collects aluminum cans for recycling. There are 2 Big Brothers/Big Sisters Containers in the area for residents to donate used clothing. A group of students from the Residential Housing Association (RHA) work on sustainability issues at HRE. They held a "Trash Day", where they sorted one day's trash in a visible area to demonstrate how much trash could actually be recycled. UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS The University Hospital uses a separated stream collection system for their recycling, which is co‐mingled in the dumpster. They collect all kinds of paper (including books and phone books), aluminum cans, and plastic #1 and #2. There are numerous recycling bins placed throughout the facilities. There is a full‐time employee, whose main responsibility is to collect these recycling bins. The supervisors help collect when needed. Cardboard is also collected for recycling as a separate stream‐the Hospital has its own cardboard bailer. Paper shredding resulted in 337.63 tons being recycled in 2010. The Hospital The University Hospital serves people from across the state and throughout the Intermountain West, and every day more than 10,000 people pass through the front doors of University Hospital. 2 ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Mixed Recyclables‐47.88 tons Shredded Paper‐337.63 tons Cardboard‐46.05 tons Trash‐1719 tons "TRASH DAY" recycled 47.88 tons of mixed materials in 2010. Medical waste is included in their trash; they have a different classification due to being a hospital facility. Their total medical waste was 1719 tons. RED BUTTE GARDENS This organization recycles paper, plastic, and aluminum as mixed recyclables in a single stream and glass as a separate stream. Mixed recycling and glass are both picked up by Momentum. All of this recycling is available for their customers. The glass recycling, both brown and green, is specifically for their events. For 2010, 4 tons of mixed recyclables were collected, an increase of 29% over 2009. Glass recycling was 13.7 tons, an increase of 11.4% over 2009.5 Green waste is picked up by the Transportation Department and sent to be composted at the Salt Lake Landfill. 87.45 tons of green waste were collected and composted in 2010 from the Gardens. The only public recycling that is accepted is printer ink cartridges and toner (not those from copy machines), which is a very small revenue stream, and cell phones, which are sent to a charity. UNIVERSITY STUDENT APARTMENTS 5 These numbers were obtained from an annual report created by Momentum, which used conversion factors to estimate the weight of these materials based on volumes. University Student Apartments (USA) is responsible for family student housing at the University of Utah. This includes 943 family apartments in the East and West Villages, 151 single student and family apartments at Medical Towers. In addition, USA manages 21 properties in the historic Fort Douglas area for faculty/staff housing on Connor Road and Stilwell Field. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Mixed Recyclables‐108 tons Leaves Composted‐1000 lbs. Other Green Waste (composted)‐100% Red Butte Gardens spans around 100 acres, has about 170,000 visitors annually, and employees 34 full‐time and 30‐70 seasonal workers. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Mixed Recyclables‐4 tons Glass‐13.7 tons Composted Green Waste ‐87.45 tons FOOTBALL GAMES Joshua James, Recycling Coordinator for FM, and student volunteers had two recycling trailers at the tailgate lot for every home game. They collected bottles (both plastic and glass) and cans from attendees as they entered and exited the stadium. In addition, all unused programs were collected for recycling. These materials were recycled through the FM Recycling Program; the glass was taken to a local recycler. No measurements were taken for these efforts. TCU VS UTAH GAME RECYLING TRAILERS For 2010, USA contracted with Rocky Mountain Recycling for recycling. One hundred eight tons (108) tons of mixed recyclables (single stream) were recycled through this program, which included plastics 1‐7, paper, cardboard, and metals (aluminum cans and pans, steel/tin cans, clean aluminum foil and various other food cans). USA gives each tenant an info sheet with a list of acceptable/non‐acceptable items and answers to common questions. Currently, there isn't a system in place to weigh the trash. USA's Administration and Maintenance Office sends its white paper to the Library Archives for their free shredding service. There is not a separate cardboard recycling program as there isn't a dry location for the cardboard trailer. USA is responsible for its own landscaping. They chip tree branches to use on their landscaping. Grass clippings are left on the grass to decompose. Leaves are shredded and transported to the Salt Lake Valley Landfill for composting. The time for employees to transport the leaves is the major cost associated with this process. One trip was taken to the Landfill in 2010 to transport 1000 pounds of leaves for composting. Other Recycling programs Surplus and Salvage University Policy 3‐40 requires equipment which is no longer usable or no longer required by the University to be sent to the University Surplus and Salvage Department (US&S) for disposal. All items are initially on sale to University departments for 15 days, then to the general public for a total of 60 days. 53,3616 pieces of equipment were sent to US&S. 25,948, which is about 50%, of those pieces were sold for reuse. The equipment is not weighed at this time, so the tonnage diverted through this program is not available. This equipment includes chairs, copiers, printers, computer equipment, tables, and desks. Equipment that is neither sold nor requested by the University, excluding e‐waste, is stripped of metal, which is recycled, and the remaining material is sent to the landfill. 6This was from Fiscal Year 2011, which covered the period from July 2010‐June 2011 Archives: Records Management The University Archives and Records Management Division provides records management assistance throughout the University, ensuring that internal needs and legal requirements are fulfilled. University records have been shredded and recycled at the end of their legally established retention life cycle since 1985. A total of 52.88 tons were sent to Rocky Mountain Recycling in 2010. Archives Records Management Service is available to all areas of the University. 7 They offer a free‐pickup service for documents that require shredding. Employees shred, bail, and temporarily store the shredded paper for pickup by Rocky Mountain Recycling every 2 weeks. Funds received from this recycling goes back into their budget to help support this service. There is approximately 25,000 cubic feet of storage for records that must be kept. University Guest House Guests are asked to recycle beverage cans, plastic cups, bottles (with no caps or lids) and newspapers. Each room has an informational card with an attached recyclable plastic bag, which the housekeeping staff picks up. 18.14 tons of these mixed recyclables was collected in 2010, an increase of 12.15 tons or 203% from 2009. 7 Archives and Records Management, Clint Bailey 0 50 100 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Annual Amounts Recycled (tons) Project "Green Thumb" In order to reduce the number of coffee cups in waste disposal, Chartwell's offers a 60 cents savings on a cup of coffee for bringing your own mug. They also sell reusable coffee mugs for $9.99, with the first refill free. 35,352 coffee cups were saved through refills in 1 year. Dining Services does several other things to help reduce waste: nutritional information can be found at www.dineoncampus.com/utah, so it reduces the use of printed brochures; frying oil is collected and recycled; chemical buckets for cleaning products are reused; electronic menu boards are used to reduce paper waste; they recycle 400 lbs of RECYCLED MATERIALS Recycling at the University of Utah has been in place for several years. The main items recycled are paper, plastic (#1 and #2), aluminum cans, cardboard, and scrap metal. Other items include batteries, printer cartridges, wooden pallets, styrofoam, CD/DVD/tapes, and glass. Cardboard Cardboard as a separate stream is collected through Facilities Management Recycling, the University Hospital, the Orthopaedic Center, the Moran Eye Center, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Madsen Health Center. Cardboard cannot get wet or it will become unmarketable; it is compacted and bailed before being taken to the recycling contractor.8 The current rate3 paid for cardboard recycling is $65/ton. Office Pack Office pack is only collected as a separate stream in the FM Recycling Program. Office pack includes white and pastel colored paper, shredded office paper, envelopes (with or without windows), direct mail, index cards (white or colored), and manilla envelopes/folders. Staples, paper clips, tape, sticky notes, and bindings can all be left with the paper. Office pack can be recycled to a higher grade of paper product than mixed paper; consequently, it generates a much higher price/pound for the University. The current rate9 paid is $30/ton. Mixed Paper Mixed Paper can be anything that can go in Office Pack, and, additionally, newspapers and advertising inserts, magazines, catalogues, phone books, paperbacks, bright colored paper, unbleached papers, and paper ream wrappers. It is collected as a separate stream through FM Recycling. It is included to be separated by the vendor in the mixed recycling programs at the University. Mixed paper can only be recycled to the lowest grade of paper. The current rate3 paid is $5/ton. Aluminum Cans These are collected in a separate stream through FM Recycling and through the mixed recycling programs elsewhere on campus. The current rate3 for aluminum cans is 64 cents/lb or $1280/ton. 8 University of Utah Enhanced Recycling Program presentation, 2007, http://www.facilities.utah.edu/static‐content/ facilitiesmanagement/files/Recycling.ppt 9 Rocky Mountain Recycling, as of 7/8/11‐many numbers for recycled materials change daily. GREEN COMPUTING The Climate Action Plan sets a goal "to optimize the use of electronic technologies and innovations to reduce paper usage". The IT Department encourages procedures to help reduce Office Computer- Generated Waste. There are green ideas listed on their web-site at http://www.it.utah.edu/leader ship/green/basics.html Plastics #1 and #2 plastics are currently recycled through FM Recycling. Plastics #1‐#7 are collected in the mixed recycling programs elsewhere on campus. The current rate3 for recycling is $50/ton. The Water Bottle Refilling Stations are aimed at reducing waste from plastic bottles. Batteries & Cell Phones The Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS) picks up all used batteries whether they are for disposal or recycling. They also take old cell phones for recycling. EHS has boxes and baggies available for the batteries & cell phones to be collected in. Details about how to take care of batteries is listed at their web‐site at: http://ehs.utah.edu/environmental‐programs/batteries‐and‐cell‐phones. There are 2 contractors that batteries are sent to depending on the type of battery: Met Tech and Interstate Recycling. Metech does require payment to dispose of batteries properly, but it is less expensive than disposing of these at the landfill. The Marriott Library collects batteries for recycling from staff and the public. Cell phones are collected by Red Butte Gardens from the public and sent to a charity. Scrap Metal A total of 222 tons of scrap metal were recycled by the FM recycling for 2010. It is picked up and stored at the Merrill Engineering Building, and then hauled to Western Metals. Another 224.47 tons of scrap metal was recycled by the Surplus and Salvage Department. The University receives payments for its scrap metal. Wooden Pallets Wooden Pallets are left on the loading docks. The Transportation Dept. collects them. The recycle contractor picks them up and pays a small amount of money for those in good condition. S&S Scrap Metal Recycled Pounds Total Revenue Aluminum 976 $389.39 Brass 38 $43.00 Copper 1,346 $3,861.00 Electric Motor 19 $4.18 Gold/Silver/Circuit Boards 4,488.10 $6,087.59 Light Iron/Shreddable #2 477,140 $40,033.60 Stainless Steel 114 $228.09 Wire 4812 $4,505.70 TOTALS: 448,933.0 $55,152.55 Through the water bottle refilling stations at the Student Union, waste has been reduced from 43,920 plastic water bottles. Comment [o1]: . Lots of details about how to do it, but what I want to know is how much was recycled vs. how much was thrown away and how much did we spend on each? Waiting for Nikki Nalder to gather data. Comment [o2]: (any way to hunt down that revenue number?) O nly need Josh's numbers Comment [o3]: How many were recycled? How much do we get? Asked Josh to see if he could help. Printer Cartridges Printer Cartridges are collected in bags and are picked up by Main Campus recycling when needed. Printer Cartridges left in printers and copiers sent to Surplus and Salvage are disposed of through Metech. Red Butte Gardens accepts printer cartridges and toner (not from copy machines) from the public for recycling.10 E‐Waste The University's Climate Action Plan states: "The University will seek to expand processing of e‐waste to include all electronic items." E‐waste for the University is handled through the Surplus and Salvage Department and the Environmental Health & Safety Department. In 2010, the University sent batteries, UPSs, scientific equipment, printers, cell phones, monitors, copiers, TVs, and VCRs, to a certified e‐steward recycling company, Metech. After the 75 days sale period, many leftover electronics are parted at Surplus and Salvage. All circuit boards are removed from electronics and sent to Cascade Refining. All wire and non‐ferrous metals are sent to Utah Metals. All hard drives are pulled from the computers, are crushed and then placed with scrap metal. 5,389 hard drives were processed in 2010. CRT/LCD monitors, printers, and cell phones not sold are sent to Metech. All other items which are not scrap metal (wood, plastics, etc) are placed in the garbage.11 Florescent Lights There are 2 types of florescent light bulbs at the University. One type, contains a large amount of mercury, so they are sent to Clean Harbor for proper recycling. When the lights are removed from a room, the metal is removed from the ballast to be recycled with scrap metal. 10 Jen Colby, Office of Sustainability 11 It.utah.edu/leadership/green/ewaste.html, and updated info 6/15/11 from Clifton Grindstaff DESK‐SIZE MACHINE FOR CRUSHING HARD DRIVES E-waste Community Event Since 2009, the University of Utah has hosted a community electronics waste collection event every April. In 2009 and 2010, the event was sponsored by Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and several university departments. The 2009 event was also supported by a grant from the Recycling Coalition of Utah. These two events collected household, personal equipment only; businesses could not participate. The 2009 event collected more than 43,000 pounds of waste from 445 individuals. The 2010 event collected more than 47,000 pounds of electronic waste from 430 individuals.All electronics waste collected was recycled in an environmentally and socially responsible manner in the United States by carefully selected third party recyclers. 4 Comment [o4]: How much did we recycle? How much do we get for them? Asked Josh Comment [o5]: . How many, what was the cost? Asked Nikki Nalder‐waiting for her data. Comment [o6]: what is the cost of this per unit? How many went in 2010? Asked Nikki‐waiting for data. Solid Waste In 2010, the University had contracts with Ace Disposal for Main Campus, the University Student Apartments, and 2 small dumpsters at Red Butte Gardens. Allied took care of the trash for most of Red Butte Gardens and HRE (under separate contracts). Waste Management Company has a waste removal contract with University Hospitals. There are trash compactors to help reduce the volume of the trash taken to the Landfill: at the Union, HRE, and the stadium. Both the Hospital cafeteria and the Heritage Center Dining Facility have food pulpers to further reduce volume. An estimate of the 2010 cost to dispose of waste is taken from the charges at the Union Building: $17,347.48/227.86 tons = $76.13 per ton. Non‐infectious sharp waste should be separated from regular waste by placing in EHS provided plastic lined boxes, so that they do not become a problem for the custodians and trash disposal crews during transportation and disposal. Hazardous Waste Hazardous waste is handled by the Environmental Health and Safety Department. Several chemicals can be reused; EH&S has a chemical exchange program, where University departments can go to obtain these chemicals for free; see chemical inventory and details at: http://ehs.utah.edu/research‐safety/chemical‐safety/chemical‐exchange . Hazardous waste is sent to Clean Harbors for proper disposal. To help reduced waste, ordering only what is needed is emphasized. Refrigeration equipment and appliances usually contain some type of refrigerant such as freon gas. In many cases, freon gas is considered a regulated hazardous material for disposal purposes. There are four campus entities that handle the removal of refrigerants and oils, and each entity is responsible for a specific element of campus. The Hospital, Student Apartments, and Residential Living handle only their own refrigeration equipment. Plant Operations Heating and Ventilation (HVAC) and University Surplus and Salvage handle refrigeration equipment from other areas of campus. For details on how to recycle refrigeration equipment, go to http://ehs.utah.edu/facilities‐safety/ refrigeration‐equipment‐and‐appliance‐disposal . "Helping U Go Green" To help reduce waste, the Campus Store encourages students to forego using a plastic bag for their purchase. Each time a customer chooses not to use a bag, the Campus Store donates 5 cents to the Office of Sustainability Fund. Since it's inception in June 2009, waste from 23,085 plastic bags has been eliminated, for a total donation to OS of $1,154.25. For FY 2010-11, 8,748 bags were saved, and a total donation of $437.40 was made. Some of the money from this fund has been used to partner with Chartwell's for the "Save Cups, Save Cash" campaign. Construction & Demolition Waste from construction and demolition (C&D) is handled by the contractors. All new construction projects on campus are required by the Utah Department of Facilities Construction Management (DFCM) to be LEED‐Silver Certified, so separating the waste stream from either demolition or construction is an important part of getting the points necessary for the silver certification. 50‐59 points/110 are required for Silver: collection of recyclables is required, points are given for percent of recycled/salvaged materials (1pt‐50%, 2pts‐75%, 3pts‐95%). Project #20155: Pharmacy Research Building. This project began in June 2010, and is still ongoing; the contractor is Jacobsen. From June‐Dec, 1413.42 tons of material were diverted and only 21.87 tons sent as trash to the landfill, a 98.5% diversion rate. These recycled materials included 604.1 tons of concrete, 8 tons of steel, 783 tons of asphalt, 14.2 tons of wood, 4 tons of mixed metals, and 265 pounds of aluminum. Project #585‐36097: USTAR‐Office Building. This project began in October of 2009; the contractor is Layton. From Jan‐Dec 2010, 2,477 tons of materials were recycled, with only 145.63 tons sent to the landfill as trash, giving a 94.4% diversion rate. The recycled materials included 1719.5 tons of concrete, 371.9 tons of wood, 152.9 tons of metal, 112 tons of brick/concrete, 108.7 tons of C&D Mixed, and 12.3 tons of cardboard. Project #585‐36168: David Eccles Business Building. This project began in March 2010 and is still ongoing; the contractor is Okland. From March‐Dec 2010, 325.5 tons of material were diverted from the landfill by recycling, and 63.27 tons were landfilled as waste, which gives a 83.73% diversion rate. 230 tons of the recycled materials was concrete, 92.35 tons were C&D mixed debris, and 3.15 tons were metal. Remodels are usually taken care of by the department responsible for the area‐no waste or recycling mandates are given and no information was available for 2010. Because of the potential income stream for certain construction wastes (steel and concrete, eg), documenting the recycling efforts for projects under $2.5 mil would be helpful with measuring progress on the University's goals. Concrete is less costly to dispose of, $5.00/ton, than regular construction waste, $26.10/ton. FAMB BUSINESS BUILDING DEMOLITION Trash 4% Concrete 58% Asphalt 18% Wood 9% Other Recycled 7% Metals 4% C/D Materials 2010 Diversion PHARMACY RESEARCH BUILDING ORGANICS & COMPOSTING The University Grounds Department transports green waste to the Salt Lake City Landfill for composting. Grass clippings are left on the grass to decompose. The Grounds Dept. composted 365 tons of landscaping debris during 2010. 84.45 tons of green waste from Red Butte Gardens was composted in 2010 at the landfill. In 2010, University Student Apartments sent 1000 pounds of leaves to be composted there. Beginning in September of 2010, pre‐consumer waste, vegetables and fruit, was separated at the Union by Chartwell's employees, re‐checked for contamination and transported to the Edible Campus Gardens by Chartwell's Sustainability Coordinator for composting. Coffee grounds are also collected by Chartwell's and added to the composting pile. A total of 5.2 tons of waste were composted in the Campus Gardens during 2010. Styrofoam The Marriott Library recycles clean styrofoam to for their department. CDs/DVDs The Marriott Library collects CD/DVDs from their area for recycling. Glass Recycling of glass takes place at the concerts at the Red Butte Gardens and at Rice Eccles Stadium for Home Football Games. "Save Cups, Save Cash" If customers bring a refillable bottle to a Chartwell's food facility, large sodas are $1.39 instead of $1.89. 3183 cups were saved through soda refills. Red reusable water bottles are sold at Chartwell's on campus for $1.29, and the first soda refill is free; all other refills are $.99. Chartwell's also began charging for water cups to help encourage reusable containers. 11.7% of General Beverage Sales were coffee or soda refills. COMPARISON WITH PAC 12 UNIVERSITIES St af f Student University o f Arizona Tucson, AZ 38057 46167 single 30% 10 4076 1236 209.89 (green waste only) beginning in Fall 2011 Arizona St at e University Tempe, AZ 55552 82,700 Single 16% Universit y of Cal ifornia, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 35843 37,900 separated 42% 11 Universit y of Oregon Eugene, OR 23389 26845 Enhanced Dual St ream 49% 6 50 3059.19 1489.42 359.91 72.79 ~$740,000° Oregon St ate University Corvallis, OR 23671 31334 separated 31% 2480 943 344 Yes, pilot program began Stanf ord Universit y Stanford, CA 19535 26904 Separated & Single 64% 1547.5 482.5 1300 Yes, bot tles, cans, & cardboard Universit y of Cal ifornia, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 39984 55327 single 28% 813.8 320.1 University o f Sout hern C al i f ornia Los Angeles, CA 37000 51800 separated 49% 7219.6 3544.4 642.8 Universit y of Washington Seat t le, WA 47361 64900 Separated & Single 54% 16 12010 5407.74 2512 yes: 63.74/219.5 recycled $2,277,765 Washington State University Pullman, WA 26101 31801 Both separated& Single St ream 77% 8 15,556 11512 10,658 Yes- tonnage not tracked $316,000 Universit y of Colo rado at Boulder Boulder, CO 29709 31097 Enhanced Dual Stream 45% 11 f t equiv 37 part-t ime 3246 1460.2 419.6 yes: 43.23/73.62 recycled $402,000 University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah 29284 48953 Separated & Single 33% 4 2 part-t ime 4097.5 1530.9 454.5 yes: Recycling Coor. & Volunteers-tonnage not t racked $104,222∞ Total Wast e ( tons) Total Recycling Total Organics Composted Football Game Recycling Recycling Budget # Employees: recycling INSTITUTION LOCA-TION ENROL L-M ENT # Student s, Facult y & St af f St ream Sol id W ast e Diversion Rate UO Campus Recycling is a department housed in Campus Operations. The department handles all campus recycling program activities including: servicing of all campus recycling sites,zero waste services at campus catered events and other campus events. Unlike other programs, there is no custodial involvement in the UO Campus Recycling Program. Thus, the Program also performs a custodial function of recycling collection from the point of materials generation. This is very different than most other schools. Collection, material processing and marketing of materials are part of the daily operations. The Program does extensive education and develops programs and projects to reduce campus waste such as the campus reusable office supply. Housing recycling programs include an extensive move‐outs reusables collection and in‐room recycling bins. The Program also is involved with Campus Operations Sustainability, works with colleges nationally (and occasional international inquires) on recycling and sustainability issues, programs and projects. Additionally, the Program works with general campus on resource conservation issues such as developing programs to reduce bottled water use on campus. As an arm of Campus Operations sustainability, the Program also produces a quarterly Ops Sustainability newsletter. UO Campus Recycling is currently working on a campus zero waste plan with actionable items. The Program has been extensively involved in developing several campus environmental policies. Recycling & Solid Waste pays for municipal solid waste disposal for the entire University, including departments that have self‐sustaining budgets that bear their portion of solid waste removal costs. Recycling & Solid Waste recovers the costs for self‐sustaining departments by recharging these costs back to the departments. In fiscal year 2010, total recharges to self‐sustaining University departments for waste and recycling collection and disposal were $1,012,741 and are factored into the expenditures. The custodians in each building are responsible for consolidating recycling and setting it out for pick‐up‐their time is not included in this budget. ∞This is only the budget for the Facilities Management Recycling Program. "Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can't measure something, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't control it. If you can't control it, you can't improve it." - H. James Harrington, International Quality Advisor for Ernst & Young, past Chairman/President of the International MOVING FORWARD AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT CONTAMINATION‐‐‐Depending on the building, contamination varies in collection of recycling. Contamination can mean vendor rejection. TRACKING KEY FACTORS- Tracking, weighing, and reporting in order to see improvement or problem areas is not done consistently or in all programs. For self‐supporting programs, additional costs associated with weighing might be prohibitive and may need to be supplemented. INFORMATION FOR UNIVERSITY WIDE RECYCLING COSTS-Currently, most costs are known for the FM Recycling Program, but the costs should be collected regularly for all of the other recycling zones to get a true picture of the costs of the various recycling programs. EXPAND RECYCLING PROGRAMS‐‐‐Many areas in Research Park would join the FM Recycling Program if they were given more resources. Compostable Waste made up over 18%, 1200 tons, of the overall waste stream in the 2005 Waste Audit‐this material could be diverted from the waste stream through composting. More staff could increase recycling at Football games and Special Events. SUGGESTIONS  Regular (annual) waste audit and Annual Comprehensive Recycling Report to assess programs, measure success, and set goals (This could be done by a group of students to keep costs down; information is available on the epa website.)  Keep Track of Recyclables, Trash, & Costs for all Recycling & Solid Waste at the University in order to set goals, analyze programs, and make improvements  Increase FM Resources in order to: o Expand to Research Park and Special Events o Hire more employees at $10/hour instead of the $32/hour currently being paid for extra staff assistance; this would result in a cost savings as well as better service; they could also help de‐contaminate collections to save them from being trashed o Have better accessibility and conformity with bins to decrease contamination o Divert pre and post consumer waste to composting o Expand education and promotion of the program o Expand e‐waste program to more than just once per year (perhaps permanently) and perhaps to businesses and public (for a fee)  Track Custodian's recycling time in order to give a true picture of the costs of recycling  Enlist the help of Employees to empty own recycling and trash bins (as is done in the Marriott Library) to lower the costs of recycling associated with custodial recycling efforts.  Arrangements for Special Events to be coordinated through FM Recycling, to add more provisions and supervision to make sure recycling takes place properly  Consolidate Recyclables contracts for possible cost savings, simplified tracking, and less trucks ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Gathering all of this information would not have been possible without the help and support of Ashley Patterson, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability and Joshua James, Facilities Management Recycling Coordinator.  Recycling Analysis Report , May 2011, Kate (CHIN CHIH‐YU), Intern Office of Sustainability  University of Washington , 2010 Recycling & Solid Waste Annual Report  Energy and Environmental Stewardship Initiative: Climate Action Plan 2010  Office of Sustainability: Myron Wilson, Director; Jen Colby, Sustainability Coordinator; Whitney Williams, SCIF Grant Coordinator ; Peter Nelson, STARS Intern; Alexandra Parvaz, Campus Garden Coordinator; Amber McNell, Marketing Intern  Environmental Health & Safety Department: their website and Nikki Nalder  Chartwell's, Katie Hunt, Sustainability Director  Surplus and Salvage Department: their website and Clifton Grindstaff  University Hospital: Cheryl Henson and Greg Bosman  University Student Apartments: Rick James, Director  Housing & Residential Education: Frank Sitton, Associate Director of Facilities  Red Butte Gardens: Rita Dodge, Conservation Dept. Director and Jennifer Wiseman, Horticulture Assistant  Facilities Management: Archie Phillips, Joseph Harman, Christin Robbins, Tom Christensen, Steve Laraway, Bill Billingsley, Kristin Hill  Marriott Library: Karren Nichols, Sustainability Coordinator & Administrative Assistant  Archives & Records Management: Clint Bailey  University Campus Store: Vaughn Durfee, Associate Director  International Paper Recycling: Teresa DiSera, Account Manager  University Information Technology ‐ Network and Communication Services: Andrew Reich  Momentum Recycling: Jeff Whitbeck  Jacobsen Construction: Matt Nelson  Layton Construction: Jake Greenland, Michael Kinghorn  Okland Construction: Bret McDonald, Chris Okland  University of Utah websites, Office of Sustainability, Recycling, ASUU  Recyclemania Website  STARS report "The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them." ‐ George Bernard Shaw APPENDIX A: Area Recycling Area Recycled Items Recycling Contractors Waste Hauler Paper/Cardboard/Plastics Transported by Ace to International Paper Ace (main Campus) Aluminum Cans Wasatch Scrap Metal Western Metals Printer Cartridges Wood Pallets Picked up by Transp. Dept and stored for Contractor to pick up single student residents & office Paper FM Recycling Program Allied Used Clothing Big Bro/Sis Cardboard (during move‐out/in only) FM Recycling Program Univ Hospital Mixed (aluminum, plastic, mixed paper) Waste Mngt Co. Waste Mngt Co. Cardboard Shredded Paper American Shredding same (they shred on site) Red Butte Gardens Mixed (paper, plastic, aluminum) Momentum 2 small dumpsters: Ace (1 is for concerts only) special events only Glass (brown & green)(for special events only) Momentum Rest of Waste: Allied public printer ink cartridges/toner (not from copy machines) public cell phones Charity Green Waste (hauled by Transp Dept) Compost at SL Landfill Mixed Recyclables (plastics 1‐7, paper, cardboard, alum/steel/tin cans, alum foil/pans Rocky Mtn Recycling Ace Green Waste (chipped/composted for use) self Leaves (transported) Compost at SL Landfill White Paper Archives for Shredding entire university Used Equipment/Furniture self: sold for reuse Ace (main Campus) circuit boards Cascade Refining other metals Western Metals wire/non‐ferrous metals Utah Metals Main Campus, Health Science Education, paper & plastics for Huntsman Center, paper for HRE, plastics & cardboard for Wms Bldg Red Butte Gardens USA Surplus & Salvage FM HRE Univ Hospital Area Recycling Area Recycled Items Recycling Contractors Waste Hauler entire university oil Waste Technic chemicals self‐chemical exchange program cell phones Metech batteries Interstate Recycling Fluorescent lights‐no green tipped ends Clean Harbour Grounds Dept. entire university, except Red Butte Gardens, USA, and some areas of Research Park Green Waste (hauled by Transp Dept) Compost at SL Landfill Archives entire university,except hospital Paper shredding Rocky Mtn Recycling Marriott Library Paper, Cardboard, Aluminum, Plastics FM Recycling Program Ace (Main Campus) Clean Styrofoam Marko Foam CDs/DVDs Bubble wrap/popcorn packing Mail Dept Books Better World Books Office Supplies Purchasing containers for staff & patrons batteries Football Games tailgate & game attendees Glass SL glass collection program Aluminum Cans & plastic bottles FM Recycling Program Paper Programs FM Recycling Program U Guest House U Guest House Mixed Recyclables (alum cans, plastic cups, bottles, newspaper) Momentum Allied Chartwell's Union pre‐consumer organic waste Pioneer Garden Composting Bookstore Public books One‐planet books EH&S Marriott Library B: For FM's Recycling Program, there are mainly four types of recycling bins: mixed paper, office pack, plastic bottles, and aluminum/tin cans. Trash bins are normally gray or black and have various shapes. Plastic Bottle Recycling Aluminum Can Recycling Size: 17.3"x16.7"x37.4" Made of cardboard and donated by vendors. Marked #1 Plastic (PETE) and #2 Plastic (HDPE) on the top to distinguish from unrecyclable plastic bottles. Round shaped holes to help with collecting only bottles. Size: 24.6"(in diameter)x 38.8" Made of metal and has locked lid; round and small bin hole to help people realize this is for cans only. Donated to the university by vendors. Size: 20.3"x10.8"x18.7" Marked #1 Plastic (PETE) and #2 Plastic (HDPE) on the top to distinguish from unrecyclable plastic bottles. Round shaped holes to help prevent contamination. Size: 20.3"x10.8"x18.7" Made of plastic with photos on it to make it clearer. Round shaped holes to help prevent contamination. Two kinds of signage systems are used on campus: one is excessive written description, and the other is photos with little description. Plastic bottle recycling bins usually have #1 Plastic (PETE) and #2 Plastic Mixed Paper Recycling Office Pack Recycling Size: 23.6"x 21.7"x42.3" Usually close to the offices; mobile and blue; with written description on it to tell people what can be recycled Size: 23.6"x21.7"x42.3" Usually close to the offices; mobile and blue; with written description on it to tell people what can be recycled Size: 20.3"x10.8"x18.7" Made of plastic with photos on it to make it clearer. Long and narrow hole to avoid people from throwing non paper recyclables. Size: 11.4"x7.9"x11.8" Always placed in the offices instead of public areas; written description on it to tell people what can be recycled Size: 20.1"x10.8"x31.9" With written description on it to tell people what can be recycled (HDPE) marked on them, but they are not obvious enough. Only recycling stations have photos on the bins. Bins donated by vendors provide less information. Figure 6. The Signage on the Recycling Bins Mixed Paper Description of Signage Office Pack Description of Signage With photos on four sides and a small one near the bin hole. Not too much written description. Always on the lids of the large blue bins and with excessive description on it; black text on white background; no photos applied. Always on the lids of the large blue bins and with excessive description; normally white words on red background; no photos applied. Always on the side of the small office pack bins with excessive description on it; black text on white background; no photos applied. Plastic Bottles Description of Signage Aluminum Cans Description of Signage Sometimes it has a white sticker on the lid to indicate #1 Plastic (PETE) and #2 Plastic (HDPE). The indication is not obvious. No photos. Photos on four sides and a small one near the bin hole; not much written description. Photos on four sides and a small one near the bin hole. Not much written description. Marked #1 Plastic (PETE) and #2 Plastic (HDPE) on the signage but not obvious. Has only a sticker on the lid to indicate aluminum cans. Doesn't have a clear indication about the type of the bin. No photos. Current Recycling Contamination Rates After assessing recycling contamination in three different buildings-Orson Spencer Hall, Annex General Office and Milton Bennion Hall, the contamination rate is as follows: Mixed Paper Office Pack Plastic Bottles Aluminum Cans Average Contamination Rate Orson Spencer Hall 1.5% 1% 4.5% 9% 4% Annex General Office 43% 33% 9% 18% 25.75% Milton Bennion Hall 27% 4% 4% 5% 10% Average Contamination Rate 23.8% 12.7% 5.8% 10.7% 13.25% Figure 8. Most Commonly Seen Contaminated Items in Recycling Bins Recycling Bins Items Mixed Paper Tissue paper, white paper Office Pack Tissue paper, newspapers, shredded paper Plastic Bottles Candy wrappings, aluminum cans, plastic food containers, plastic bottles with liquid, plastic lids, plastic bags, paper Aluminum Cans Plastic bottles, plastics, aluminum cans with liquid Figure 8 indicates the most commonly seen contaminated items in different recycling bins. Tissue paper can be found in both mixed paper and office pack recycling bins. White paper should go to office pack recycling bins but were always found in mixed paper ones; similarly, newspapers were found in office pack recycling bins instead of mixed paper ones. Some unrecyclable plastics like candy wrappings and food containers were often thrown to the recycling bins, too. Bottles or cans with liquid were still common. Figure 9. Contamination Rates in Different Types of Recycling Bins Recycling Stations Blue Paper Recycling Bins (Both Mixed Paper and Office Pack) Plastic Bottles (Cardboard) Average Contamination Rate 7.8% 18% 7.25% Figure 9 shows the contamination rates in different types of recycling bins. Plastic bottle recycling bins have the lowest contamination rate (7.25%), and then recycling stations (7.8%). Blue paper recycling bins have a contamination rate 2.5 times higher than the other two.