Recycling & Solid Waste Management

1. Recycling & Solid Waste Management APPA Facilities Management Institute January 2006 Presented by Erica Spiegel University of Vermont Burlington, VT

2. Course Outline • Integrated Approach to Waste Disposal • Role of Facilities Management • Economics of Garbage • Collection & Operations • Organizational Issues • Related Programs & Opportunities • Conclusions / Wrap Up

3. Integrated Approach to Disposal

4. Why Recycle? • If done right, it can save your institution money by lowering trash disposal costs • Environmental benefits • Mandated by some states • Students & customers expect it • Basis for comprehensive “greening” and sustainability programs

5. Recycling: it’s a process, not a destination Processing – Remanufacturing (turning scrap into a new product)

6. Why the Recycling Function belongs in facilities management? • Better performance, more service-oriented • Logical to pair recycling with trash program • Reduced trash disposal costs

7. Transient population Multiple departments to coordinate Apathy or disinterest Negative national media about recycling Space & storage constraints Building design Fluctuating markets Lack of nearby infrastructure Declining competition in private hauling sector Funding Selection of proper equipment Challenges to a Successful Recycling Program

8. Other Challenges? What other challenges is your recycling program facing? What would you like to learn about today?

9. Opportunities for Successful Recycling Program • Students can help • Partnerships within campus community • Partnerships inside & outside campus • Professional Networking- NRC’s College & University Recycling Council (CURC)

10. Garbage Economics 101 • Tipping Fees vary be region • “Avoided Disposal Costs” are a primary reason to recycle and reduce waste • Balancing Act: The cost of collecting trash/recycling within a building vs. cost of collecting trash/recycling from the building.

11. “Where the rubber hits the road” Collection & Operations

12. Collection IssuesInside Buildings • Frequency • Scheduling • Equipment • Ergonomics • Staffing

13. Collection IssuesOutside Buildings • Storage • Equipment • Frequency • Routing • Vehicles • Who Collects It

14. Collection Equipment Options At-Desk Box or Individual Bins

15. Central Receptacles Many different shapes, styles, colors and price ranges are available

16. Recycle & Trash “Parity”

17. Containers with Restricted Openings

18. Built-In Containers – proper sizing and location are key

19. University of Oregon Humboldt University

20. Roll Carts & Tilt Trucks

23. Rear Load Containers Front Load Containers

24. Roll-Off Containers

25. Compactors (Self-Contained or Stationary)

26. Roll-Off Truck University of Colorado

27. Hauling Vehicles • Rear load • Front load • Side-load • Roll-off/Lift Hook • Pickup/Dump Truck • Cube Van/Box Truck

28. Destination Where does all this stuff get hauled to?The end market will determine what materials you can collect and the specifications for those materials.

29. Intermediate Processing Facility Some schools have their own facility to consolidate materials for longer distance shipping.

30. Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Materials are dumped onto a tipping floor.

31. Material Baled & Ready to be Shipped to Market

33. Homework Assignment: Map your current campus recycling program from “Finish to start”

34. Organizational Issues • Program Structure and Management • Administration Support • Personnel • Funding & Budgeting • Contracting Issues • Measurements & Benchmarking • Outreach & Education

35. Program Structure & Management • Student operated program • Staff Operated:- Facilities Management or Physical Plant- Auxiliary Services (e.g., Purchasing) • Complete privatization

36. Personnel Involved • Solid Waste Manager • Recycling Coordinator • Laborers (Custodians, Truck Operators, etc.) • Student Employees • Recycling Committee – Involve others in planning and implementation University of Massachusetts Waste Management Dept

37. Administration Support • Nice to have a policy, but…. • Striving for an organizational culture that is aware of waste and its costs to the institution and the environment, and therefore reduces, reuses, recycles and composts as a matter of practice.

38. Funding & Budgeting • General Fund, Residential Life, Auxiliary • Grants or loans • Student Fees • “Fee for Service” work • Avoided disposal costs • “New Facilities” requests (based on sq. ft.) • Revenue from sale of materials • Revise or restructure trash hauling contracts

39. Contracting Issues • Only pay for trash your campus generates • Avoid “flat fee” contracts • Weight slips, verification • Know where loads are going • Insurance issues • Flexibility in service schedules/sizes • Competitive bidding • Lease versus own containers

40. Weight (tons) vs. Volume (cubic yards) Financial Measures(e.g., $ per ton, $ per Sq Ft, $ per FTE) Diversion Measures(e.g., recycling rate, capture rate) Benchmarking & Measuring Recycling Rate = Tons of materials recycled Tons of materials recycled + trash

41. Keeping Track of Data

42. Outreach & Education • Consider different audiences • Strategies and Ideas • Good signage • Web page, Brochure • Bulletin Boards • Flyers, Posters, Door tags, • Etc. etc. Pass around samples

43. Other Program Opportunities • Waste Reduction and Reuse • Composting • Buying Recycled Products • Special Materials • Student Move-Out/Move-In campaigns • Building Design Issues

44. Waste Reduction & Reuse Waste Reduction can be simple!

45. Supply Reuse Programs • Office Supply Collection And Reuse (OSCAR) • Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE)

46. Composting • Yard & Grounds Waste • Grasscycling • Windrow Composting

47. Composting…wait, there’s more • Food Waste (pre-/post-consumer) • Animal Bedding (from labs or farms) • Vermi-composting (worms) • In-Vessel Composting • Windrow Composting

48. Composting…still, there’s more • Capturing more food waste from residence halls. • Composting at special events. • New “bioplastics” to test out.

49. Buying Recycled Content Products • Office paper • Tissue products • Office supplies • Construction materials • Plastic “lumber”

50. Special “Hard to Handle” Wastes • Appliances “white goods” • Phone Books • Fluorescent Bulbs • “E-waste”