Tools for a Campus Zero Waste Kit

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Tools for a Campus Zero Waste Kit
College University Recycling Council National
Recycling Coalition 15 July 2008 Webinar

• Rob Gogan
• Recycling and Waste Manager
• Harvard University Operations Services
• 175 North Harvard Street
• Allston, MA 02134
• rob_gogan_at_harvard.edu
• www.uos.harvard.edu/fmo/recycling/

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Diversity of campus activities
research-related, including laboratories,
museums, theaters and clinics
Residential, including dormitories, dining and
athletics
academic or administrative, including
classrooms, libraries and support services.
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What gets measured, gets managed So what are
our measures in tracking progress? and what
tools do we use to collect data about our refuse?
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Scales How much does our trash weigh?

• Truck scale at trash or recycling tip site
• Built-in axle scale on collection vehicle
• Food scales for waste audits
• Spring scales for bag weights
• Volume-to-weight conversion ratios for bag
  counts, container assessments (e.g. cubic yards)

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Sorting and weighing what could have been recycled

• Recyclables in Harvards trash (2007
  undergraduate waste audit)
• 21 recyclable paper cardboard
• 12 dry weight bottles cans (24 undrained)
• 30 compostables (coffee grounds, food)
• 4 reusables (clothing, books)
• 21 Real trash residues (foams, films, personal
  hygiene materials)
• 1 item by volume paper towels

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Spectacles 1 What do you see in our trash?

• Take a look and have others look too
• Dumpster Dives
• Procurement patterns
• Delivery trucks
• Custodians, food services workers, landscape
  services workers
• Trash collection drivers

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Spectacles 2 Public events drawing attention to
recycling waste reduction

• Refresh the message with new language, current
  lingo
• Give members of the campus community the
  opportunity to re-dedicate themselves towards
  efficiency, recycling and thrift
• Keep it simple, make it fun
• Media-worthy, photogenic, dates, names and numbers

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Mount Trashmore on America Recycles Day one
days trash from Harvard Yard
One years worth of John Harvards trash
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HARVARD RULES IVIES in 2008 RecycleMania!

• Gorilla Prize
• For Tons Recycled
• HARVARD
• UPenn
• Yale
• Princeton
• Dartmouth
• Brown
• Columbia
• Cornell

• Per Capita
• Recycling
• Princeton
• HARVARD
• Yale
• Dartmouth
• Brown
• UPenn
• Columbia
• Cornell

• Waste
• Minimization
• UPenn
• HARVARD
• Brown
• Princeton
• Yale
• Dartmouth
• Columbia
• Cornell

For more information, see RecycleMania website
www.recyclemaniacs.org/results.aspx
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Links What partnerships can we make?

• Contractors incentivizing waste reduction by
  paying for trash by the ton
• Environmental interest groups
• Green Teams
• Vendors
• Non-profit groups

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Environmental Action Committee
Weekly Surplus Distribution in Allston
Harvard Habitat for Humanitys Stuff Sale
Dorm furniture to Nicaragua via IRN
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Eco-Rep Programs link students, residence life,
waste management, operations, and dining personnel
Pictured above Harvards 2006-7 REPs. Read
about Harvards Resource Efficiency Program (REP)
http//www.greencampus.harvard.edu/rep/index.php
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Targets Conveying waste reduction goals to a
broad audience

• 50 recycling rate by 05
• 25 Recycled paper procurement by 2000
• Zero waste 2020 vision
• Watch your Waist/Waste discard less than you
  weigh this year
• Under 100 kg/trash per capita by 2010
• Beat Yale in RecycleMania!

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When we reached 50 in 07 Halfway to Zero
Waste party with picture cake (zero waste
utensils, reusable mug gifts)
50 by 05 Waxing half-moon logo for Multi-bag
high-rise door hanger recycling bags. Implied
ultimate target full moon/full recycling/ zero
waste
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HARVARD RECYCLES 50
--Half way to Zero Waste
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Use ALL the tools to get to Zero Waste

• Scales
• Spectacles
• Links
• Targets