Beyond Disposal and Recycling Institutional Perspective

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Beyond Disposal and Recycling Institutional
Perspective

• Erica Spiegel
• University of Vermont
• Physical Plant Department
• April 2007

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Rethinking Waste
RECYCLING COMPOSTING
WE PURCHASE STUFF
WE USE STUFF
WE DISCARD STUFF
REUSE
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Need Better Decisions Upstream
Waste generation is caused by all the decisions
-both large and small -- that are made by the
thousands of individuals at all levels of the
institution everyday.
PURCHASE
USE
DISCARD
In order to reduce the amount of waste, better
decisions must be made upstream.
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Institutional Barriers Challenges to Reducing
Waste
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What We Purchase

• Obstacles in Institutional Culture
• Culture of new improved
• Decentralized purchasing
• It is real easy to buy stuff
• Increasing emphasis on food beverage
  consumption in all places of our lives
  (classrooms, meeting rooms, cars!)

KEY QUESTIONS
Do we really need it? Lease vs. buy? Whats it
made out of? Is it durable? Reusable?
Refillable? How far did it travel to get
here? How is it packaged? What quantity do we
need? Whats the true cost? How will we
dispose of it?
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How We Use Stuff
KEY QUESTIONS

• Institutional Obstacles
• Culture of replace, rather than repair.
• Preventive maintenance often lacking
• We are not good with sharing stuff
• Institution is large one person cannot be the
  garbage police

How much do we need to use? Are we maintaining it
to extend useful life of product/equipment? Can
we Refill it? Refurbish it? Are we using it up
completely? Are we sharing stuff with other
departments? Can we borrow from another
department? Can we store leftover materials for
later use?
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How We Discard Stuff
KEY QUESTIONS

• Institutional Obstacles
• Waste disposal is free for most departments on
  campus. No financial incentive to reduce waste at
  the departmental level.
• Recycling program provides tools for recycling
  (i.e., bins) but not all people choose to use
  them.

Is it hazardous? Is it banned from landfill
disposal? Can it be recycled? Can it be
composted? Can it be donated? Sold? How do we
collect it? Move it? Where does it go? What does
it cost to dispose?
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Who are the people upstream

• An institution cannot have a successful waste
  prevention program without cooperation by major
  partners within the organization
• Residential Life
• Dining Services
• Business Financial Operations
• Architects Engineering
• Procurement Services
• Conferences Events Planning
• Grounds Custodial Services
• Athletics
• And many others

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Opportunities and Successes in Reducing Waste
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Reducing Packaging and Toxicity of Cleaning
Products

• Custodial services uses cleaners in concentrate
  form? reduced plastic bottle waste and deliveries
  to campus
• Dispensing system measures proper amount of
  concentrate to mix with water? eliminated the
  glug glug method and overuse of chemicals

Eliminated use of plastic gallon jugs. Use
pouches and bag in a box instead ?
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Going Paperless - Changing the Way We Move
Information

• Paycheck disbursement
• Student grades
• Schedule of Courses
• Job Application process
• Reserving meeting rooms
• Catering request forms

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Going Paperless

• Paycheck disbursement
• Eliminated all printed pay stubs and checks.
  Savings 15,000/year in printing costs
• Student grades
• Registrars Office stopped printing and mailing
  student grade reports. This eliminated 11,000
  multi-part forms twice per year.

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Going Paperless

• Reserving meeting rooms
• Facilities Scheduling Office eliminated the use
  of a 6-Part NCR paper form. Savings 11,000 NCR
  forms per year.
• Catering request forms
• Catering Department eliminated use of 3-part
  carbon form. Savings 4,000 forms of
  non-recyclable paper per year.

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Institutional vs. Individual Change

• Important to distinguish between institutional
  policies procedures and individual behaviors
• Institutional Procedure Paperless
• Individual Choice Whether to Print
• Institutional Policy Cup Refill Discount
• Individual Choice Whether to Carry Own

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Beyond Disposal and Recycling Forum on Preventing
Waste Institutional Perspective

• Erica Spiegel
• University of Vermont
• Physical Plant Department
• Erica.Spiegel_at_uvm.edu
• www.uvm.edu/recycle