Plastics Recycling Group

1
Plastics Recycling Group

• Jason Altobelli, Mimi Arnold and Scott McBeath

2
Plastics Recycling

• Numbers 1(PET),2(HDPE) and 4(LDPE) plastics are
  most commonly recycled.
• Number 6 plastic (polystyrene, a.k.a. Styrofoam)
  is recyclable, but not in Houston.

• 90 of plastic containers are made out of number
  1 and number 2 plastics
• Generally, only PET and HDPE are recoverable in
  sufficient quantities to be economically recycled

3

• Plastics are manufactured from petroleum products
  a finite resource
• 2.7 of world oil production is made into
  plastics and petrochemical products

• Recycling can save oil/gas use, both as an energy
  source and hydrocarbon source for plastic
  production
• Less petroleum burning less CO2
• Recycling also diverts material from landfills

4
Plastics at Rice

• Currently Rice recycles plastics numbers 1 and 2.
  
• Plastics recycling bins are provided in centrally
  located buildings on campus
• e.g. Student Center, Colleges
• However, there arent any outdoor recycling bins!
• Servery cups are number 6,
• and their use is widespread.

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Goals

• Determine possible improvements to plastics
  recycling at Rice
• Add outside recycling bins
• Find best locations
• Suggest ideal locations for test bins to Rice
  Administration
• Reduce servery cup waste
• Source reduction methods
• Alternative cups

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Plan of Action

• Determine best locations for outdoor recycling
  bins via biweekly visual inspections of plastic
  bottle and plastic cups waste in existing
  trashcans
• Demonstrate magnitude of plastic cup waste
• Find greener alternatives to plastic servery cups
• Explore source reduction strategies
• Student survey on disposables and possibility of
  travel mugs

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Expected Results

• More bottles in trashcans farther from recycling
  bins
• Equal bottle generation from each section of
  campus (engineering side, academic quad and RMC
  area)
• More cups in trashcans closer to cup sources
• Student apathy towards disposables
• Competitive pricing on green disposables

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Methods

• Data gathering
• Visual inspection of 13 trashcans biweekly to log
  bottle and cup waste
• Sorted a full bin to design an accurate
  extrapolation formula

• Student survey
• If one were provided by the university, would you
  use a travel mug instead of disposables?
• How much would you care if disposables were
  removed from the servery on a scale of 1-10?

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• Interviews
• Angela Riggs (Director of Residential Dining)
• Discussed alternatives to plastic cups
• Biodegradable cups are currently too expensive to
  replace current plastic cups
• Angela Riggs plans on attempting negotiations
  with companies who sell alternatives
• Arranged for plastic dining ware to be moved to
  central location to decrease ease of access.
• Ron Smith (FE Grounds Coordinator)
• Determined schedule for emptying of trash cans
• Bins are emptied every Monday
• During the week, bins are emptied as needed to
  maximize efficiency.

10

• Web Search
• Search for companies selling green disposables
• At least 5 companies found, comparable products
• Several varieties, including paper, corn-based
  plastics (polylactic acid), sugar cane fiber
• Comparable functional properties to non-green
  disposables

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Results Bottles Thrown Out
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Cups Thrown Out
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Chart of Average Weekly Contents

• Beginning of Virgins Walk
• End of Virgins Walk
• Herzstein and Lovett Hall
• Rayzor North Entrance
• Fondren
• Engineering Quad, near mechlabs
• Rear of Herman Brown
• At loop side of Mudd Labs
• Near Dell Butcher 180
• Jones Institute
• RMC courtyard right side
• RMC courtyard left side
• RMC front

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Survey Results
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Discussion

• Highest number of bottles at RMC not 30 feet
  from indoor recycling!
• Bottle generation is heavily concentrated around
  the RMC and the academic quad
• More cups closer to cup sources
• Majority of interviewed students desire greener
  disposables
• List price of green disposables is roughly 4
  times more than Rices price of current
  disposables!

16

• Disposable cup source reduction
• Moved plastic disposables away from exits to make
  disposables less visible and ceramics/reusables
  more convenient
• Discussed ceramics pickup plan ceramics could
  be picked up by HD once a week outside dorm
  rooms
• Saves money replacing ceramics more money for
  green disposables
• Legitimizes taking ceramics to room instead of
  disposables
• Hopefully implemented next year, Wednesday pickup

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Key Points

• Economics are the primary factor in HD decision
  making
• Interviewed students desire change
• Outdoor bins would improve plastics recycling at
  Rice
• Importance of source reduction (for cups)
• HD recognizes the undesirability of current
  disposable type and level of use

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Recommendations

• Trial outdoor recycling bins at RMC and end of
  Virgins Walk
• Focus on sustainable disposable policy
• Encourage less use of disposables
• Buy greener disposables
• Create feasible ceramics pick-up policy
• Indoctrinate freshman to use travel mugs!

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Flyer Concepts
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Resources

• Rice Recycles Website. "Composition of Waste
  Stream Q1-Q3." http//cohesion.rice.edu/facilities
  /fep/ricerecycles/index.cfm?doc_id7896
• "Rice University Makes Strong Showing in
  Nationwide Recycling Contest." May 5, 2006.
  http//cohesion.rice.edu/Facilities/FEP/RiceRecycl
  es/emplibrary/RecycleMania2006Results.pdf
• "Kalamazoo College Recycling Archives General
  and Paper Recycling Data." http//www.kzoo.edu/rec
  ycle/archives.htm
• http//www.forms-surfaces.com/products/litter/urba
  nren.htm 
• "The Disposable Problem Reducing Waste in
  Serveries."
• http//www.recycle.dpw.dc.gov/recycle/cwp/view,a,1
  375,q,634588,recycleNav,7C337487C.asp
• www.wasterec.co.uk/plastics.html
• http//www.danielbowen.com/2006/01/02/plastic-recy
  cling/
• www.trentu.ca/admin/eab/pollution.shtml
• http//www.environgentle.com/store.php?actionshow
  _categcategnew
• http//www.mauirecycles.com/Maui20Plastic.htm
     

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Extrapolation Formulas

• Basic extrapolation formulas
• ROUND((Visible Bottles/Cups)((Visible
  Bottles/Cups)((Bin Fullness-0.25)/0.25)),)
• Full extrapolation formulas
• For same fullness during one week -
  IF(bin1bin2,(IF(bottles1bottles2,extrapolation2,
  (ROUND((bottles1bottles2)(bottles1)(((IF(bin2gt0
  .25,bin2,0.25))-0.25)/0.25),)))),1)
• If bin is emptied between checks -
  IF(bin2ltbin1,extrap1extrap2,1)
• If bin is more full on second check -
  IF(bin2gtbin1,extrap2,1)