Other Schools Waste Management Techniques

Recycling across BIG10

• http://graham.umich.edu/media/files/environ391-big10report.pdf
  • “Besides having regular recycling programs, we found that there were a few that stood out among the Big Ten schools, such as a program to reuse construction materials at Penn State University and projects to reuse furniture at the University of Iowa. Michigan State University and Indiana University have programs to give students reusable water bottles, thus reducing overall plastic waste. While recycling efforts were well established in most schools, there is still much room for improvement”
  • Penn State – 65% Recycle Rate
  • Northwestern – 30% Recycle Rate
  • Minnesota – 40% Recycle Rate
  • School up North – 30% Recycle Rate
• http://www.dailynebraskan.com/news/big-ten-conference-leads-in-sustainability-zero-waste-efforts/article_012d665a-2fca-11e3-b967-001a4bcf6878.html
  • shows efforts different schools are taking

University of Maryland

http://www.sustainability.umd.edu/content/campus/recycling.php#SingleStream

• Single Stream Recycling
• Composting
• Battery Recycling
• Construction Site Recycling
• Dining Services and The Stamp Student Union composts pre- and post-consumer food, diverting 550 tons of waste per year.
• Facilities Management uses the Can the Can program to encourage waste diversion in academic and administrative offices.
• Facilities Management runs the “Please Don’t Litter” campaign on campus.
• Employee hiring is done using the paperless eTerp system.
• Paper towel and toilet paper dispensers across campus have been updated to accommodate recycled paper.
• Dining Services uses bagasse instead of polystyrene take-out containers.
• University of Maryland participates in Recyclemania, a 10-week competition to recycle paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, and food.
• Terrapin Trader handles the University’s surplus electronics to be re-sold or recycled.

Rutgers University

http://www.wm.com/documents/pdfs-for-services-section/Case-studies-municipal/001807_Rutgers_CaseStudy_LR%20(2).pdf

• Achieved a 67% recycling material diversion rate, toward a goal of 85% by 2015.
• Installed nine of our Solar-Powered Trash Compactor sets, to reduce collection costs and GHG emissions.
• Implemented single-stream recycling. All recyclables can be mixed together – no sorting needed.
• Won the RecycleMania Gorilla Prize (2006-2011) for having the highest tonnage of recyclables.
• Won the EPA’S “WasteWise Partner of the Year” (2007). Rutgers diverted 15,800 tons of material, saving $840,000 in landfill costs.

Ohio University

https://www.ohio.edu/recycle/

• Campus areas have 4,000 recycling units in residence halls consisting of 16,000 bins; 350 bins in apartments; and recycling containers in all offices and other areas in academic, administrative and support areas.
• Items Recycled through Mixed Stream Recycling
  • This process allows a variety of different recyclables to be disposed of in a single container.

OU General Guide:

https://www.ohio.edu/recycle/what-to-do-with.cfm

OU Composite Guide:

https://www.ohio.edu/recycle/composting-guide.cfm

Penn State University

http://sustainability.psu.edu/recycling-and-composting

• WASTE we produced in 2014 14,163 tons of solid waste
• WASTE we diverted from landfill in 2014 7,991 tons (1,516 elephants)  —  56% of our waste stream 100different types of waste
• WASTE diverted by adding campus-wide composting 4,315 tons of our organic waste  —  30% of our waste stream

Penn State Water Bottle Recycle Program

http://sustainability.psu.edu/waterbottles

• Annually, Penn Staters recycle over 200 tons of plastic bottles (approximately 7.6 million water bottles).
• In the United States, only about 24 percent of disposable plastic bottles are recycled.

Penn State “Mobius” Program

Cornell University

https://r5.fs.cornell.edu/about/howTo.cfm

• What can I compost in my Dining Hall?
• Each year, Cornell Dining composts about 850 tons of food scraps and organic waste

http://living.sas.cornell.edu/dine/whoweare/sustainability/compostrecycle.cfm

Top 11 College Recycling Programs

http://www.thebestcolleges.org/11-college-recycling-programs-that-put-all-others-to-shame/

1. Pepperdine University
2. American University
3. Valencia College
4. College of the Atlantic
5.  University of California, Davis
6. Kalamazoo College
7. Chatham University
8. Harvard University
9. Purdue University
10. Brown University
11. Georgia Institute of Technology