Recycling & Solid Waste

Management
APPA Facilities Management Institute
January 2006

Presented by
Erica Spiegel
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT
 Course Outline
• Integrated Approach to Waste Disposal
• Role of Facilities Management
• Economics of Garbage
• Collection & Operations
• Organizational Issues
• Related Programs & Opportunities
• Conclusions / Wrap Up
Integrated Approach to Disposal
 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
 Recycling:
it’s a process, not a destination
Collection
(Consolidating and grading a
usable scrap commodity)

Purchasing
(reintroducing new Processing –
product into the Remanufacturing
marketplace) (turning scrap into a new
product)
 Why the Recycling Function
belongs in facilities management?

• Better performance, more service-oriented

• Logical to pair recycling with trash program
• Reduced trash disposal costs
 Challenges to a Successful
Recycling Program
• Transient population • Fluctuating markets
• Multiple departments • Lack of nearby
to coordinate infrastructure
• Apathy or disinterest • Declining competition in
• Negative national private hauling sector
media about recycling • Funding
• Space & storage • Selection of proper
constraints equipment
• Building design
Other Challenges?
What other
challenges is
your recycling
program facing?

What would you

like to learn
about today?
 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)
 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.
Collection & Operations
“Where the rubber hits the road”
 Collection Issues
Inside Buildings

• Frequency
• Scheduling
• Equipment
• Ergonomics
• Staffing
Collection Issues
Outside Buildings
• Storage
• Equipment
• Frequency
• Routing
• Vehicles
• Who Collects It
Collection Equipment Options

At-Desk Box or
Individual Bins
Central
Receptacles

Many different
shapes, styles,
colors and
price ranges
are available
Recycle & Trash
“Parity”
Containers with
Restricted
Openings
Built-In Containers –
proper sizing and location are key
University of Oregon

Humboldt University
Roll Carts & Tilt Trucks
Rear Load Containers

Front Load Containers

Roll-Off Containers
Compactors
(Self-Contained or
Stationary)
Roll-Off Truck

University of Colorado
 Hauling Vehicles
• Rear load
• Front load
• Side-load
• Roll-off/Lift Hook

• Pickup/Dump Truck
• Cube Van/Box Truck
 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.
 Intermediate Processing Facility

Some schools have their

own facility to consolidate
materials for longer
distance shipping.
Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
Materials are dumped onto a tipping floor.
Material Baled & Ready to be
Shipped to Market
Homework Assignment:
Map your current campus
recycling program from
“Finish to start”
 Organizational Issues
• Program Structure and Management
• Administration Support
• Personnel
• Funding & Budgeting
• Contracting Issues
• Measurements & Benchmarking
• Outreach & Education
 Program Structure & Management
• Student operated program
• Staff Operated:
- Facilities Management or Physical Plant
- Auxiliary Services (e.g., Purchasing)
• Complete privatization
P h y s ic a l P la n t D ir e c t o r
F a c ilit e s D e p t

S o lid W a s t e M a n a g e r
w h a t d e p a rtm e n t?

L a b o re rs , T ru c k O p e ra to rs R e c y c lin g C o o r d in a t o r
 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
 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.
 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
 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
 Benchmarking & Measuring
• 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)

Recycling Rate = Tons of materials recycled

Tons of materials recycled + trash
 Keeping Track of Data
FY 2003-2004 Monthly Tonnage Report

data entered as of: 7/19/04 by Erica FY Month = 12

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June YTD Total Avg T/Mnth

Paper/Bottles/Cans 29.74 30.40 35.09 38.08 25.00 14.42 34.86 30.30 31.77 33.55 28.66 24.95 356.82 29.74
Paper 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Bottles/Cans 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Corrugated Cardboard 10.50 12.10 21.66 21.23 14.06 16.05 9.86 13.49 13.97 15.94 8.98 9.66 167.50 13.96
Books 0.00 0.00 0.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.55 0.05
Food Waste 4.00 4.00 17.50 17.50 17.50 13.13 5.80 17.50 17.50 17.50 8.75 2.00 142.68 11.89
Other Compostable 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Kitchen Grease 0.00 0.40 0.60 1.80 2.20 0.40 0.80 1.60 0.60 1.80 1.00 0.00 11.20 0.93
Wood (Pallets) 7.50 3.75 7.50 0.00 3.75 0.00 3.75 3.75 3.75 0.00 7.50 0.00 41.25 3.44
Scrap Metal 11.40 0.00 11.40 7.60 11.40 3.80 11.21 7.60 11.49 11.40 7.60 11.40 106.30 8.86
Tires 0.00 0.40 0.00 0.81 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.36 0.36 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.93 0.16
Appliances (CFC) 0.50 1.50 1.10 1.10 0.40 1.30 0.25 0.55 0.40 1.35 2.20 1.60 12.25 1.02
Concrete/Asphalt 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 24.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 24.00 2.00
Computers "E Waste" 3.03 0.00 3.02 2.28 2.13 0.00 3.10 0.00 3.21 0.00 3.34 0.00 20.11 1.68
Surplus/Reuse 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Other 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.70 0.06
Total Recovered ( R ) 66.67 52.55 98.42 90.40 100.44 49.10 69.63 75.15 83.75 81.54 68.03 49.61 885.28 73.77

Routine Trash July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June YTD Total Avg T/Mnth
Trash (Building Route)
Trash (Billings Student Ctr) 57.75 59.89 105.63 102.42 93.56 89.61 68.56 87.47 84.52 90.56 136.32 62.02 1038.31 86.53
Trash (Living Learning) 2.66 6.47 6.53 11.30 5.93 6.12 9.35 6.60 5.98 10.90 6.45 0.00 78.29 6.52
Trash (Harris Millis) 1.01 4.16 13.31 17.66 14.35 11.50 7.00 13.74 11.40 16.88 17.63 3.25 131.89 10.99
Trash (HSRF Bldg) 1.26 4.11 8.28 10.93 5.45 5.04 6.54 4.61 10.09 5.82 8.61 0.00 70.74 5.90
Trash (Given Bldg) 4.64 4.77 3.90 4.31 4.12 3.50 3.73 3.20 4.90 0.00 5.00 3.78 45.85 3.82
Bulky Trash 8.43 14.24 11.30 13.45 8.46 11.97 5.56 11.76 12.62 12.76 12.77 10.17 133.49 11.12
Special (C&D Trash)
Trash (Bulky, Rolloffs) 0.00 1.42 1.60 2.29 0.00 2.93 3.89 0.00 6.26 7.50 5.44 0.00 31.33 2.61
Other (e.g. cleanouts) 20.91 14.47 19.20 22.84 17.20 13.36 8.39 25.34 20.13 8.77 23.31 27.27 221.19 18.43
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 17.38 0.00 17.38 1.45
Subtotal Routine Trash
Subtotal Bulky Trash 75.75 93.64 148.95 160.07 131.87 127.74 100.74 127.38 129.51 136.92 186.78 79.22 1498.57 124.88
Total Trash ( T ) 20.91 15.89 20.80 25.13 17.20 16.29 12.28 25.34 26.39 16.27 46.13 27.27 269.90 22.49
96.66 109.53 169.75 185.20 149.07 144.03 113.02 152.72 155.90 153.19 232.91 106.49 1768.47 147.37
Total Recovered ( R )
Total Solid Waste ( T+R ) 66.67 52.55 98.42 90.40 100.44 49.10 69.63 75.15 83.75 81.54 68.03 49.61 885.28 73.77

Recycling Rate R/(T+R) 163.33 162.08 268.17 275.60 249.51 193.13 182.65 227.87 239.65 234.73 300.94 156.10 2653.75 221.15

40.82% 32.42% 36.70% 32.80% 40.25% 25.42% 38.12% 32.98% 34.95% 34.74% 22.61% 31.78% 33.63%
 Outreach & Education
• Consider different audiences
• Strategies and Ideas
– Good signage
– Web page, Brochure
– Bulletin Boards
– Flyers, Posters, Door tags,
– Etc. etc.
Pass around samples
 Other Program Opportunities

• Waste Reduction and Reuse

• Composting
• Buying Recycled Products
• Special Materials
• Student Move-Out/Move-In campaigns
• Building Design Issues
Waste Reduction & Reuse

Waste
Reduction can
be simple!
 Supply Reuse Programs
• Office Supply
Collection And
Reuse (OSCAR)

• Reusable Office
Supply Exchange
(ROSE)
 Composting
• Yard & Grounds
Waste
• Grasscycling
• Windrow
Composting
 Composting…wait, there’s more
• Food Waste
(pre-/post-consumer)
• Animal Bedding
(from labs or farms)
• Vermi-composting
(worms)
• In-Vessel Composting
• Windrow Composting
 Composting…still, there’s more
• Capturing more
food waste from
residence halls.
• Composting at
special events.
• New “bioplastics”
to test out.
 Buying
Recycled Content Products
• Office paper
• Tissue products
• Office supplies
• Construction materials
• Plastic “lumber”
Special “Hard to Handle” Wastes

• Appliances
“white goods”
• Phone Books
• Fluorescent Bulbs
• “E-waste”
• Carpeting
• Mattresses
• Confidential Paper
• Scrap Metal
• Wood Pallets
•Tires
•Concrete/Asphalt
•Surplus Furniture
• Construction Debris
•Power Plant Ash
Student Move-In
Great opportunity to
capture clean
corrugated
cardboard
Student Move-Out
• Charitable
donations:
Food, Clothing,
Household Items
• Furniture
• Loft Wood
• Concrete Blocks
• Carpets/Rugs
 Design for Material Handling
• We must have better designs to
accommodate safe and efficient
materials handling

• Build good relationships with your

architecture & engineering group on
campus
Side load compactor: Dock fed compactor:
height is too high for average more ergonomically friendly
custodian to safely lift bags
Design Standards and Guidelines

By far, the best example is from UNC Chapel Hill

http://www.fac.unc.edu/OWRRGuidelines
 Conclusions

• Recycling Basics
• Collection & Operations
• Organization
• Other Programs &
Opportunities for Waste
Reduction
 Resource List
in your packet…
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College and University Recycling Coordinators
Listserve
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