Wurster Hall Waste Management and Waste Audit Team CHESC 2013

striving for zero waste Wurster Hall Waste Audit and Zero Waste Pilot Project University of California, Berkeley

Eliahu Perszyk Facilities Manager Hanna Miller Waste Audit Coordinator Waste Audit Team Chika Kondo, Leela McDowell, John Ezaki, Brenly Stapley

Campus Recycling and Refuse Services

Wurster Hall = 225,000 square feet College of Environmental Design University of California, Berkeley

Departments of: Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, City and Regional Planning, CED Library, Fabrication Shop, Ceramics Studio, Ramona’s CafÊ, Research Units, faculty and staff offices, instructional space 7 Design Studios, mostly Architecture, with 24/7 occupancy Average daily occupancy of over 1,000 people, mostly students

University of California, Berkeley

Design Studio at the end of the Semester Mixed materials: Plastics, cardboard, foamcore, paper, models

Total Estimated Weight of Materials Cleaned Out: 7,000lbs

University of California, Berkeley

Same Design Studio after clean up 9 Student working 4 full days to clean 6 Design Studios Waste Separation = Lots of Work Hours

Wurster Hall Sub-MeteringThe Green Initiative Fund University of California, Berkeley

Getting to Zero Waste: Waste Audit Team University of California, Berkeley

The Waste Audit Team is funded by a grant from The Green Initiative Fund. It consists of 5 UC Berkeley students dedicated to decreasing the amount of waste produced by the UC Berkeley Campus.

The Waste Audit Process University of California, Berkeley

• We collect the landfill waste from buildings and bring it back to the office to sort. • We sort into six categories: Cardboard; Mixed Paper; Metal and Glass; Landfill; All Plastics; and Compost

University of California, Berkeley

Wurster Hall: Waste Management and Compost University of California, Berkeley

• • • • • •

Waste Issues Food Service waste from Café Materials used for making Design Models High 24/7 Occupancy Reduced level of Custodial Service since 2009 No Weekend Custodial Service

Old Waste System University of California, Berkeley

   

Old Waste Habits are hard to break Easy to put everything in one place Huge Opening Had been throughout building, removed over 30 Some conflict when they were replaced

CED Waste Management Initiatives University of California, Berkeley

• Bottle & Can recycling in Lobbies • Building compost started in 2010 • Day Custodian hired; takes out compost waste: night custodians currently do not service compost • Studio Re-Stations built for Design Studios • Waste Separation in Studio Clean Out • Collaborated with Campus Recycling and Refuse Servicesto develop standard campus waste signage

Studio Materials Re-Use Stations University of California, Berkeley

Student Group Initiatives University of California, Berkeley

• Groups such as Compost Alliance have helped remove trash cans and communicate about compost • Student initiated custodial poster project being continued

Campus Initiatives and Waste Diversion Status University of California, Berkeley

• Campus Recycling and Refuse Services implemented standardized campus signage • Housing and Dining uses compostable containers, provides compost service • Excellent construction waste diversion • 2012 Waste Diversion Goal = 75% • 2012 Waste Diversion Actual = 46%

The Green Initiative Fund Grant Wurster Hall Zero Waste Pilot Project University of California, Berkeley

• College of Environmental Design students advocated for new building waste containers • Grant proposal submitted to TGIF for new public area waste containers • TGIF awards grant based upon whole building Zero Waste pilot waste containers • Forms and Surfaces for 5 public lobbies (Medium Volume -24 gallon) • Max-R for 1st Floor Lobby and 7 Design Studios (High Volume - 48 Gallon)

Public Lobby Waste Containers New System (12/2012) University of California, Berkeley

Old System

Design Studio Waste Containers Old System University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

New System (5/2013)

New System Objectives: Waste Separation & Increased Efficiency University of California, Berkeley

• Consistent Container type, Signage, Color • Reduced opening makes people separate waste • Centralized set of containers instead multiple containers going down corridor • Increased waste collection efficiency and ease of collection for custodians • Improved container aesthetic

Audit Specifics • University of California, Berkeley

Audit was of 3 days of waste • Sorted only from landfill • 6 major categories • Waste sorted from two 2yd3 dumpsters and varying numbers and sizes of toters.

How Big is 2yd3?

University of California, Berkeley

You can fit over 80 standard office waste bins in one 2yd3 dumpster

Pre-Implementation Audit: Breaking Down the Numbers Total Weight (in pounds) Category 10/25/2012 10/26/2012 11/6/2012

Totals

Percentages

University of California, Berkeley

Cardboard

1

11

14

26

2%

Metal and Glass

19

18

27

64

4%

Mixed Paper

47

8

78

133

9%

Landfill

55

25

70

150

10%

All Plastics

116

83

142

341

23%

Compost

310

179

300

789

52%

Totals

548

324

631

1503

100%

Wurster Hall Pre-Implementation Audit

University of California, Berkeley

Landfill 10% All Plastics 23%

Mixed Paper 9%

Metal and Glass 4%

Compost 52%

Cardboard 2%

Loose Waste Dumpsters University of California, Berkeley

• • • •

Wood Waste Cardboard boxes Plastic bags Food wrappers/ containers • Food waste

Common Items in Wurster Waste University of California, Berkeley

To-go Utensils

Plastic clamshell to-go containers

Food Waste

To-go Coffee Lids

Paper Towels

Mid-Implementation Audit University of California, Berkeley

After the original audit was conducted, new containers were installed throughout the building in phases The mid-implementation audit evaluated changes in waste separation and diversion

Mid-Implementation Audit Results Total Weight (in pounds)

Category 4/23/2013 4/25/2013 5/1/2013 Totals Percentages

University of California, Berkeley

Cardboard

5

5

11

21

2%

Metal and Glass

9

8

17

34

4%

Mixed Paper

54

35

7

96

11%

31.5

34

64

129.5

15%

Landfill

32

22

87

141

16%

Compost

123

89

232

444

51%

Totals

254.5

193

418

865.5

100%

All Plastics

• •

The audit lasted for three days to correspond with the Pre-Implementation audit The percentages of compost and plastics found in the landfill have both decreased

Wurster Hall Mid-Implementation Audit Cardboard 3%

Metal and Glass 4%

University of California, Berkeley

Mixed Paper 11%

Compost 51%

All Plastics 15%

Landfill 16%

Comparing Data Pre-Implementation Audit

Mid-Implementation Audit

University of California, Berkeley

Category

Totals

Percentages

Category

Totals

Percentages

Cardboard

26

2%

Cardboard

21

2%

64

4%

34

4%

133 150 341 789 1503

9% 10% 23% 52% 100%

Metal and Glass Mixed Paper

96

11%

129.5 141 444 865.5

15% 16% 51% 100%

Metal and Glass Mixed Paper Landfill All Plastics Compost Totals

All Plastics Landfill Compost Totals

• Better Plastic Diversion • Less Waste Overall

Areas of Improvement University of California, Berkeley

• Enclose Odor • Compost < 24 Hours = Stinky • Students in the LAEP studio removed the compost container and covered up the opening.

We made lids in the Shop.

Container Aesthetic University of California, Berkeley

• This is the Design School!

• Top of header board does not line up with concrete wall behind it • Dean did not like big plastic box in entry lobby • Solution is to clad waste cabinet with nicer looking material/Flat headerboard

Lessons Learned University of California, Berkeley

• Open Compost Container in Closed Space will Smell • Aesthetic matters in high visibility space • Sorting waste takes time • Compost is a major component of the waste stream • Five is the magic number of people

Next Steps University of California, Berkeley

â&#x20AC;˘ Custodial Services will start composting paper towels in restrooms â&#x20AC;˘ Post-Implementation Waste Audit in October 2013

striving for zero waste

University of California, Berkeley

Please contact Campus Recycling and Refuse Services with further questions Email: hkmiller@berkeley.edu CED Email: eperszyk@berkeley.edu Funding by