Bucknell University
OP-23: Waste Diversion

Switched to Single Stream recycling and compaction dumpsters - made recycling easier and included more items. Residence Hall move-in(cardboard) and move-out (reuse items to charity) recycling programs. Trayless dining Converting wood waste to mulch - used on campus Composting yard waste Cooking Oil collection and refining

Bucknell University food donation program would be the Lewisburg Community Garden. A joint project between Bucknell University and the Borough of Lewisburg. The garden features 40 rental plots for groups, families or individuals interested in gardening. This area represents only half of the eighteen thousand square feet the garden occupies. The other half is a community plot. Bucknell student volunteers and interns use this area to grow organic produce that is donated to the community. During the 2013 gardening season the garden cultivated 56 varieties of fruits and vegetables. The garden harvested and donated over 2,500lbs of produce to local hot meal programs and the food bank. This donation represents a savings of about $5,500 that our partners save on food costs.

Bucknell University Dining prides itself on the service of fresh ’made from scratch’ food. As a result of this we process all vegetables from scratch utilizing the trimmings (onion skins, broccoli stalks, carrot peels etc.) to create all of the stocks we use for soups. Because of full utilization of these and other production castoff products (beef trimmings, chicken bones etc.) and a fiscally responsible production system we produce little to no usable pre-service or post production waste. Three of the primary service areas in our dining facility produce food offerings to order, generating no pre or post-consumer waste. Our primary facility/dining room is open 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. This and our full embrace of batch cooking allow full utilization of food produced. We operate on an extremely small margin of profitability so serving safe, healthy and fiscally responsible food is our driver. Overproducing and disposing of product is simply unacceptable.

The primary waste produced in our facility is post-consumer waste. We utilize a pulper system which grinds all food plate waste (along with napkins) into a biomass perfect for anaerobic digestion. Before we went tray less we estimate more than 600 # day of this waste was produced and sent to a land fill. After going tray less we saw a reduction to less than 200 #’s a day of this waste. After finding a suitable partner for composting we were able to compost 13 tons of waste in about 35 weeks of service. Unfortunately the relationship we had with a local farm that was able to utilize this compost ended. We are presently looking at options to continue composting with another partner. In the fall of 2012 Bucknell hosted author Jonathan Bloom, whose literary focus is the reduction of food waste. After four educational opportunities (Waste Weighs with guests in our facility’s tray waste being weighed) over the last 2 years we noted a reduction of the 1.5 oz a plate waste a meal we had measured. Through a series of student driven classes and informational signage Dining partnered with Bucknell Facilities to raise awareness and reduce food waste.

Antifreeze Solvents Electronic Equipment (computers, TV's etc.) Terracycle - BU Brigade recycles candy wrappers, yogurt containers, etc.