California State University, Northridge
IN-24: Innovation A

In preparation for the implementation of a campus-wide zero waste plan, Facilities Planning staff identified the need for a complete inventory of the campus' outdoor waste infrastructure. The Facilities GIS Specialist collaborated with the Department of Environmental and Geographic Studies to form the project into an internship, and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety was consulted to identify additional attributes that should be measured during the survey. They recommended the assessment of whether or not rainwater could enter the bin, due to increasingly strict mandates on stormwater pollution prevention. Three students applied for and received the internship and met with Facilities Planning staff, who trained them on identifying, measuring, and recording the attribute data for each receptacle. The GIS Specialist in Facilities Planning created a database into which the students could log geospatial data and other customized attributes using the ArcGIS Collector app on their smartphones. This eliminated the need for GPS devices and enabled the rapid electronic collection and automatic upload of multiple points and their attributes by the students. Each student spent six hours per week for ten weeks recording the location, diameter, coverage, lid type and receptacle type of all the outdoor bins on campus. The Facilities GIS Specialist then compiled all their data into a single map. The resulting database contains detailed information on 738 outdoor receptacles, and will be used to create a distribution map for new clusters of landfill, recycling and compost bins, as well as streamline custodial bin servicing routes. It also revealed that 60% of CSUN’s outdoor bins need new lids to prevent stormwater from entering the bins. In addition to preventing the entry of water into the bin, these new lids will be color-coded to match the campus standards for landfill, recycling and compost. This will allow CSUN to upgrade and reuse existing bin infrastructure, expand waste collection programs to include more materials and also optimize bin locations. New lids have been selected, and a number have already been purchased as part of a pilot program to offer landfill, recyclables, and compostables collection at a campus dining facility. Vinyl bin wraps were also added to help create a unified, visually appealing aesthetic for CSUN’s outdoor waste infrastructure. Through this project, students gained project experience meeting deadlines and creating deliverables for a customer (Facilities Planning), and also made a lasting contribution to campus sustainability efforts.