University of Connecticut
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

The University of Connecticut recycles mattresses each year, and recycled a total of 309 mattresses in 2017. This is in compliance with the Mattress Stewardship Law passed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in 2013, which requires all mattress manufacturers to offer a recycling program for unwanted mattresses. Mattresses in Connecticut can also be reused or refurbished.

Facility Operations and Building Services, with the help of a Sustainability Intern, has started a new initiative in 2017 to systematically audit all the high traffic areas on campus to find and replace outdated recycle bins with newly labeled and uniform bins. This effort has made a difference in eliminating confusing waste receptacles and ensuring that correct bags (black for trash, clear for recycling) are utilized. The two main methods of recycling quality control that we have found to be effective are using “Saturn Lids” on the recycling bins and coupling recycling and garbage bins together. The Saturn Lids, pictured in a link below, have a slot that signifies paper should be discarded there, but also a circle in the middle of that slot that signified bottles and cans can also be placed in the same bin. Based on surveys of the general student body, we have found that the messaging of “single stream recycling” is often confused with the idea that all recycling and garbage can be placed in the same bin. The Saturn Lids eliminate this problem because the tops are shaped specifically so that only recyclable materials can fit inside. Coupling recycling and garbage bins together also controls recycling quality because students are likely to dispose of their waste, whether it be recyclable or not, in the nearest receptacle. When both options are available in one spot, they are more likely to dispose of their waste properly. An additional quality control mechanism is maintaining proper signage that clearly show what can and cannot be recycled.

The Office of Environmental Policy worked with Barnes & Noble, the new owners of the UConn Bookstore, to institute an “Eco-Coin” initiative where students can opt out of using a plastic bag and instead receive a coin that represents a 5 cent donation to one of three efforts: Habitat for Humanity, CLiCK, a local nonprofit, or the UConn Sustainability fund. This has contributed to creating a culture of bringing reusable bags to stores and recognizing that not every purchase needs to be put in a wasteful plastic bag. The University of Connecticut Public Interest Research Group has been working hard on their student-run campaigned called “Ban the bottle.” Volunteers set up tables outside of dining halls providing information about the initiative and collecting signatures in support of the university to stop selling plastic water bottles in their cafes and student union market place. The campaign also distributes water bottle for free to incoming students, enabling them to refill their water from a water fountain instead of relying on purchasing plastic bottles. There are also movements for the installation of more “Hydration Stations” throughout campus, which offer clean, cold, and convenient water refill stations. There are currently over 25 located in various buildings, with plans to install 25 more. The university hopes to encourage students to use reusable water bottles as they stay hydrated throughout the day instead of one-time use, resource intensive, plastic water bottles. http://dailycampus.com/stories/2016/11/3/uconnpirg-works-to-ban-the-bottle Another waste-related behavior change initiative is the advertisement of the Green Piece reusable food container that is offered in the Student Union Market Food Court. Students can opt for getting their meal in a reusable container called the “Green Piece”, which can then be placed in a receptacle in the food court. They can also be carried out of the food court and taken on the go. The containers are washed and reused in the same manner as plates in dining halls. As an incentive, students can purchase a Green Elite Card for $5 which takes 25 cents off per purchase when they use a Green Piece. This card pays for itself in 20 meals and can be carried over year after year. http://dining.uconn.edu/thegreenpiece/

The student group EcoHusky conducted a waste audit in the spring of 2015, where they sorted through trash and recycling from a dorm building to assess the contamination rate. They also aimed to categorize certain objects that were commonly mistaken for trash but were supposed to be recycled in order to focus our recycling initiatives in areas where the student body may be the most misinformed. http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/about/2015%20Spring-Summer%20Newsletter.pdf UConn Facilities conducted an audit in fall 2014 in two buildings on the main campus. The audit included three weeks of data collection (September 16th-October 6th). Facilities counted the number of trash vs. recycling bags as well as measured the weight of trash vs. recycling. Comparing the weight recycled vs. disposed of Laurel Hall revealed that the building had a 29% recycling rate. The School of Business had a 51% recycling rate. Following this study, new recycling labels and new mixed recycling bin lids were deployed. Additionally, throughout the past several years, a student worker for Facilities and Operations has conducted waste and recycling audits regarding their availability and ease of use. Their main goal was to replace existing receptacles with a uniform and recognizable standard. In over 30 buildings throughout the campus core, they have worked hard to replace many colored containers that are left over from before UConn adopted single stream recycling, and can be confusing for the average student on the go.

Many offices across campus purchase snacks, coffee, and office supplies in bulk to share. This behavior is emphasized in the Green Office Certification Program, which guides offices in improving their sustainability. Further, Dining Services purchases in bulk and has nearly eliminated all purchases that contain Styrofoam packaging. Forty-one hydration stations have also been installed on campus, which prevents waste generated single use water bottles.

The University Surplus Program allows UConn departments to send their unwanted equipment, furniture, and supplies to the Surplus Store where they will either be recycled or reused. There are showroom hours every Tuesday and Thursday during which UConn departments can peruse the supplies and tag which items they want. There are also public surplus store hours held the second Friday of every month for UConn and the surrounding community to come and buy the used supplies. http://www.stores.uconn.edu/surplus.html

The UConn bookstore has a variety of platforms in place that encourage the reuse of textbooks among students. For example, students can rent their textbooks for a reduced price which they return at the end of the semester. There are also used textbooks that students can buy at a reduced price instead of buying the brand new book. The bookstore will also buy back textbooks from students that can then be sold the next year. http://uconn.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBRefundsView?langId=-1&storeId=88191&catalogId=10001

The printers on campus cost 10 cents per black and white page and 35 cents per color page, and many computers across campus have double-sided printing as their default. Double sided printing and using print preview before printing in order to minimize the need for reprinting is a highlighted behavior change in the Green Office Certification Program offered to UConn offices to improve their sustainability. The university instituted a program in 2014 called UPrint, whose goals are to make printing more efficient and productive in order to contribute sustainability initiatives on campus. Benefits of the program include reduction in energy usage and paper consumption. http://uprint.uconn.edu/about/

Course catalogs can be found online. They can be found on each department's website as well as compiled together on a single webpage. Course schedules are managed through the PeopleSoft student administration system, which also handles enrollment. Beginning in Spring 2012, teacher evaluations were available online for students to complete, reducing paper waste from hard copies. Additionally, billing and account information is available online. Beginning in Spring 2012, teacher evaluations were available online for students to complete, reducing paper waste from hard copies. Additionally, billing and account information is available online. Professors have the option to use an online website called HuskyCT, to which they can post all course materials, such as syllabi and readings. Students can also turn in assignments and papers digitally via HuskyCT Course Catalogs and requirements are provided on each Department’s webpage. All schedules, transcripts, fees, and other business are all handled online via the People Soft student administration system. Each semester students submit teacher evaluations online.

At the end of each spring semester the UConn Community Outreach office hosts Give&Go, a program that diverts undergraduate move-out waste from being thrown away. The materials that are collected from the 14 drop off areas across campus are then donated to a variety of local charities. In 2017, a total of 5,736.05 pounds (2.87 tons) of donated goods were collected. Please see the table below for the breakdown of weights by category of donated goods. This included: Toys: 37.5 Food: 181.25 lbs Clothing: 595.3 lbs Shoes: 120.25 lbs Cleaning supplies: 90 lbs Bedding/Linens: 439.75 lbs Office Supplies: 285.5 lbs Toiletries: 42.75 lbs Household Items: 317.25 lbs Furniture: 1360 lbs Appliances: 1211.5 lbs Rugs: 794.75 lbs Books: 127.5 lbs Miscellaneous: 132.5 lbs Electronics: .25 lbs Fabric Recycling: 0 lbs Additionally, Give&Go extended their efforts into July to collect from off campus housing move-out, and donated these goods to the Salvation Army.

In 2017, the University of Connecticut made an effort to reupholster and reuse 4.68 tons of furniture instead of disposing of that furniture and purchasing new units. Further, the University reuses clean fill extracted during construction activities for other projects as opposed to having it hauled away by a waste service. 155.04 tons of clean fill were recycled in 2017. Moreover, agricultural waste, such as manure and animal bedding, from the University farm are composted annually with 1000 tons composted in 2017. The composting program is being expanded to encompass dining as well. In the fall of 2017, Dining Services began a pilot program to transport pre-consumer food waste at Putnam dining hall to Quantum Biopower, where food waste is converted into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion. Once digestion is complete, the co-product of the process can also be reused for livestock bedding, compost, and fertilizer. 6.31 tons of food waste were diverted in 2017 as the program was being introduced. In 2018, the composting program is going to encompass other dining halls, including the largest on campus, with a goal of eventually servicing every dining hall.

Notes about the submission (public): Assume 1 cubic yard of landscape waste= ~650 kg The weight value for materials reused, donated, or resold was not quantified for the 2005 baselines but the dollar value was $60,782