University of Connecticut
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

The University of Connecticut also recycles clean fill material, diverting it from incineration.

Facility Operations and Building Services, with the help of an Office of 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has started a new initiative in 2017 to systematically audit all the high traffic areas on campus to find and replace outdated recycle bins with newly labeled and uniform bins.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 to prevent contamination. The Student Union was the main building retrofitted during 2019. 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. Additional quality control mechanisms are maintaining proper signage that clearly show what can and cannot be recycled and using clear bags for recycling and black bags for trash to ensure proper sorting by custodial staff and our waste hauler.

In both the fall and spring of 2019, the Office of Sustainability organized month-long competitions among residence halls to see which recycling hall could recycle most effectively. Recycling behavior was quantified through “compliance,” which was based on the level of contamination in the trash and recycling streams. Student auditors were responsible for evaluating compliance, as well as educating and engaging their peers about the importance of proper recycling habits. In both competitions, compliance improved over time, reflecting the power of competition in shaping behavior. The Office of Sustainability has worked with Barnes & Noble, the operators of the UConn Bookstore, to institute an “Eco-Coin” initiative where students can opt out of using a single-use 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 single-use bag. Furthermore, Dining Services eliminated plastic bags from all of their To-Go food operations starting in 2019. Lastly, UConn students have partnered with the Town of Mansfield to institute the Town’s Bring Your Own Bag ordinance, which went into effect in March of 2019, banning single-use plastic bags and encouraging the use of reusable options. https://dining.uconn.edu/reduce-single-use-plastics/ https://www.mansfieldct.gov/1586/Reusable-Bag-Campaign There are also movements for the installation of more “Hydration Stations” throughout campus, which offer clean, cold, and convenient water refill stations. These stations can be conveniently found at over 60 locations across campus, with plans to install 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. Another waste-related behavior change initiative is the newly-revamped “Green Piece” reusable container program in which students can purchase their meals at the Union Street Market Food Court. The container is now completely free to the consumer and new marketing materials remind students to ask for a Green Piece. The reusable containers have been designed for repeated use and are dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, and incorporated with Microban (NSF-approved). When a customer is finished with their meal, they return the container to the designated drop-off bin inside the Union Street Market or to any cashier. Then, the used containers are cleaned and sanitized in our dish machine before being restocked at service stations. Lastly, if you use a reusable mug at a UConn café, the price is marked as a refill, which is approximately 50 percent cheaper than a cup of coffee in a disposable coffee up. https://dining.uconn.edu/re-usable-mugs/ https://dining.uconn.edu/thegreenpiece/

As mentioned previously, the Office of Sustainability has Facility Operations and Building Services, with the help of an Office of 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. In addition, the Office of Sustainability led two residence hall recycling compliance competitions in 2019, known as “RecycleThon”. In these competitions, student auditors evaluated recycling behavior based on the level of contamination in the trash and recycling streams. Auditors also made note of incorrectly labeled or uncoupled bins. The data from these audits is being used to guide future outreach and education initiatives as well as waste infrastructure improvements by Facilities Operations and Building Services. Lastly, the Office of Sustainability partnered with Facilities Operations and Building Services to conduct custodial staff training sessions on proper waste handling. The goals of the training were to educate staff on separating waste properly (bag color), identifying contamination, and notifying their supervisor of any uncoupled bins. Pamphlets were provided to each staff member in English or Spanish, depending on their preferred language.

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. Hydration stations have also been installed in over 60 locations throughout campus, which prevent waste generated from single use water bottles and plastic water jugs.

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. https://surplus.ubs.uconn.edu/

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, which they return at the end of the semester, for a reduced price. 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.

The printers on campus cost 5 cents per side for black and white and 15 cents per side for color, 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 2019 called HuskyPrint, whose goals are to make printing more efficient and productive by allowing students to upload documents to an online portal before printing. This portal enables students to select only the desired document at the printer and avoid printing multiple versions or wrong documents. Benefits of the program include reduction in energy usage and paper consumption.

All course catalogs, major requirements, and teaching evaluation surveys are online. All schedules, transcripts, fees, and other business are all handled online via the People Soft student administration system. For academics, nearly all professors utilize HuskyCT, a website by Blackboard, where they can post all course materials and accept assignment submissions as opposed to collecting and distributing paper copies.

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 drop off areas across campus are donated to a variety of local charities. In 2019, a total of 5,263.7 pounds of donated goods were collected.

Agricultural waste, such as manure and animal bedding, from the University farm are composted annually with 1000 tons composted in 2019. In addition, Dining Services has a pre- and post- consumer food waste diversion program in which food waste is being sent to Quantum Biopower in Southington, CT, where it is anaerobically digested and converted into renewable biogas. The remaining co-product is used for livestock bedding, compost, and fertilizer. This program has recently been scaled up in 2019 to include all eight dining halls and catering operations. Further expansion is expected in the future. Furthermore, in partnership with UConn Dining Services and UConn Community Outreach, Food Recovery collects and delivers surplus food to the Covenant Soup Kitchen in Willimantic, CT. This diverts food waste from incineration and benefits local community members in need.

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