University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
IN-25: Innovation B

After investigating various ways to address the campus waste stream, it was suggested that the campus' shredded paper waste be diverted to the on-campus dry anaerobic digester (BD1). This program was established because research found that the regional materials recovery facility (MRF) has difficulty legitimately recycling shredded paper as the sorting machinery tosses too much of the shredded paper material around the MRF facility. Much of the shredded paper that is lost during sorting was cleaned up and landfilled. The shredded paper is collected using plastic bags, which were ultimately landfilled by the MRF. This program allows for the shredded paper to be added to the compostable organic materials that are digested in the BD1 facility and the plastic bags are recycled using the campus plastic film recycling program. This program has resulted in reduced frequency of emptying dumpsters at the central campus location where the paper is shredded. Starting in August of 2016 to present, 7,560 lbs. of shredded paper have been diverted to the composting program versus being sent to the MRF with limited certainty on if the material was legitimately being recycled.