University of Wisconsin-River Falls
OP-22: Waste Minimization

The waste generation baseline was adopted for the year of 2013 due to improved tracking of waste generation by UWRF. Previous year's data does not truly reflect the actual tonnages of waste produced.

UWRF houses a surplus department and office supplies exchange program and provides those for use by other departments. Regular online auctions and monthly sales are provided to campus and the wider community comprising all collected items (including electronics). All items are offered at no charge to departments before being sold to the general public.

UWRF course registration is done online and the course catalog is available exclusively online. The campus directory is available online, although it is also provided in hardcopy format to faculty and staff by request.

PaperCut is a print management software used on campus to manage student printing. PaperCut allows students to print from any computer, tablet, or phone connected to the internet as well as from university computer labs and kiosks. One of the primary aims of PaperCut is to reduce printing levels by changing a user's printing behavior. Implementing monitoring, quotas and charging are a good way of drawing a user's attention to their habits. The default setting on PaperCut printers is duplex printing.

Facilities provides recycling dumpsters for move-in and move-out days. Residence Life also hosts "Don't Throw it, Donate It". The program runs the weekend before finals and provides a conduit for students to donate a large amount of food, clothes, furnishings, and other accessories to local charities instead of throwing it out. The May 2014 totals include: FOOD 753 Pounds *River Falls Community Food Pantry CLOTHING 35 Winter Coats 20 Winter Scarves 15 Pairs of Gloves 30 Winter Hats 580 Women's Shirts 193 Pairs of Women's Pants 13 Fashion Scraves 212 Men's Shirts 55 Pairs of Men's Pants 107 Pairs of Shoes 16 Belts *Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls **Note: Many clothing items not accepted by Treasures of the Heart/ Second Chances were donated to Caring and Sharing Hands in Minneapolis PERSONAL MISCELLANEOUS 2 Sunglasses 20 Purses/ Bags 1 Bike Helmet 1 Watch 1 Jewelry Box *Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls ELECTRONICS 1 Dell Inspiron Laptop Computer 1 Dell Keyboard 4 Computer Cables 3 Computer Mouses 2 Headphones 3 Power Strip/ Surge Protector 3 Cell Phones *Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls BOOKS/CD's/DVD's 50 Books 4 DVD'S 5 Music CD's *Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls SCHOOL SUPPLIES 10 Spiral Notebooks 25 Binders/ Binder Sheet Protectors 2 Packages of Loose Leaf Paper 10 Folders 1 Three-Hole Punch 30 White Envelopes 2 Notecard Packs 4 Pencil Cases 1 Electric Pencil Sharpner 4 Pencil Sharpners 3 Erasers 75 Pencils/ Pens/ Highlighters 10 Backpacks 3 Calculators 2 Travel Drives 2 Scissors 3 Bottles of Elmer's Glue 2 Boxes of Paper Clips (Box of 100) *Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls * Various items were saved and stored for UWRF International Students HOUSEHOLD MISCELLANEOUS 20 Coffee Cups 25 Drinking Cups 30 Plates 45 Bowls 2 Water Pitchers 20 Water Bottles/ Travel Coffee Mugs 125 Pieces of Silverware/ Kitchen Utensils 4 Coffee Pots 4 Hot Water Pots 15 Pots/Pots with Lids 1 Toaster 3 Cutting Boards 1 Ice Cube Tray 1 Beverage Dispenser with Spout 1 Thermos Jug 1 Small Crock Pot 8 Pot Holders 2 Cookie Sheets 1 Muffin Pan 2 Metal Tins 1 Candy Dish 1 Shower Curtain 1 Window Curtain 1 Curtain Rod 2 Cork Boards 12 White Boards 1 Garbage Can 2 Brooms with Dustpans 1 Laundry Basket 3 Storage Organizers with Drawers 6 Full Length Mirrors 1 Over the door Clothing Hooks 3 Wicker Baskets 3 Chairs 1 Wall Clock 1 Alarm Clock 1 Double Window Fan 1 Humidifier 1 Pair of Crutches 2 Tera Cotta Planters with Stands 2 Wall Shelves 2 Jar Candles 2 Glass Vases 6 Blow Dryers 6 Shower Caddies 20 Towels 4 Laundry Bags 1 Clothes Steamer 150 Plastic Hangers 5 Hanging Closet Organizers 1 Ironing Board 1 Iron 10 Sheet Sets 27 Blankets/Quilts 3 Decorative Pillows 4 Rugs 6 Desk Lamps 1 End Table 1 Yoga Mat 60 Children's Toys 4 Dish Racks 1 Table Lamp 2 Floor Lamps 1 Lava Lamp

The waste stream in all campus buildings is sorted to separate recyclable products from waste. The University Center and Rodli Hall LEED certified hand dryers are used to eliminate the waste of paper towels and the use of fossil fuels for its transportation. Water bottle filling stations in the library, University Center, South Hall, North Hall, Hagestad Hall, CSH and KFA academic buildings are provided to encourage customers to refill water bottles instead of disposing of plastic bottles.

UWRF/Sodexo has been trayless since August 2007. One of our more visible and significant sustainability initiatives is trayless dining. The primary goal of trayless dining is to significantly reduce food waste. Trayless is a national trend that has documented more than 40% reduction in food waste.

The Freddy 2Go Program allows meal plan participants to take meals "to go" in a reusable 2Go container from Riverside Commons Monday through Friday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2Go beverage bottles will be given out to all residence hall students at the beginning of the semester. Off campus meal plan participants may pick up a 2Go beverage bottle at the UC Information Desk while supplies last. By providing a non-disposable option, University Dining Services and Sodexo continue to pursue our commitment to improving our sustainability initiatives.

Riverside Commons is the primary dining facility for meal plan participants and offers continuous dining throughout the day. Riverside Commons offers reusable service ware for "dine in" meals.

UWRF has had a reusable mug program in place for 3 years. The program allows individuals with reusable mugs to purchase fountain and house products at a discount.

For 2014, Bill Connolly, UWRF Farm Director, reports 244 tons of compost were sold, while an additional 231 tons of compost were put back onto the farm fields (a total of 475 tons of compost). The compost consists mainly of wood shavings and cornstalk animal bedding as well as solid manure. The Farm employs windrow/aerobic composting. It was sold to the public at $34/yard (2014 price). Joe McIntosh reports also that 150 cubic yards of yard waste is collected annually from campus grounds as reported in our Annual Recycling report. Using a conversion chart with the assumption of 4 cubic yards/ton (clippings, leaves, and brush), it would equate to 37.5 tons. Combined then for campus is 512.5 as noted above. At the Campus Farm ~70% of the Horse manure with sawdust bedding is reused at the Mann Valley Farm as bedding for the livestock enterprises. This decreases the amount of bedding the MVF needs to purchase. Eventually the bedding and manure is either field spread for crop nutrient uptake or composted and sold. From Mark Klapatch: Materials Recycled includes: Single Stream recyclables, batteries where we have a weight, scrap metal, computer and e-waste, and food grease. The food grease is originally reported in gallons. Molly Breitmun and I found a conversion rate of 6.5 pounds/gallon to 7.5 pounds/gallon. We used the 6.5 pound/gallon rate to be conservative. 2013 Baseline year data for materials reused, donated, or sold was updated from the 2013 report to create a consistent process for data collection that will be used from now on. Mark Klapatch and Nate Beeman maintain an excel spreadsheet that will convert the data to tons consistently.