Portland Community College Debuts Rocket Composter
As a result of student-driven research, Portland Community College (OR) has unveiled its new rocket composter. The self-contained, continuous-cycle composting unit allows the daily feeding of service ware and the harvest of compost. To speed up the process, it regulates water, temperature and humidity to facilitate four stages of the breakdown of compost. Last year, students were given the opportunity to determine where money from the college’s increased enrollment income could be used to improve the college’s infrastructure. As a result, the pilot project, if successful, will lead to the purchase of additional rocket composters.
Agnes Scott College Diverts 64% of Campus Waste from Landfills
Agnes Scott College (GA) has diverted 64 percent of its overall campus waste from landfills due to several recent sustainability initiatives. The college’s goal is to divert 80 percent of its waste from the landfill waste by June 2011, and achieve close to zero percent waste by the following year. Sustainable initiatives include a single-stream recycling program, compost program and the college has partnered with Terracycle to recycle chip and candy wrappers. Terracycle transforms the waste into a variety of products including tote bags and toys. The college also began offering reusable, plastic take-out containers to further minimize waste and in campus dining areas.
Duke U Turns Hog Waste into Energy
Duke University (NC) and Duke Energy have launched a pilot system to manage hog waste that can control greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollutants and generate renewable energy. The $1.8 million prototype system is intended to serve as a model for other hog farms seeking to manage waste and develop on-farm renewable power. Methane gas collected from an anaerobic digester will be used to generate clean energy. Grant funding came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Lagoon Conversion Program.
New York U Green Grant Increases Recycling by 178%
New York University's student-led Stern Centralized Recycling Pilot Project increased the average weight of recycled material in the Stern School of Business by 178 percent. Funded by a New York University Sustainability Task Force Green Grant, the project removed all trash cans from classrooms and placed them in public areas, pairing them with single-stream recycling receptacles.
John Carroll U Partners with Coke for Campus Recycling Efforts
John Carroll University (OH) has signed a beverage agreement with Coca-Cola. New campus vending machines conserve energy by turning off at night and Coca-Cola pledged to give the university $10,000 worth of new recycling containers in support of its recycling and sustainability initiatives.
New York U Green Grantee Collects $5,000 Worth of E-Waste
New York University's student-led “TERRE: Technical Education Reusing and Repurposing E-Waste” project diverted electronic waste from three buildings on campus and used it as raw material to run two electronic construction workshops. The student project, funded by a New York University Sustainability Task Force Green Grant, collected at least 2,061 individual electronic components, 25 devices and more than 100 feet of wire. The value of the items collected was estimated at more than $5,000. The waste stream audit suggests that the flow of surplus electronics is enough to sustain an expanded science, technology, engineering and math education program.
North Carolina State U Launches Composting Program
North Carolina State University has implemented a composting program. To reduce the possibility of contaminating the compost material, University Dining has removed all plastic utensils and trash cans in serving and seating areas of the dining halls. In kitchen areas, trash cans have been replaced with bins for trash, compost and recycling. The compost will be shipped to a nearby facility to convert the collected food waste to soil. The initiative will help the university reach its goal of diverting 65 percent of its waste from the landfill by 2015.
Ohio State U Holds Zero-Waste Event
The Ohio State University hosted its first zero-waste event. The Scarlet, Gray and Green Buckeye Bash was organized by The Ohio State University Alumni Association, in partnership with Green Columbus and Ohio State’s Department of Facilities Operations and Development. The goals were to eliminate waste, use local food and beverages, incorporate alternative energy and educate guests. The university was able to divert 96 percent of the event's waste from the landfill.
Rice U Installs Recycling Kiosk
Rice University (TX) has installed a recycling kiosk as part of a pilot project by the Greenopolis Group at Waste Management, a national company that handles the university's solid waste. The Greenopolis Group is the division of Waste Management focused on developing technologies to increase recycling levels. The kiosk is a one-year trial at the university. It is capable of storing up to 9,000 aluminum cans and 1,700 bottles. Users are able to register on the Greenopolis website to receive points that can be redeemed for rewards as an incentive for using the recycling kiosk.
Syracuse U Labs Start Recycling Plastic Foam
Laboratories at Syracuse University (NY) have launched a plastic foam recycling initiative. The student-initiated program collects cold-shipping polystyrene boxes from campus labs and the university's Physical Plant department delivers them to a local company for recycling. Since the start of the initiative this year, more than 141 boxes have been recycled.
New York U Implements Mixed Recycling System
New York University has implemented an improved mixed recycling system in an effort to increase the amount of recycled waste. The new system will allow all recyclable items including paper, glass, aluminum and cardboard to be disposed of in one labeled bin. Goods are later sorted in a new recovery facility. The expansion of the collection program includes new bins that take ink and toner cartridges, batteries, jewel cases, video tapes, cassettes, diskettes, CDs, DVDs and all types of cables.
Wake Forest U Starts New Composting Pilot Project
Wake Forest University (NC) has partnered with GaiaRecycle to launch a pilot project that will evaluate functionality, performance and operating procedures for processing and diverting on-site food scraps and other organic waste on campus. GaiaRecycle features modular systems and plant-level implementations, ranging from 220 pounds to two tons a day. The accelerated organic decomposition process is based on drying, sterilizing and grinding food scraps and organic waste while reducing waste volume and weight by up to 90 percent during its eight to 11 hour-processing cycle. The system will be used to process the waste stream from the university’s dining facility. Soil amendment and water output products will be analyzed for possible reuse in the campus composting program and for landscaping use.
Carleton U Starts Composting Program
Carleton University (ON) has debuted a new composting program. All kitchens in the University Center will begin collecting organics with compost bins placed for public use around campus. The university hopes to engage students in the composting campaign.
ESPN Launches 'College Game Day' Recycling Initiative
This college football season, ESPN's sustainability team will work to recycle as many bottles and cans as possible from ESPN College GameDay venues. ESPN will work with environmental club volunteers from host institutions to set up recycling bins and spread the word as recycling and environmental practices ambassadors. "ESPN College GameDay Goes Green" kicked off Sept. 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Ala and will continue at every ESPN College GameDay site throughout the college football season.
Suffolk U Expands Recycling Program
In an effort to increase its recycling rate, Suffolk University (MA) has expanded its campus recycling efforts to single-stream recycling. Employees, students and visitors are no longer required to sort recyclables as papers, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can go in any recycling bin on campus.
Syracuse U Launches Composting Program
Syracuse University (NY) has launched a composting program in an effort to divert several tons of food waste away from Food Services dumpster. All eight of the campus dining locations will sort and collect a variety of food waste. The waste will be delivered to Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to be turned into compost.
U Minnesota Collects State Fair Food and Farm Waste for Fuel
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have begun collecting samples of food waste and manure from the Minnesota State Fair to learn whether they can be combined with waste from the university’s campus and converted to renewable energy. The university will use an anaerobic digester to break down organic materials to produce methane gas, which can be used to fuel generators that produce electricity and heat. Solids from the process are reused as animal bedding, compost or fertilizer. The State Fair averages 1,200 tons of food waste and 2,000 tons of animal manure each year.
U Northern Iowa Implements In-Room Dorm Recycling
The University of Northern Iowa has placed recycling containers in all individual dorm rooms and the ROTH campus apartments this fall, distributing 2,800 containers throughout campus. A room in each residence hall has been designated as the collection center for sorting recycled plastic, tin, glass, cardboard and mixed paper. A pilot in-room recycling program in the university's Rider Hall was launched in 2009 with weekly measurements taken. The residents averaged less than 40 pounds per week of recycling before given individual recycling bins; after a semester of the pilot program, the average shot up to 121 pounds of recycling per week.
Jones County Junior College Receives Award for Recycling Efforts
Jones County Junior College (MS) has been awarded a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award, designed to provide education on green building and sustainability in higher education. The award was given to the college for their leadership and progress in recycling. Since partnering with Sumrall Recycling in the fall of 2009, disposal fees have been cut in half.
U Michigan Offers Single-Stream Recycling
The University of Michigan has announced plans to offer single-stream recycling. The new system will allow paper and container recyclables to be collected in the same bin. New materials that can be recycled in the program include all plastics except for No. 3, plastic grocery bags, plastic films and plastic foam.
College of William and Mary Enhances Campus Recycling
The College of William and Mary (VA) is expanding its campus-wide recycling efforts. The college has added 1,000 new recycling containers across campus to collect paper, glass, plastic bottles and aluminum or tin cans. The college will also coordinate all indoor and outdoor collection through facilities management and residential life.
Humboldt State U Expands Recycling Efforts
Humboldt State University's (CA) student-initiated Campus Recycling Program has changed its name to the Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) to reflect its growing efforts. The program now includes a reusable office supply exchange, composting, tap water promotion efforts and advocates for zero waste campus events.
Richland College Installs Grease and Oil Recycling Station
Dallas County Community College District and Dallas Water Utilities have announced the installation of a cooking grease and oil recycling station at Richland College (TX). The cooking oil and grease recycling program is part of an effort to reduce the number of sewer pipe blockages in a sustainable way. Collected cooking oil will be used to make biodiesel for Dallas County school buses.
San Francisco State U Creates Green Move-In Day
San Francisco State University (CA) students and their families were asked to reduce waste on campus to achieve a sustainable move-in. Parents were encouraged to take cardboard boxes home to be re-used, or to drop them in recycling bins behind each residence building. Coat hangers saved from last year’s residents were available for free at residence building community desks.
Wake Forest U Offers 10 Green Move-In Tips
Wake Forest University (NC) has offered 10 steps to a greener college move-in. To reduce the amount of cardboard boxes, Styrofoam packing materials and heaps of unanticipated duplicates that end up in the trash, the university offers examples including the recycling and reuse of school supplies, and the use of pillowcases and sheets to pack clothing in.
Arizona State U Expands Recycling Program
Arizona State University’s Waste Management has expanded its recycling program to help reach its goal of zero solid waste. The university is now equipped to handle pizza boxes, glass, soft plastic bags, liquid-free paper cups, vinyl banners, corrugated plastic signs, metal odds and ends and non aerosol cans. Waste Management is working to keep 90 percent of the items collected out of the landfill.
Stanford U Treats Wastewater With Rocket Science
Engineers at Stanford University (CA) have designed a self-powering wastewater treatment plant that uses rocket science to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. The university received a grant from the Woods Institute Environmental Venture Projects to research sewage treatment with the goal of making the process both energy-neutral and emissions-free. The sewage treatment process produces two greenhouse gases that power the treatment plant and a small rocket thruster. The new design has the potential to create wastewater management plants that are entirely self-sufficient.
U California San Diego Greens Print Operations
The University of California, San Diego has discontinued the use of non-recycled paper in centrally-operated, multifunctional campus copier machines as part of a larger effort to make the university’s print operations greener.
U Maryland Increases Recycling With 'Can the Can' Initiative
Within the debut month of its Can the Can program, the recycling rate at the University of Maryland's main administration building rose from 49 to 71 percent. The initiative, which began in June, encourages recycling by making it harder to throw things away. Facilities management replaced the garbage cans in every office with desktop bins the size of coffee cans with the words “This is all the garbage I make” printed on the side. The size of the trash cans make it inconvenient to throw out recyclable cans or bottles.
Middlebury College Uses Compost for Organic Maintenance
Middlebury College (VT) has started spreading compost on its natural-grass athletic fields to transition those grounds to organic maintenance practices. The college composts 10,000 pounds of food waste from its dining halls and residential houses annually, measuring to 1,500 cubic yards of compost.
Vanderbilt U Improves Student Move-In Day Recycling Efforts
As students return to Vanderbilt University (TN) in the fall, the university will offer plastic film recycling in addition to the cardboard and plastic foam recycling offered previously. Last year, two 26-foot trucks were filled with plastic foam and 7.5 tons of cardboard were recycled. To help divert water bottles from the landfills, the university will also provide 12 water cooler filling stations instead of handing out water bottles.
U Tennessee Starts Compost Initiative
The University of Tennessee has created a pilot composting program from on-campus, pre-consumer waste and leftovers from the campus cafeteria. Coffee is also collected from both campus locations of Starbucks. The university expects to compost all food items by the spring and currently sends it to a student-run organic farm. The university is looking to purchase a $230,000 wood grinder to assist in the expansion of the program.
Cal Poly Pomona Introduces Recycling Dream Machine to Campus
Cal Poly Pomona (CA) has installed three recycling Dream Machines on campus. The kiosks feature a wireless Internet connection that allows users to learn more about recycling, accumulate rewards points and keep track of their recycling activities. Starting in the fall, points can be redeemed for discounts around campus, or for entertainment, dining and travel coupons at Greenopolis.com. The university hopes to recycle 20,000 bottles and cans by December.
Emory U Diverts 68 Tons of Animal Bedding from Landfills
Emory University (GA) has announced the diversion of more than 68 tons of animal bedding from Georgia landfills since the start of its composting program in November 2009. The bedding, which consists of wood waste and is used primarily with campus lab rats and mice, used to be incinerated or buried in landfills. Now the university has partnered with Greenco Environmental, which handles the composting of non-infectious animal bedding materials and campus food waste. To date, 196 combined tons of animal bedding and food waste have been collected from the university and sent to Greenco. The campus plans to divert 95 percent of its bedding materials from landfills by 2015.
U Mississippi Uses Biodiesel for Lawnmowers
The University of Mississippi has started using 20 percent biodiesel fuel to operate all campus mowers. The biodiesel fuel is made by research technicians at the University of Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute, who say that the new practice should cut campus lawnmower pollution by as much as 50 percent. Seven industrial lawnmowers use biodiesel and the landscaping crew is also experimenting with biodiesel in small engine machinery.
U Chicago Recycling Event Collects 22,680 Pounds of E-Waste
The University of Chicago (IL) has announced that 22,680 pounds of recyclable materials were collected during the university's first electronic waste recycling event. Among the unwanted items dropped off by community members and university staff, faculty and students were TVs, radios, cell phones, DVD players, vacuum cleaners and almost 700 pounds of plastic foam. By properly recycling electronic waste, materials were diverted from the landfill and the contaminants often found in these products were prevented from leaching into the water supply.
U Notre Dame Purchases New Recycling Compactors
The University of Notre Dame has purchased new single-stream recycling compactors. Eighteen trash-to-recycling compactors have been distributed across campus, with more compactors scheduled for installation in heavily-used buildings. The single-stream compactors have been converted to handle the increasing volume of recyclable materials, making it easier for people on campus to recycle.
Smith College Pilots Reusable Pizza Box Program
Smith College (MA) has announced a pilot program to implement reusable, plastic pizza boxes on campus. In partnership with local restaurant Pizza Amore, the initiative will circulate three plastic carry-out containers. Each container is estimated to last for 500 uses and can be recycled at the end of their usability. The University hopes to employ reusable containers on campus for other types of food in the future.
U Central Florida Debuts Reusable To-Go Box Program
The University of Central Florida has launched the Green Thread Reusable To-Go Box Program. The initiative will provide students, faculty, and staff with reusable to-go containers with every fall meal plan purchased. The containers are made of polypropylene, a heat-resistant plastic that will be usable for up to two years before being recycled. The program will also include a reusable cup and bag.
U Notre Dame Partners with Office Depot for Box-Free Program
The University of Notre Dame (IN) has partnered with Office Depot to launch the Tote Program. Instead of using boxes, campus Office Depot deliveries will be shipped inside reusable green plastic bins called "totes." The program is expected to save 9.6 tons of cardboard and plastic annually. The totes will reduce campus-related carbon dioxide emissions by 53 metric tons annually.
Maharishi U Management Students Build Industrial Can Crusher
Students in Maharishi University of Management 's (IA) Sustainable Living Program have designed and built an industrial can crusher as part of the course, Materials and Methods for Sustainability. The University’s Department of Food Services was discarding one-gallon cans rather than recycling them. Instead of purchasing an electric machine to flatten the cans, students built a human-powered press using the basic principles of leverage. The mechanism applies over 1,000 pounds of pressure. After three weeks of operation, Food Services had already recycled nearly 1,000 pounds of steel.
Brigham Young U Hawaii Turns Biofuel Waste Into Soap
Brigham Young University, Hawaii students have begun taking waste from biodiesel fuel production and turning it into hand soap. For years the University has taken used cooking oil from restaurants and turned it into biodiesel. The soap is created from glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production. The University is expected to save $15,000.
Campuses Prevent Waste from Going to the Landfill
Campuses in the U.S. and Canada held end-of-the-year move-out collections to prevent items in good condition from going to the landfill. Items were collected and donated to charity, sold at campus yard sales, and saved for sales during move-in this fall.
U Connecticut Unveils Compost Facility
The University of Connecticut has unveiled a new compost facility. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources plans to start composting manure, animal bedding, and leaves. The facility is expected to compost more than 2,500 tons of agricultural waste a year. Composting will have several environmental benefits including reduction of nutrients in storm water and minimization of methane emissions.
U Mass Medical School Begins Online Supply Swap
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has launched "Surplus With A Purpose" (SWAP), a new internal website that allows departments to post surplus office supplies, furniture, or laboratory equipment so others on campus can put them to good use and keep them out of the landfill. Medical School employees can search for items by category, or add information about surplus materials to the listing.
U Mass Medical School Feeds Food Scraps to Pigs
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has begun a composting program on campus. The institution now feeds 100 gallons of food scraps per week from the kitchens at its University Campus to a local farmer's pigs. The food waste involved is vegetable trimmings from the kitchen, leftovers from the salad bars, and unsold prepared foods, such as half-filled pans of entrees and pre-packaged items that remain unsold past their expiration date. The program does not include food left on people’s trays—that is still considered trash. The arrangement between the farmer and University Campus is strictly cooperative—there are no fees involved for either party.
Yale U Composts Food Waste
Yale University (CT) dining halls have begun composting. Instead of incinerating its food waste, the University sends 100 percent of all waste from 11 functional residential college dining halls and commons to a composting facility. The facility will use the compost to create nutrient-rich soil. Yale hopes to be able to use the soil additives on its own grounds.
U Alabama Huntsville Receives Recycling Bin Donation
University of Alabama, Huntsville has been selected by Alcoa as the recipient of 500 recycling containers. The recycling bins will be a vehicle for bringing residence halls into the campus recycling program. The cost of collection containers has previously prevented the University from expanding the recycling program. The donation will fully meet the University’s needs and will allow the program to grow.
Syracuse U Computer Becomes Greener
Syracuse University (NY) has opted to rebuild 30 6-year-old training PCs instead of purchasing new ones. Syracuse's Energy and Computing Management department chose this more sustainable computing option because it bypassed the need to purchase new desktop hardware, while also saving University resources and energy.
Central Michigan U Students Reduce Waste to Improve Soil
The Central Michigan University Student Environmental Alliance has begun collecting food scraps from student dining services in order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. More than 1,000 pounds of waste have been collected for compost since the program began. The Student Environmental Alliance hopes to save money for the institution and create nutrient rich soil. Food produced in the gardens is donated to local food pantries and soup kitchens.
