Dawn Quirk(617) 627-3810sites.tufts.edu/tuftsrecycles

Waste Management Program2014

A Look Inside:

Report compiled by Dawn Quirk, Waste Reduction Manager,

Christopher “CJ” Ghanny T15, and Rachel Ison T14.

Graphics designed by Rachel Ison.

Tufts Recycles! Would like to thank the countless people who participate in the program and those

who work very hard to implement it.

Table of ContentsI. Context

II. Overview of Program

IV. Environments

III. Materials

V. Administrative

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Context

* TuftsRecycles! does not administer or oversee the Tufts Medical Center, which has its own program managed by Environmental Health & Safety.

The TuftsRecycles!

program at Tufts is a project of the

Operations Division’s Facilities Services

Department. The program is a “central” service

that encompasses all three campuses.* Dawn Quirk

gained the position of administering the program in

2004 and has spearheaded many of the initiatives

included in this portfolio. Since 2004, the recycling

rate has grown for all campuses and the amount of

waste produced on each campus (controlled for

university expansion) has remained

constant or has fallen.

Achievements

In 2012, Tufts University was recognized by MassRecycle, a coalition of sustainability-minded organizations in Massachusetts, as having an exceptional waste management program. Dawn Quirk and the TuftsRecycles! program received the Siver award for Institution Innovation.

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Statistics

 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Boston

Grafton

Medford

Combined

Recycling Rate = tons recycled/recycling+trash tonnage

53.7% 30.3% 13.9%

Recycling Rate in 2012:

Medford Boston Grafton

Overview of Recycling Program

No: Paper Plates TissuesGreasy Paper

Each bin is labeled and color-coded to make identification easy and

convenient!

Trash

Paper/Cardboard

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(“Commingled”)No: Plastic BagsPlastic FilmDirty/greasy containersBioplasticsStyrofoam

No: Animal Products Grease/OilBioplastics

Glass/Metal/Plastic

Compost

Universal WasteIncludes: Batteries, Light bulbs, LED lamps, Ink Cartridges, Cell Phones, Small Electronics, Cords and Cables

No: Chemicals

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Composting at Tufts

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The Tufts Medford campus composts both food and yard waste with help from Tufts Dining Services, Facilites Services, SaveThatStuff Inc., and Herb’s Disposal.

Tufts Medford campus composts on average:

>1ton

>200tonsper day per year

Employees working in the dining halls, campus center cafés, and catering events place leftover food scraps into compost bins. The food waste is then picked up by SaveThatStuff Inc. and Herb’s Disposal and combined with other organic material to create nutrient-rich soil for farmers and landscapers.

TuftsRecycles! also encourages members of the Tufts community to independently compost by providing convenient compost drop-off locations around campus. Currently, nine dorms provide compost bins in addition to the small bucket ususally located in the kitchen or lounge area. There are also seven other locations dispersed across campus.

MaterialsTufts Universi ty currently maintains comprehensive recycl ing options for most kinds of waste produced in a universi ty sett ing. Below is a summary of al l types of recycl ing avai lable at Tufts .

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Commingled Recycling (Glass/Metal/Plastic)Description: Most kinds of clean plastic, metal, and glass waste can be recycled. Only dirty containers, bio-plastics, and hazardous lab waste are not recyclable.

Hauler: SaveThatStuff, Inc.

Location: All campuses*Eligible containers may also be deposited in the GreenBean Reverse Vending Machine on the Medford cam-pus.

LightbulbsDescription: Most kinds of lightbulbs used in residential and office settings.

Hauler: Northeast Lamp Recycling Inc.

Location: All campuses

Compost - Food WasteDescription: Most kinds of pre-prepatory and post-prepatory food waste.

Hauler: Herb’s Disposal, SaveThatStuff, Inc.

Location: Medford campus only

Paper Waste (Paper/Cardboard)Description: Most kinds of used paper and cardboard, including self-shredded paper.

Hauler: SaveThatStuff, Inc.

Location: All campuses

TextilesDescription: Used textiles and shoes.

Hauler: Bay State Textiles

Location: Medford campus only*Shoes can be deposited at the Tisch Sports Center during regular gym hours. Textiles are collected once per year at move-out and by request

Universal WasteDescription: Electronic waste including batteries, computers, electronics, electronic media, ink cartridges, mobile phones, and “anything with a cord”.

Hauler: Allied Computer Brokers Inc.

Location: Medford and Boston campuses

Construction Waste and DebrisDescription: Waste produced by construction projects including asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, clean gypsum wallboard, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, treated and untreated wood, and wood waste

Hauler: Decentralized, managed by individual contractors*Tufts is currently assessing the feasability of a centralized internally managed program.

INTERNAL ONLY

FurnitureDescription: Unwanted furniture owned by Tufts departments. Furniture is generally offered to be reused internally before recycling.

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Shredded PaperDescription: Shredded confidential documents.

Hauler: Cintas Document Destruction

Compost - Yard WasteDescription: Waste produced from regular groundskeeping operations.

Hauler: SaveThatStuff, Inc.

Residence HallsDescription: Mattresses

Hauler:

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EnvironmentsTuftsRecycles! guidel ines recognize dist inct physical and ecological envi-ronments, each of which carry individual user and infrastructural needs to optimize the handling of each waste stream.

Classrooms

Dining Halls

Clinics and Hospitals

As a general rule, it is recommended that waste bins are restricted in individual classrooms. Students and

faculty are encouraged to ‘carry-in and carry-out’ to the nearest recycling station. However, TuftsRecycles!

works with individual schools to develop tailored plans which meet each schools’ needs.

Dining Services implements a number of programs to reduce waste. The dining halls are disposable-free

and completely trayless, reduicng food waste by 30% and electricity use by 17.5%. Additionally, Mugar and

Brown & Brew, on campus cafés, offer washable and reusable items. Tufts Dining also composts all waste

produced in the dining halls and cafés.

DormitoriesDormitories are a large area of waste accumulation. As a result, each floor of every dormitory is populated

with several waste stations to properly capture the flow of trash and recycling. Student rooms are supplied

with a small recycling bin and are expected to sort materials into central bins.

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Laboratory Spaces

FraternitiesFraternity spaces on the Medford campus are not administered by Tufts University Residential Facilities, and

thus no uniform handling of their waste exists. Currently, all waste is processed as trash by Facilities Ser-

vices for ease of use and infrastructure.

Facilities Services works closely with Environmental Health & Safety to ensure that laboratory waste is prop-

erly disposed and recycled when possible. However, the growing number of lab spaces on all campuses

have largely evaded accountability.

Special EventsFor large events, Facilities Services works closely with other Tufts departments and outside contractors to en-

sure optimal waste reduction. This may include: composting food waste produced by event catering, collect-

ing program materials generated by the event, and working with event planners to reduce wastefulness in

event planning and operations. Smaller events have paper and plastic recycling bins and composting when

initiated by the event organizer.

Operations and Receiving

Receiving areas are decentralized, but all have cardboard and package recycling efforts. Mail Services has an

unwated mail reduction program and recycles all paper.

Office SpacesRecycling bins are provided at the desk-side and are serviced by the cleaning contractor. Kitchenettes, copy

rooms, and conference rooms are supplied complete waste stations. Some offices manage post-consumer

food waste collection. Buckets are emptied weekly or bi-weekly by a volunteer.

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In March 2012, Tufts and GreenBean Recycling

(a green startup based in Somerville, MA)

spearheaded a program to collect bottle-deposit

containers. A “reverse vending machine” in the

Mayer Campus Center accepts carbonated

beverage containers. Bottle deposits are

collected by the machine and dispensed to each

user’s PayPal account. Tufts’ machine is serviced by Facilities Services, the

cleaning contractor, and the GreenBean team.

Special InitiativesGreenBean Reverse Vending Machine

+ = $

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Move-OutFacilities Services employs several tactics to decrease the large amount of waste produced by students moving out each May. To curtail recyclable/reusable waste which may end up trashed, Facilities Services distributes large (usu-ally 6’x3’x4’) boxes to each staffed dormitory on the Medford campus, where students can deposit:

• Electronics• Textiles + Pillows• Shoes + Accessories• Pillows (for recycling)• Useable goods• Textbooks• Medical crutches• Unopened, non-perishable food

(for reuse and donations)

Each year Facilities Services is able to divert large amounts of waste from landfills.

Move-out 2013 netted, for example, over 12,000 lbs of textiles, which were recycled at no cost to the university. School supplies were donated to Medford Public Schools while athletic gear was given to Tufts Athletics. The R2ePACK program since 2010, has redistributed reuseable dorm items to students via a Freecycle giveaway. In 2014 we plan to partner with the Goodwill Massachusetts program, “Goodwill Not Landfill”, who will redistribute the items to retail stores.

These efforts achieved a move-out recycling rate of 48%.

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Tufts Recycles! and Facilities Services spearheaded an initiative

to create permanent Freecycle spaces in dormitories that would

allow students to drop off and pick up reusable items at any time

during the school year. Working with an architect to redesign

underutilized spaces, TuftsRecycles! designed stations complete

with shelves

and

cupboards for

holding any

unwanted

items. These

permanent

installa-

tions allow

students to

exchange items at their own convenience, helping increase the

rate of reuse all year long. Currently, five dorms on the Medford/

Somerville campus have implemented this initiative, with plans

to expand to other dorms in coming years.

Freecycle

Common Freecycle Items:

» Clothes

» Lamps

» Dishes

» Electronics

» Books

» Shoes

» Rugs

» Fans

» Trash cans

» Hangers

» Bags

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AdministrativeCampaignsIn recent years, we have mounted special

campaigns at the user level for specific waste

reduction initiatives. Our current campaign is

“Lift the Lid”. Our intent with each campaign is to

expand personal accountability for recycling.

The “Lift the Lid” campaign is an effort to increase the rate of coffee cup recycling. Flyers

placed near waste stations illustrate that cups should be placed in the paper bin, while the

lid can be recycled in the plastics bin. It also encourages the Tufts community to lift the

paper bin lid to place the cup inside.

RecyclemaniaTuftsRecycles! also works each year to promote Recyclemania, a national collegiate tournament

that occurs each spring. Campuses across the country are ranked based on the amount of trash

and recycling collected each week. To promote awareness and spur competition among the stu-

dent body, TuftsRecycles! grades the recycling and trash of each dorm and on-campus house.

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Custodian TrainingFacilities Services works closely with our custodial contractors (UGL and DTZ) to ensure that all

waste deposited in bins is handled properly. Dawn Quirk personally trains custodians each

year.

PurchasingFacilities Services works closely with internal purchasing to ensure that any purchases made

are environmentally-responsible and produce only a minimum amount of waste.

OutreachTuftsRecycles! produces its own materials regarding recycling, including: bin labels, lid labels,

wall signs, instructional signs, fliers, leaflets, table tents, and guides to recycling. Most of these

materials are made available online for student and employee access. Materials are also regu-

larly distributed by the Office for Residential Life and Learning within residential spaces.

Social MediaTuftsRecycles! maintains a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Interns share responsibility to

blog about programs and events pertaining to recycling at Tufts, which are crossposted to our

Twitter and Facebook audiences.

WebsiteTuftsRecycles! maintains a comprehensive and accessible website where Tufts affiliates may

find resources for recycling on campus.

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Back Cover

Appendix (For Internal Use Only)

Omitted Sections:

- Environments: Leased Spaces- Materials: Operative Waste