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May 14, 2001
What's the Buzz: Recycling
SSU does not recycle enough of its waste. We send too much to landfill and we could be a doing better job.
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Questions about the SSU Recycling Program report should be directed to David Powers, Director of Housekeeping, Facilities Services, david.powers@sonoma.edu or x4-2546.
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Over the last ten months (July 1, 2000 to April 30, 2001) SSU diverted 73% of its waste to recycling (our actual numbers will be lower after students in the Residence Halls move out for the summer, but we will still be well above 50%). The County of Sonoma is currently reporting a diversion rate of 39%. SSU Recycling is committed to helping our campus maintain the 50% diversion rate required by all cities and counties and required for all state facilities by the year 2004. SSU has submitted its waste diversion plan to the California Integrated Waste Board and it has been approved.
From this recycling, we generated income of $13,966. This does not include the $72,900 savings realized from not taking the same materials to the landfill. The money generated from recycling goes to help pay Recycling Center student wages. In 2000/2001 recycling students (thus far) have worked 1,963 hours for a total cost of $14,494. This means the actual cost of student wages (income minus. expense) for the ten month period was only $537.
Last summer, more than 600 recycle bins were purchased and put in each set of Residence Halls rooms to encourage residents to recycle beverage containers, paper and cardboard. Currently SSU sells very few aluminum containers on campus since most vending machines now handle plastic containers. Yet, recycling collected more than 5,000 lbs. of aluminum cans, mostly from the Residence Halls students bringing cans onto campus then disposing of them after use.
For your information, In the last ten months, the SSU Recycle Center has processed:
-- 141,520 lbs. of cardboard (108% of previous year)
-- 158,100 lbs. of paper (109% of previous year)
-- 93,500 lbs. of glass (616% of previous year)
-- 309,610 lbs. of tin and metal (7361% of previous year, due
mostly to the old shelving from the library)
-- 5,618.5 lbs. of aluminum cans (191% of previous year)
-- 11, 070 lbs. of plastic bottles (230% of previous year)
-- 125 toner cartridges (97 % of previous year)
-- 615 computer components (monitors and computer unit)
-- 110 tons of landscape materials (leaves, grass cuttings, trees, etc.)
-- 80 tons of food waste
-- 1,070 tons of paving grindings (from digging up roads and pathways and reusing the material as road base in other places on campus)
During that 10 month period, SSU also generated 576 tons of waste that had to be transported to the Sonoma County landfill. In the 12 months previous (July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000) we took 681 tons to the landfill. Projecting forward for the next two months of the fiscal year, we expect the figures to end up about the same as 1999/2000. What makes this amazing for SSU though, is that we are housing an additional 1,000 students and have opened up the 230,000 sq. ft. building (the Schulz Information Center) and STILL expect to keep the amount we send to landfill constant. New programs put in place through the SSU Recycling Program have contributed to our landfill deposits remaining about the same despite added people and facilities on campus.
In previous years, SSU recycled:
-- 176 tons of materials (95/96)
-- 199 tons of materials (96/97)
-- 236 tons of materials (97/98)
-- 300 tons of materials (99/00)
-- 1,620 tons of materials (first ten months of 00/01)
In February, SSU Recycling received a grant from The California Integrated Waste Board for $25,000 to improve its recycling program in the Residence Halls. SSU was able to provide matching funds of $16,500 for a total of $41,500. This money was used to purchase a new flatbed truck for recycle pickups, 10 additional dumpsters for recycling and 65 each 90 gallon carts used for the collection of paper and cardboard.
SSU Recycling has also received a grant from the Department of Conservation in October 1998 for $93,000 to purchase recycle containers for indoor and outdoor use. Included in this grant was enough money left over to purchase a sorting line that cost $15,600. The sorting line is used to separate beverage containers collected from all of SSU's recycle containers.
This summer the SSU Recycling program will be featured at the California Resource Recovery Association Conference held in Pasadena on July 8-11, 2001 as a model of how to start and setup a recycle program for universities and colleges. The presentation will be outlined by David Powers, SSU Director of Housekeeping, and feature other colleges and universities that have outstanding recycle programs.
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