Transcript Recycling - towards zero waste

Recycling towards zero waste
Russell W Englefield
Lincoln University
Canterbury, New Zealand
Why?
 Part of Lincoln University’s Environmental Policy
 There is growing support for:
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reducing our waste into landfills, etc.
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eliminating the harmful results of waste
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improving our environment for the future
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working towards environmental sustainability
 Today’s students are more protective of our environment
 You can save valuable resources
 Save money - or break even
 Disposal costs in future are likely to skyrocket upwards currently $95/tonne to remove to landfill
Outcomes Sought
 Minimise pollution from waste
 Reduce the waste to landfills to zero
 Lower the waste stream by:
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removing reusable materials
increasing the efficient use of resources
purchasing “smart” - reusable - recyclable - less waste
producing
 Any system implemented had to be near cost neutral
 Gain the support and enthusiasm of staff and students
Before you start you need to know the facts!
 Which materials can be recycled?
 What constitutes our waste stream?
 Where does it originate from?
 What quantity is involved?
 Can we avoid producing any waste product?
 What existing records do you have?
 How are you to gather this information?
What constitutes our waste
stream?
 Identify and schedule the sources
 The frequency of picking up
 Are there common groups of recoverable materials
Houses - Halls of Residence
Academic buildings - Cafeterias - Kitchens
Grounds bins - Commercial - Industrial, and
Retailing
Continued...
What Materials are Recyclable?
 Find out from your Local Authority (Recycle
Materials Foundation)
 They find takers of recycled materials
 Act as a “clearing house” for bulk recoveries
 Have high specification of NON
CONTAMINATION
Their advice: start simple - build up!!
Recyclable Materials
Accepted Standard
Paper:
– Newspaper
– Hi grade
– Mixed grade
Cardboard – corrugated
Cans:
– Aluminium
– Steel
Plastics:
– PET “1”
– HDPE “2”
Glass:
– Clear
– Brown
– Green
– Blue
Metals:
– Ferrous
– Non-ferrous
Used Oil – only undiluted oil accepted
Food Scraps – mixed
Batteries
Printer Cartridges
95%
98%
Any paper product
100%
99%
99%
100%
100%
100%
98%
98%
0
100%
100%
100%
Pork – nil
All
Refillable type only
What constitutes our waste
stream contd...
 The assessments were made by:
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Hands on, separating the items
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Estimating the volumes
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Weighing random samples
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Recording the data
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Combining the information
 Get information from your disposal company - past
years disposal records.
Continued...
What constitutes our waste
stream contd...
DON’T
Try to assess every waste source
Create too many waste types
DO
Use typical sources for the group
Concentrate on items able to be recycled
Take rounded values
Realise samples differ daily
Lincoln University’s Annual Waste Totals
Waste contractor reports:
1999 - 242 tonnes
2000 - 239 tonnes
Campus Refuse to Landfill
Accumulative Monthly Totals
300
250
Tonnes
200
1999
150
2000
100
50
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
MONTHS (Actual to Decem ber 2000)
NOTE: Only waste to landfills, does not include grounds, building,
hazardous wastes or oils
The Waste Stream (from samples assessed)
Source
Food
Glass
Paper
Cans
Other
Academic
7.7
1.0
27.1
19.4
0.5
0.5
18.4
Commercial
6.2
1.5
4.1
4.2
2.6
0.5
17.8
Café/Kitchens
21.5
4.4
3.5
3.5
0.6
2.0
26.1
Halls
12.1
7.3
4.3
5.2
1.8
2.9
16.4
Houses/Flats
5.6
2.4
2.0
2.4
0.5
0.5
3.3
Industrial
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Garden/Grounds
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
53.3
16.6
41.3
34.8
6.0
6.4
82.0
Est. Tonnage
Target areas
Cardboard Plastic
= 87 tonnes
“Other” includes contaminated food containers and used teaching and
research specimens
Resources Available
Supervisor (Custodian) responsible for
waste disposal
1.0 FTE Refuse Collector
1 flatdeck ute - with rear lift platform
Student volunteers (variable)
Contractors’ Proposals
 Scheduled our information
 Indicated our goals
 Sought responses and costings
Only two responses received. They were:
 Rather vague
 Relied heavily on offering existing services based on
hire rates
 Not innovative
 Charges would have significantly increased disposal
costs
 Rates for materials recovered were vague
Negotiating a Partnership
 Based on win/win partnership
 We have the best knowledge of:
 the campus layout
 access and pickup routes
 what is acceptable operation
 what resources we can regularly contribute
 Your contractor usually has access to a large range of recovery
vehicles
 Get together to work out a solution
 Avoid the use of expensive specialised transport
 Go for simple, low cost recovery methods
 Your choice will reflect in the cost
 Students are often interested in helping
 Rates for materials - selected $nil
Our Solution
 Kerbside collection of mixed recyclables
 Sources identified: houses, flats, Halls of Residence
 Goal: 0.5 Tonnes/week
 Solution: Partnership with Waste Management Ltd
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Contractor supplies 35 litre crate to houses and flats for free
Contractor supplies Halls with wheelie bins for free
University does the marketing
Contractor collects every Tuesday at 7.30 a.m.
Collected from: 86 houses, 27 flats, 15 Halls (500 beds)
 Achievement: 400-500 kg materials/week
Paper Recovery
 Sources identified: Academic area
 Option selected: All, mixed grades
 Goal: 0.5 Tonnes/week
 Solution: Partnership with Intershred Ltd
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University supplied A4 box to every room on campus
Contractor supplied 100 bright yellow wheelie bins
Located on every floor in all buildings
Room occupier empties paper to collector bin
When full, secretary issues Job Card
Fresh bin delivered, full one to store (free service)
Advise contractor when 30 bins are full
Contractor removes bins and replaces with empty ones
 Achievement: 1.0+ Tonnes/week
NOTE:
Library books will be added and students will assist by cutting
out the security tape in the spine.
Cardboard Recovery
 Sources identified: Academic area and Commercial/Retail
 Selection: Corrugated cardboard only
 Goal: 0.5 Tonnes/week
 Solution:
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University supply bright yellow wooden crates
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Located near the main circulation on ground floor
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Staff deposit cardboard into these
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Refuse Collector monitors daily on round
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Uplifts cardboard to bulk store
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Contractor collects weekly with kerbside operation
 Achievement: Service just begun - no results to date
24 Hour Multi-bin
 Sources identified: Staff, day students, special waste generated
 Options Selected:
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Newspaper
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Plastics - types 1 and 2
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Glass - 3 types
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Cans - aluminium and steel
 Goals:
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No defined goal
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To encourage recycling - open to all students and staff
 Solution:
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Bin has 8 separate disposal ports
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Each port drops directly into a wheelie bin
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Is accessible 24 hours 7 days a week
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Has two accessory bins for non-recyclable goods:
• Plastics
• Glass
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Emptied weekly in conjunction with kerbside collection
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Very popular with non-residential staff and students
Other Materials Recycled
Other materials being recycled on campus are:
 Aluminium cans - bins throughout campus
 Oils - from the Engineering section
 Trade waste - Property Maintenance group
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ferrous metal
non-ferrous metal
old paint tins
window glass
 Grounds waste:
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woody material chipped for mulch
leaves composted
composting of green waste investigated - next years initiative
 Removal: By special negotiation with contract recyclers
 Batteries – all types
Recycling - what does it cost?
1
Kerbside Collection – weekly
Houses & Flats – 35 litre crate: 86 @ 50¢
Halls of Residence – wheelie bin: 16 @ $3.00
Multi-bin – wheelie bin: 8 @ $3.00
Weekly charge (to empty)
$
43.00
48.00
24.00
$115.00
2
Recoveries
Sale of materials
Lower landfill costs @ $97/tonne, ie. 500 kg
NIL
$48.00
Recycling - what does it cost?
3
Paper
Setting up:
 250 A4 cardboard boxes @ 85¢
 100 yellow wheelie bins
 10 x 500 litre crates for cardboard
$
212.00
Free
460.00
$672.00
Operating
 Collection from Academic areas:
Average $3.00 each
Per week: 10 bins @ 100 kg
 Uplifting by contractor and return
30.00
Free
Recoveries
 Sale of materials
 Lower landfill costs (1 tonne)
Nil
97.00
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Lincoln University Refuse Waste
1999-2002
Campus Refuse to Compactor
Total Tonnage per month
30
25
1999
Tonnes
20
2000
2001
15
2002
10
5
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr May Jun
Jul
Aug Sep Oct
MONTHS (Actual to February 2002)
Nov Dec
Lincoln University Refuse Waste
1999-2002
Campus Refuse to Compactor
Accumulative Monthly Totals
300
250
1999
Tonnes
200
2000
150
2001
2002
100
50
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
MONTHS (Actual to February 2002)
 Reduction to Landfill: 35 Tonnes
 Period: 7 months
 Annual Projection: 84 Tonnes
Cost vs Savings
12000
Dollars $NZ
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Jun01
Jul
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar
Landfill ($150/Tonne)
Apr May Jun02
Operating Cost ($145/week)
Landfill cost savings ($97/Tonne)
Year 1 Saving: $1,881
Year 2 Saving: $3,948 and ongoing
Conclusions
 Kerbside Recycling (Mixed)
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Goal: 500 kg per week
Achieving: 26 Tonnes p.a.
 Paper Recovery
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Goal: 1 Tonne per week
Achieving: 52 Tonnes p.a.
 Cardboard
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Goal: 500 kg per week
Achieving: 26 Tonnes p.a.
 TOTAL RECYCLED: 104 Tonnes p.a.
 Taking our goal of 84 Tonnes of recyclables:
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Year 1 - will break even
Year 2 
• New goal of 120 Tonnes
• Savings around $10,000 p.a.
Where to next?
 Increase the recovery - no cost
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Evaluate the small waste suppliers
Discuss their needs - find a simple solution
Can they combine with others?
 The next big issues - food and other
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Food and food wrappers - possible worm farm
Other - mainly items there is no market for?
Composting of green waste
 Adding value
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10¢/kg to top grade print quality paper
Students could sort “as and when” available
 Reducing the waste “purchased”!!
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Reducing the demand for paper
Setting copiers to “double-sided” by default
Purchasing reusable rather than disposable
Marketing - “nothing succeeds
like success”
 Selling your proposal
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Success depends on others participating
They must know:
• What it’s about
• What is to be gained
• How it is to happen
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Seek advice from your Recycling Foundation and partner
contractor
Make use of information sheets
If it’s not easy to do - it won’t happen for long
 Feedback
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Publicise the results achieved
Keep the interest alive
Seek ideas for improving the system
To summarise...
 Why do you want to recycle materials?
 What do you hope to achieve?
 You must know the facts of your waste stream:
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Where does it come from?
What does it consist of?
Don’t try to assess every waste source - select
 Target the big suppliers of particular materials
 Establish what market there is for your materials
 Decide on what resources you have to assist
 Contractor, partnership, or do your own thing
Continued...
To summarise contd...
 Your solution - keep it simple
 Set your targets and goals - not too high!
 Cost your solution
 Marketing:
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Publicise your proposal and outcomes
Provide feedback of results
 Plan the extension into small recoverables once
established
 Every Tonne recycled is one less to landfills
Kerbside bins
Halls of Residence recycling
Recycling Depot
Inside multibin
Paper recycling bin