"In order to divert the majority of people, you have to make it second nature for them." - Cameron McCallum
The Physics Instrument Shop has been a certified Green Laboratory since June 2013. Run by about seven people, the shop handles nearly all the purchasing and machining for UW's physics department. Although the shop deals exclusively with materials, it is incredibly waste efficient. Purchases are always made in bulk and leftover materials are recycled or stocked for later use. Additionally, the shop processes surplus items for the department, helping to divert more waste from the landfill.
We received a tour from Cameron McCallum, a student assistant in the shop and winner of a 2014 Husky Green Award. He manages the shop's waste diversion to assure that unused materials flow out quickly and go to the right place. The shop had already been mindful of waste and recycling when Cameron arrived in 2012, but Cameron catalyzed even more sustainability measures and helped certify the lab.
Cameron's coordination with UW Recycling has expanded the shop's waste diversion streams to include Styrofoam and plastic film. Sometimes UW Recycling has been able to accommodate large quantities of the shop's excess materials that otherwise couldn't be collected on campus. Other materials - such as metals and packing foams - are personally escorted to local recycling facilities by Cameron.
Combined, these diversion streams create a diverse palette of regularly recycled materials, including, but not limited to:
- Styrofoam and packing peanuts
- Plastic film
- Wood waste
- Steel, aluminum, copper, and brass
- CFL bulbs
- Polyurethane foam and low density polyethylene foam
- Batteries
- Machine oil - this is reused thanks to a filter made by two of the student assistants to extract oil from scraps
- Compostables (paper towels, coffee cups and grounds, etc.)
This shop takes environmental responsibility as seriously as they take machining. In addition to their other initiatives, they keep a community coffee station where you can grab a fresh cup and compost it when you're done!
Congratulations again to the Physics Instrument Shop!
