IX. 10% less solid waste by 2025

UW Recycling plans to expand the number of compost bins in 15 buildings on the Seattle campus as they update the buildings’ waste infrastructure to support single-stream recycling. This will include improved signage and ensuring compost bins are available in common areas and other areas where food will regularly be consumed or prepared.

In addition, UW Recycling will focus outreach efforts in high-traffic dining areas, including tabling during the Fall quarter at campus dining halls, and updating signage in District Market and the Suzzallo Starbucks. Other outreach initiatives will include Dawg Daze events targeted to new students, and promoting tours of Recology’s materials recovery facility (MRF) which sorts single-stream recycling.  

A major opportunity to reduce contamination rates is the UW Medical Center - Montlake. UW Recycling will partner with UW Medicine Environmental Services to implement new strategies aimed at addressing sources of contamination in the UWMC recycling.

Focus on residence halls

Student residence halls remain a source of high contamination rates. UW Recycling and Housing & Food Services will again distribute door hangers with waste sorting guidance to every residence hall, apartment and family housing unit early in Fall quarter, as well as proving waste sorting training to RAs who can share the information with the residents on their floors. 
 

Housing & Food Services is expanding the Ozzi container program to provide reusable containers for students. HFS has worked with student groups to pilot the Ozzi program with a small population of students for several years. Starting in Fall 2023, all incoming students on a dining plan (about 9,000 students) will be provided with a complementary Ozzi container to use for takeout items. These Ozzi containers can be turned back in at collection machines in dining locations on campus for a fresh container. The used containers are then cleaned and reused. The expansion also includes adding a third collection machine to the two existing collection points on campus.

Steps we will take in FY23

• Expand number of compost bins in buildings.
• Expand outreach in residence halls.

Expand number of compost bins in buildings

To increase compost capacity, UW Recycling will install waste containers in two new buildings: Health Sciences Education Building and Founders Hall. Compost containers will be standard in all public areas, kitchens, and restrooms. In addition, several buildings will be updated to single-stream recycling throughout the year which includes adding compost to all public area bin sets, and making sure there is adequate access to compost in common areas and kitchens.

Expand outreach in residence halls

To help reduce contamination in the residence halls, UW Recycling will create and distribute door hangers containing waste sorting guidance to every residence hall room at the beginning of Fall quarter, and every apartment unit will receive a “Sorting Sustainably” brochure. The recycling online course is no longer available to students, so UW Recycling will develop an alternative online training for students on a different platform. The current course is still accessible to staff, faculty, and student employees and will continue to be promoted to relevant groups. A new Student Contamination Reduction Assistant began work with UW Recycling in July 2022 and will focus on updating and improving waste sorting signage, and conducting outreach to students on campus. Our office will also work closely with our vendors to amplify our outreach efforts, and one of our vendors, Recology, will bring on a temporary intern to assist with special projects to reduce contamination and increase waste diversion. UW Recycling will also continue to update customer-facing and back-of-house signage at various dining locations in partnership with HFS.
 

Steps we will take in FY23

1. Work to create Zero Waste Task Force 
2. Assess feasibility of a UW-wide single-use plastic policy 

Work to create Zero Waste Task Force 
UW Recycling will work to facilitate conversations between groups interested in participating in the Zero Waste Task Force. As UW Recycling does not have the ability to lead the Zero Waste Task Force on its own, they will discuss the tri-campus assessment’s key takeaways with numerous groups. They will start by continuing conversations with UW Sustainability and HFS. Support from leadership beyond our department will be necessary to create the task force.

Assess feasibility of a UW-wide single-use plastic policy
UW Sustainability will research the feasibility of creating a UW-wide single-use plastic policy, using the University of California policy as a possible model. UW Sustainability will research policies at the UC and other peer institutions, develop a possible draft policy and present benefits, costs and challenges of such a policy to stakeholders and the Environmental Stewardship Committee.
 

UW Sustainability will continue to work with Purchasing, Marketing, and other units across the University to prevent waste and increase recycling through contracts, purchasing, and corporate sponsorships. During the spring and summer of 2022, UW Sustainability participated in the interviews and evaluation of vendors for the University’s beverage contracts. Participation in this process has illuminated opportunities to reduce single-use plastic beverage containers and as well as reduce landfill waste. The beverage contract selection process is still underway at the time of this report, and UW Sustainability will continue to be part of this process working towards sustainable solutions for the University in this regard.

The UW landfilled 4,812 tons of material in FY2019; the 2025 goal is to generate less than 4,332 tons annually. Based on the 2018 waste characterization study, we estimate that 19% of our landfilled waste is compostable paper and 14% is food waste. UW generates about twice as much compostable waste compared to recyclable waste. While UW recycles 63% of recyclable materials that are discarded, only 46% of compostable waste is composted on campus (48% of it is landfilled and 5% of it contaminates our recycling). The UW generated 1,933 tons of mixed recycling. Based on the same study, we estimate that the recycling is contaminated by 7% food waste and 6% compostable paper.

Recycling has been available in many forms on campus for decades but compost is relatively new. By focusing on increasing access to and awareness of compost on campus, the UW can not only reduce the amount of landfilled material and the corresponding carbon footprint, but also ensure our recyclable items are clean and recycled successfully.

Steps we will take in FY 2022

1. Increase compost capacity.

2. Increase outreach/awareness for proper waste sorting.

Responsible party

UW Recycling

Statuses and linkages

There are compost bins in every kitchen, dining area, and restroom in every building on campus. Most buildings have compost bins in lobbies, public areas and hallways as well, but there are still several that don’t meet new waste infrastructure guidelines with expanded compost collection. UW Recycling currently advertises the importance of composting on digital boards in Residence Halls, Dining Halls and the HUB. UW Recycling also provides free training and resources about composting to all UW Seattle staff, faculty and students and can be leveraged for use by Bothell and Tacoma campuses.

Financing

• UW Recycling’s operating budget should cover the work of increasing awareness and improving infrastructure so people can compost rather than recycle/landfill their compostable material.

Metrics

• Compost rate/# of buildings with added composting facility (37 buildings in Seattle).

• Number of outreach events and number of attendees.

By FY2023, HFS will seek to have all UW Dining kitchens transition to low-waste by reducing waste volumes by 10%. Current kitchen waste levels are a result of over-production and over-purchasing due to a lack of robust historical data, analysis, and forecasting tools. Increased data creates more informed forecasting, which in turn allows UW Dining to more accurately estimate the volume and needs of patrons. HFS will take Actions to increase the accuracy of these estimates which will ultimately result in a 10% reduction of over-production and over-purchasing, to be maintained in perpetuity.

Steps we will take in FY 2022

1. Identify all non-HFS dining locations.
2. Create training materials for low waste kitchens.
3. Provide training materials and meet with non-HFS dining leaders.

Responsible party

UW Recycling and Housing & Food Services

Statuses and linkages

Over-production and over-purchasing tracking is currently being manually facilitated within HFS Dining units with some limitations including but not limited to comprehensive cost tracking, production scheduling, and automated menu-driven ordering. Weekly inventory data is also being recorded via mobile inventory and is routinely reviewed for appropriate stock levels. In order to achieve automated data retention, tracking and analysis, HFS Dining must complete implementation of CBORD FSS within its dining units.

Financing

• Implementation of manual over-production and over-purchasing tracking necessitated a nominal investment and is currently being utilized in units. The purchase and implementation of weekly inventory occurred in fall of 2019. Implementation of the menu management software required to achieve low-waste in perpetuity will require a budget of approximately $171,000, requested and approved in April 2019. These costs include software and technology investments as well as implementation consulting and staff training; additional costs will be reassessed as they arise.

Metrics

• Number of dining units provided information.

Waste Diversion Through Donation

Besides reducing our kitchen waste, we also have a plan for better handling the waste that we do have. Some high-quality food waste can avoid either landfilling or composting, and instead be donated to other organizations. 2019 food recovery for donation was 15,000 pounds (9,000 pounds from Housing & Food Services/Dining, and 6,000 pounds from UW Recycling’s student moveout collection program). Our goal is to reach 16,000 pounds collected for donation by 2022.

The University of Washington has partnered with the Post- Landfill Action Network for an Atlas Fellowship to complete a holistic assessment of the UW’s waste reduction across the three campuses. With the report, the UW will have a better understanding and benchmarks of what systems we have in place and what systems are needed to reduce waste.

Steps we will take in FY 2022

1. Complete and review a tri-campus zero waste assessment report.
2. Share results with stakeholders and identify opportunities.

Responsible party

UW Recycling

Statuses and linkages

The zero-waste assessment will provide us information on our entire waste infrastructure, and the findings will inform our efforts to reduce single-use disposables, as well as other current and future Actions under this target.

Financing

• UW Recycling’s budget will include the work of reviewing the assessment report and sharing results with stakeholders.

Metrics

After the assessment is completed, we will evaluate possible measures and determine metrics.

The UW landfilled 4,812 tons of material in FY2019; the 2025 goal is to generate less than 4,332 tons annually. Based on the 2018 waste characterization study, we estimate that 19% of our landfilled waste is compostable paper and 14% is food waste. UW generates about twice as much compostable waste compared to recyclable waste. While UW recycles 63% of recyclable materials that are discarded, only 46% of compostable waste is composted on campus (48% of it is landfilled and 5% of it contaminates our recycling). The UW generated 1,933 tons of mixed recycling. Based on the same study, we estimate that the recycling is contaminated by 7% food waste and 6% compostable paper.

Recycling has been available in many forms on campus for decades but compost is relatively new. By focusing on increasing access to and awareness of compost on campus, the UW can not only reduce the amount of landfilled material and the corresponding carbon footprint, but also ensure our recyclable items are clean and recycled successfully.

Steps we will take in FY 2021

1. Infrastructure: increase compost capacity and update public area bins in 37 buildings, including UW Tower.

2. Outreach: increase in-person and online outreach about proper waste disposal. Implement online waste diversion training, for example create a course in the Bridge Enterprise Training System required for all UW Facilities Staff, and optional for all UW staff. If possible, expand the online Bridge waste diversion training to students if possible and/or affordable. Otherwise, find alternatives to provide waste education online for students.

Responsible party

UW Recycling

Statuses and linkages

There are compost bins in every kitchen, dining area, and restroom in every building on campus. Most buildings have compost bins in lobbies, public areas and hallways as well, but there are still several that don’t meet new waste infrastructure guidelines with expanded compost collection. UW Recycling currently advertises the importance of composting on digital boards in Residence Halls, Dining Halls and the HUB. UW Recycling also provides free training and resources about composting to all UW Seattle staff, faculty and students and can be leveraged for use by Bothell and Tacoma campuses.

Financing

UW Recycling’s operating budget should cover the work of increasing awareness and improving infrastructure so people can compost rather than recycle/landfill their compostable material. That being said, UW Recycling anticipates needing additional funding to increase compost capacity in the following fiscal year (new indoor bins: $100,000 and new outdoor bins: $150,000).

Metrics

• Compost rate/# of buildings with added composting facility (38 buildings in Seattle).

• Diversion rate change as a result of outreach and training.

STARS does not include a credit representing this change directly. Diverting waste from the landfill would directly impact STARS OP-19 Waste Minimization and Diversion (only criteria Part 3 directly).

By FY2023, HFS will seek to have all UW Dining kitchens transition to low-waste by reducing waste volumes by 10%. Current kitchen waste levels are a result of over-production and over-purchasing due to a lack of robust historical data, analysis, and forecasting tools. Increased data creates more informed forecasting, which in turn allows UW Dining to more accurately estimate the volume and needs of patrons. HFS will take Actions to increase the accuracy of these estimates which will ultimately result in a 10% reduction of over-production and over-purchasing, to be maintained in perpetuity.

Steps we will take in FY 2021

1. HFS Dining will invest in and implement CBORD FSS menu management system in dining locations to aid in more comprehensive forecasting. These efforts will allow UW Dining to more accurately estimate the number of dining patrons and reduce over-purchasing that adds to waste.

2. HFS Dining will utilize over-production tracking within the dining units. The overproduction process and data will be used for two purposes; data will be entered into the menu management software to be used to improve future forecasting. Food that is identified as over-production will be diverted to a local food bank or donation group to be further utilized.

3. HFS Dining will review over-production and over-purchasing data as well as weekly inventory data and reports routinely to identify and take action against potential points of waste reduction, ultimately reducing the waste stream produced by HFS Dining kitchens.

Responsible party

Housing & Food Services

Statuses and linkages

Over-production and over-purchasing tracking is currently being manually facilitated within HFS Dining units with some limitations including but not limited to comprehensive cost tracking, production scheduling, and automated menu-driven ordering. Weekly inventory data is also being recorded via mobile inventory and is routinely reviewed for appropriate stock levels. In order to achieve automated data retention, tracking and analysis, HFS Dining must complete implementation of CBORD FSS within its dining units.

Financing

Implementation of manual over-production and over-purchasing tracking necessitated a nominal investment and is currently being utilized in units. The purchase and implementation of weekly inventory occurred in fall of 2019. Implementation of the menu management software required to achieve low-waste in perpetuity will require a budget of approximately $171,000, requested and approved in April 2019. These costs include software and technology investments as well as implementation consulting and staff training; additional costs will be reassessed as they arise.

Metrics

• Calculate the percentage of food tracked in dining halls by the total diverted food in 2019-2020.
• In addition, UW Dining will utilize menu management software to provide poundage and cost data relating to overproduced, donated, and wasted food.

STARS does not include a credit representing this change directly.

Waste Diversion Through Donation

Besides reducing our kitchen waste, we also have a plan for better handling the waste that we do have. Some high-quality food waste can avoid either landfilling
or composting, and instead be donated to other organizations. 2019 food recovery for donation was 15,000 pounds (9,000 pounds from Housing & Food Services/Dining, and 6,000 pounds from UW Recycling’s student moveout collection program). Our goal is to reach 16,000 pounds collected for donation by 2022.