Environmental Indicators Recycled Materials

1
Environmental Indicators - Recycled Materials

• Recycling rates continue to increase with a 4
  increase over last year.
• Increased education regarding recycling and
  sustainable purchasing have led to a decrease in
  disposables, especially trash.
• Materials recycled include paper and cardboard,
  bottles and cans, scrap metal, furniture,
  electronics, batteries, printer cartridges,
  fluorescent lights, books, and clothing. Food
  waste and landscape debris are composted.
• Not included in these numbers are construction
  debris, which is recycled, and Equestrian Center
  waste, which is composted. Both are excluded
  because their volume would mask variability of
  other discards.

2
How were our routine discards collected in
FY2007-08 at Mount Holyoke?

• Routine Trash collected and sent to landfill.
• Paper Cardboard collected for Recycling
• Bottles cans collected for Recycling
• Food Waste collected for Composting
• All by weight

3
Tons Routine Trash at Mount HolyokeFY07-08 vs
annual average of previous 5 fiscal years
4
Tons Paper Cardboard Recyclingat Mount Holyoke
College FY07-08 vs annual average of previous 5
fiscal years
5
Tons Bottle Can Recyclingat Mount Holyoke
College FY07-08 vs annual average of previous 5
fiscal years
6
Basic Recyclables at Mount Holyokeas a of
Total Basic Discards FY07-08 vs annual average
of previous 5 fiscal years

• Total basic discards Sum of both basic
  recyclables (paper, cardboard, and bottles
  cans), and routine trash (the routine trash
  from bins on campus not including construction
  waste or other bulky trash e.g. mattresses and
  broken furniture).
• tons basic recycling/(tons basic recycling
  tons routine trash)

7
Notes

• There was a very aggressive waste reduction
  campaign on campus this spring as part of Focus
  the Campus Efforts.
• Decreases in paper recycling tonnage and routine
  trash tonnage reflect the successful
  implementation of aggressive waste reduction
  efforts targeted at reducing paper and printing
  wastes.
• Had the decrease in paper been accompanied by an
  increase in routine trash, it would likely have
  reflected an issue with the recycling program
  that was causing more paper to be discarded as
  trash.
• However, a decrease in both paper recycling and
  routine trash indicates an overall decrease in
  generation, a combination of both a successful
  waste reduction campaign and an overall decreased
  economy.
• Some of the decrease in paper is also a result of
  increased shredding of confidential paper, for
  which we do not get accurate tonnages.
• The tiny dip (less than 1/3 of a percent) in
  basic recycling percentage reflects
  disproportionate success of waste reduction
  efforts targeted at reducing paper printing
  waste (which removed materials from the recycling
  stream) as opposed to those aimed at reducing
  food-related packaging and other wastes, such as
  tissues and paper towels (which removed material
  from the trash stream).

8
Average monthly tons food-waste compost picked up
by periodFrom Mount Holyoke College FY07-08
Food waste compost includes uneaten post-consumer
food waste, pre-consumer food prep scraps,
biodegradable foodserviceware, and some cardboard.
9
2008 Residential Trash Sortfor Mount Holyoke
College
10
Basic Discards Recycledby Fiscal Year

• Basic discards tons basic recyclables/(tons
  basic recyclables tons routine trash)
• Tons basic recyclables tons paper, cardboard,
  and bottles cans
• Routine trash is trash from dumpsters around
  campus. It does not include bulky waste
  roll-offs or waste from construction renovation
  projects.

11
Per capita total basic discardsby Fiscal Year

• Per capita is based on total lbs basic discards
  for entire campus divided by the number of
  students
• Basic Discards tons basic recyclables tons
  routine trash
• Tons basic recyclables tons paper, cardboard,
  and bottles cans
• Routine trash is trash from dumpsters around
  campus. It does not include bulky waste
  roll-offs or waste from construction renovation
  projects.
• In addition to waste reduction efforts, two
  recycling changes may help to explain the drop in
  per capita discards at Hampshire, Mount Holyoke,
  and Smith. One is more material being diverted
  into food waste which is not included in this
  analysis. At Hampshire and Mount Holyoke, the
  other is more paper being diverted to
  confidential shedding for which weights are not
  available.

12
Lbs paper cardboard recycled per studentFY07-08

• Per capita data includes material from entire
  campus divided by number of students (as the
  common population denominator.

13
Lbs bottles cans recycled per studentFY07-08

• Per capita data includes material from entire
  campus divided by number of students (as the
  common population denominator.

14
Lbs routine trash landfilled per studentFY07-08

• Routine trash is trash from dumpsters around
  campus and does not include bulky waste, waste
  from construction demolition projects, or waste
  from off-campus family housing units.
• Per capita data includes material from entire
  campus divided by number of students (as the
  common population denominator.