On October 12, UIUC sustainability representatives met with Coca-Cola and discussed the following:

Attendance: Nicole Tate, Jen Fraterrigo, J.T. Marburger, Shawn Patterson, Meredith Moore, Marty Kaufmann, David Guth, Liz Doeschot, Jake Slager

Circular Solutions Audit, J.T. Marburger, key partner with Coca-Cola

• Property Audit:

  • Analyze current property program.

  • Provide ways to enhance your recycling.

  • Provide optimal front of house set up to reduce contamination and increase recycling.

  • Certify material is being recycled.

• Meredith: Climate Action Plan (iCAP), carbon neutrality by 2050 (overarching goal). Zero waste is one component we are especially focused on this year. Produce a lot of waste at a large institution. Initially asked Coke to reduce plastic by switching to aluminum. This migrated the conversation to engagement, behavior change efforts.
• Daphne: focused on establishing strong recycling habits on campus (making sure people are recycling, and know what is recyclable) both for the upcoming zero waste events and campus generally.
• Does UIUC have composting? Daphne: No, we have back-of-house composting in dining halls, but nothing comprehensive across campus. We are looking to pilot a composting program in a specific building on campus.
• Circular Solutions will come to tour the campus to see our bins, operations, housekeeping, front and back of house.
  • Meredith: We do not hire an external party for our zero waste efforts, they are all university employees.
  • Shawn: We do our own in-house sorting, and then it is hauled to a vendor. Loose when we receive it, and then baled when we sell it. Area Disposal was purchased out by Green For Life, and they do our waste disposal hauling.
  • Have we looked at optimization of our trash? Shawn: 3-4 years ago we did route optimization. We added scales to front-load trucks to determine how much waste comes from buildings with front-load trucks.
• Circular Solutions: is connected with manufacturers that are integrated with recycling. There may be local manufacturers that we can integrate UIUC recycling with.
• Certified reporting with Circular Solutions tells you what mills the materials are going to. UIUC’s vendor currently doesn’t show the mill; our invoices are more general.
• Circular Solutions: transportation is an important consideration (how far are we hauling our items and is it cost effective?) Can also provide composting resources. Compost will be the heaviest material to take care of, once we get there.
• Sustainability funds:
  • Be Orange Go Green volunteer shirts, YAH Agency will have renderings for us next week.
    • Shirts coming out of the shared sustainability funds.
  • Circular Solutions will be covered by Coca-Cola (not our shared fund).

Action items:

• Coca-Cola needs a number from us for bins at State Farm Center.