Ximing Cai and Morgan White met with students Sohinee Oswal and Devaki Belwalkar about their food waste reduction app "Dibbs." We discussed the possibility of connecting their efforts with iCAP objectives. They are focused primarily on grocery stores, so the best option for working together is for Dibbs to connect with Dining Services and their convenience stores (Chomps, 57 North, and Penn Station).
Having a resource to transport gloves from the locations where they are used to the centralized collection point (a trailer at the Physical Plant) would help boost participation in the glove recycling program. Staff and volunteer resources are being explored at present.
Content for an informational flier, web page, and signage to cooridnate and promote the Right Cycle program on campus is drafted and being reviewed.
Development of materials for units that want to participate in the campus glove recycling program is under way. The current plan is to provide a web page with information about the program, a web form for units to let F&S know of their participation, and links to signage and other informational materials.
Minutes from the Purchasing, Waste, and Recycling SWATeam on May 9, 2016. The meeting covered several topics, and was the last meeting with Bart Bartels in attendance.
HI All,
As you may be aware, I am leaving the University at the end of the month. So I am providing you with a communication document about the Nitrile Glove Recycling Program, just to make sure everyone is on the same page. I am also including all contact information so if there are any questions, you know who to call. Please see the attached.
All the best,
Bart
The storage container has arrived, for collecting recyclable gloves from various places on campus. The SWATeam is working on spreading awareness of this program and implementation protocols.
Dear all,
Michael at Housing just got another Gaylord full of gloves ready to ship at dining services. Making the total pounds of gloves recycled at Dining to over 1000lbs in just four months!
Way to go all!!
Regards,
Shantanu
Good afternoon,
Yesterday afternoon, the question of how much carbon dioxide does an Enviropure unit produce was asked. I’ve copied the information below from their website:
“According to the EPA and USCC, carbon dioxide emissions generated from the aerobic decomposition of food waste by systems such as the EnviroPure systems are considered to be “biogenic”. This means that our EnviroPure Systems and the carbon it returns to the environment are part of the natural carbon cycle and so it does not contribute to greenhouse gases and global warming.”
Please let me know if anyone has any further questions about the Enviropure units. Also, please forward this information to other members of the swat team I may be missing.
Thank you,
Carol
Carol H. Strohbeck
Assistant Director of Dining Services, Equipment & Facilities
Housing has been piloting the glove recycling program for about four weeks now. LAR, PRI, and MRL are all considering implementing the program. Kimberly-Clarke Professionals (KCP) is interested in potentially supporting an intern to help expand the program.
If everyone on campus recycled their KCP gloves it would be about 20 tons of landfill reduced.
Today recycling containers were placed on the trash bin at Ikenberry Commons. The purpose is to collect and recycle all the nitrile gloves used by food service employees. The weight of the gloves will be recorded to measure environmental impact.
ISTC now has a Bike Rack made out of recycled gloves on display in their atrium. This is an example of what can be created with the gloves recycled through the Kimberly-Clark glove recycling program.
The Nitrile Glove Recycling Program is an expansion of a preliminary pilot program performed by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). The initial pilot program collected gloves used in the laboratory setting in one central location. Gloves were collected from individual ISTC laboratories once a week into a larger collection container, and were stockpiled until there was sufficient volume to ship to the supplier. This project expands the pilot test to several more buildings on campus as a stepping stone to eventually serving the entire campus.
Blake Ashley from Kimberley Clark spoke with Shantanu Pai. Blake said they thought we are doing Labs, and Shantanu is going to work on implementing it at RAL, CLSL, and Housing. Tanya from Fisher is working with Shantanu on this project. RAL has a meeting being scheduled on June 23.
Shantanu Pai and Madeline (an ISTC intern) are taking over the implementation of the Nitrile Glove Recycling program at Housing Dining Services, after Seth Reints left the university. Shantanu has 24 containers that can hang on the edge of Dining's slim containers. Dawn Aubrey also needs containers that hang on the edge of the larger brute containers. Madeline has created a 3-D printed prototype, which will be sent to Shantanu's contact in Canada for replication.
Morgan provided Shantanu with the information that Seth had received or provided to SSC.
Hi Bart,
Please touch base with Seth about KCP glove recycling, to get up to speed on the program they are using at ISTC. Then work with lab store managers around campus to help them implement the program. We will need a tracking system to be able to report on campus efforts, so find out if KCP will provide us with annual volumes or if we have to do it ourselves. You can also touch base with Olof Westerstahl in Corporate Relations to get up to speed on any conversations he has had with KCP.
Thanks,
Morgan
