Attendance: Jen Fraterrigo, Sophie Boel, Daphne Hulse, Amy Fruehling

Sophie Boel introduction: been with Redwood 2+ years, managing construction and engineering team, moved to external affairs (consumer recycling, outreach and education programs). Taking over the university partnerships piece from Seema. Two pieces to look at together:

• Consumer education, branding materials, and how-to for safe collection and mailing.
• Research - existing program to bolster with data, or bring about together.

Recalling our first conversation with Redwood Materials:

• What is redwood looking for?

• How can the university offer collaborative experiences with Redwood? Research, battery collection drives.

  • Jen forwarded Sophie the documents she had provided Seema as far as research opportunities go.

Redwood's experience with collection:

• 40-50 Audi and Volkswagen dealerships have collection bins - regularly collected and shipped back to Redwood.
• International Rotary Clubs host collection events throughout the country.

Daphne's research on where batteries are sourced from and where they end up across campus. Daphne could only speak to batteries that are procured with university money. There is not a gauge on what the community does with batteries and what their needs are.

• DRS collects Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NMH), Lithium (Li) Ion & Polymer (LiPo), and Silver Oxide (AgO) batteries for recycling. Daphne and Jen don't know the name of the recycling vendor, but they will find out. Sophie says there is a chance that the vendor already works with Redwood Materials, we just have to find out. Rechargeable batteries that are part of a device may get removed, and the device sent to someone like Redwood Materials to find recycling outlets for the device materials, too.

What could Redwood provide support on if the university would undertake something with them?

• Bring Seema back into the conversation side (she is involved with business development support).

Has Redwood done many events with universities? No, they haven’t done many events with universities:

• University Nevada - Reno, as this is located close to their HQ.

• Have done events in collaboration with International Rotary Clubs:

  • Environmental & Sustainability Action Group (ES-RAG) - made collection events a part of their piece on sustainability

  • 50-100 collection events - active consumer engagement pieces

  • Earth Day events

• For events, Redwood can send a Redwood employee - if there is a lot overlapping in terms of time of year (especially Earth Day or Month), some of the rotary district governors act on behalf of Redwood go to an event to staff and educate.

• Reach out to Urbana and Champaign counterparts - they hold an annual event for Illinois residents for electronics recycling. Maybe there is a need for more than just once a year? And if they combine forces with the university and Redwood, we would have more resources and support to go around.

  • It will be good to hear what the cities think, as their population will likely be the main source for the waste. Students don't often have these kinds of devices and batteries laying around.

• Any money that can be reinvested to the program? The university tries to find ways to reinvest when possible.

  • Sophie to talk to Seema about this

On 08/18/2023, Stacey, Sarthak and Hrushikesh had a meeting to discuss the Project Scope for ADA Accessibility Survey of the Campus.

Discussed the budget required for this project along with the parameters and boundaries of selection criteria for the Sidewalks and Crosswalks survey.

Operations

• DIA deployed all of their blue drums, and it was in excess, compared to the available recycling
• ~21 bottles and cans bin were deployed
• 10 volunteers were present, guarding about half of the bins
• Blue bags were used to line the bins (as opposed to black). This is crucial for Waste Transfer Station operations
• Dining Services and volunteers of the event assisted with emptying the recycling bins when they were full
• Bags were tied and placed into the roll-off container at the end of Lot 31
• At the end of the event (about an hour later) volunteers tied bags and rounded up all of the bins, placing them near the roll-off container
• Jen Fraterrigo made the comment that there were no recycling bins around the tabling areas (but there were a lot of DIA blue drums), so recycling wasn't happening here. Students would bring their bottles over from the food area and go to tables. They need a recycling outlet in this area, too

Communication

• Dining Services made 1-2 PA about recycling during the event
• The bins had lids for the top (some of which you could not see into, some of them you could). If the bins had confusing messaging such as, "CANS ONLY" students were less likely to place bottles. It helped to take the lid off, and let students see a pile of bottles in the bin (normalizing a social behavior)
• All of the bins had messaging on the sides saying "bottles and cans" but messaging on the side is not highly viewed by students (it would help to have messaging on top)
  • Our 20 new Coca-Cola bins have good messaging, and bottles and cans cutouts on top
• The way the bin lids open, anything could be placed in them. We didn't see a ton of contamination, but there was some (specifically at unguarded bins). If we use bottle and can cutouts (as the Coke bins have been designed) that would emphasize what product we want recycled
• It was absolutely necessary to constantly remind incoming students that we recycle bottles and cans, otherwise they ended up in the general trash cans. Volunteers would sort through the trash bins as was reasonably possible

Volunteers

• Our volunteers were amazing! It would be beneficial to have double next year (around 20) to adequately cover the area
• Be Orange Go Green volunteer shirts really helped volunteers stand out

Diversion Rate

• Volunteers did a good job routing plastic bottles to the recycling bins, but there is a lot of food waste that goes on here (post-consumer). It would be beneficial to separate food waste from regular waste from recycling...
• Can we grind to energy the food waste?

From: Hulse, Daphne Lauren
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Etchison, Thurman B <etchisn@illinois.edu>
Subject: FW: today

Hi Thurman,

Numbers from today. From what the volunteers and I observed, having the bin guards really helped route the plastic bottles to the correct bin, so a win there. But it unfortunately is not well reflected in the weight, because of how heavy organic waste is. F&S is already strategizing for next year – maybe if we try to separate food waste from regular trash (plates, forks) from plastic bottles, and break that number down even more. Just having thoughts. I’d love to see that food waste grinded to energy, but I imagine that would be a logistically challenging one.

Nonetheless, I think we did something great today! We made a lot of students think about their actions.

Thank you,
Daphne

Daphne Hulse (she/her)
Zero Waste Coordinator
Facilities & Services | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
+1 (217) 333-7550 | dlhulse2@illinois.edu

https://fs.illinois.edu/zero-waste
 


Please consider the environment before printing an email. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure.

From: Patterson, Shawn L <spttrsn@illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2023 2:36 PM
To: Hulse, Daphne Lauren <dlhulse2@illinois.edu>
Subject: today

Well looks like you were correct. 6%

Total weight 2460lbs

Recycled 140lbs

Room for growth

SHAWN L. PATTERSON, CAFM

TRANSPORTATION & AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES MANAGER

Tel:(217)244-4927

Sarthak sent announcements (to Caitlin Kaparaz) to be added to the ISSS newsletter (publishing on August 25):

1. Reclaim Your Abandoned Bike
   Every summer, F&S tags and removes all abandoned bikes. If you left your bike and want to reclaim it, email bike@illinois.edu and include where it was located, the make/model, color, and serial number, if possible. Bike registration information or other documentation will be needed to prove ownership (e.g., pictures). Deadline to reclaim your bicycle: Friday, September 22. All unclaimed bicycles will be donated after that date.
2. Light the Night – Free Bike Light Giveaway
   The 16th annual Light the Night is Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Alma Mater Plaza, Hallene Gateway, and Ikenberry Commons Quad. You MUST bring your bike to get a light set. Approximately 1,000 bike light sets will be available this year. Remember, bike lights are required by Illinois law when riding at night. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please sign up here.
3. Celebrate Bike to Work Day on September 14 and Receive a Free T-Shirt
   Ride your bike to campus on Thursday, Sept. 14, and get a free t-shirt! Welcome stations will be set up across the area from 7 – 10 a.m., including eight U of I locations. Celebrate Champaign County Bike to Work Day with others by stopping in for refreshments and snacks. You must bring your bicycle and pre-register at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/BiketoWorkDay to get the shirt!

Optional announcement

• Register your bicycle
  Bicycle registration is mandatory for all bicycles parked or operated on campus and owned by students, staff, faculty, University departments, and community members. There is a one-time $10 registration fee per bicycle. All bicycle registrants will enter a raffle for a chance to win a U-lock or a Helmet. Learn more about the bicycle registration raffle. Contact bike@illinois.edu if you have questions regarding bicycle registration.