On April 25th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss the State Farm Center Recycling (ZW011) recommendation and brainstorm on the Zero Waste iCAP summary report for the 22-23 FY.
Meeting minutes are attached.
On November 7th, the Zero Waste iCAP team met to discuss DIA sustainability initiatives with Tim Knox and made edits on the Project 4 Less expansion recommendation to be submitted in the coming month(s).
Meeting minutes are attached.
The reasons for the putative decrease in recycling rate include the increase in plastic production, flat change in recycling capacity, and China no longer accepting our recyclables. A Time magazine article further suggests that the estimated 9% recycling rate from 2018 was inflated because most of the plastic we sent to China was landfilled or incinerated. Another interesting point: an estimated 30-36% of collected PET is wasted in the recycling process.
The original report can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/US-plastics-recycling-rate . Table 2 provides estimates and sources.
Bromley Hall benefits from the Feed the Thing program. Large toters (big blue trash cans on wheels) are stationed near the dumpsters, where students can recycle their recyclables.
In Spring of 2022, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign became a Supporting Member for the Northeast Recycling Council’s (NERC).
As an Advisory Member, we are invited to:
Champaign County provided this information about recycling programs in town
The following passage is taken from an iSEE February Newsletter (the newsletter is attached below).
Recycling 101: Start With Reduce, Reuse
Did you know less than 10 percent of plastic is recycled each year? Or that cardboard contaminated with grease or food can't be recycled? In "Recycling 101," iSEE intern Maria Maring outlines what can and can't be recycled on campus, recycling rules and resources in Champaign-Urbana, and tips from sustainability experts about what you can do to recycle effectively and keep waste out of the landfill. Most important: Remember that recycling is just one of the "three Rs," and that "reuse" and "reduce" are just as important in shrinking your environmental footprint!
A student reached out to Morgan White to ask if UIUC has its own recycling facility. Morgan explained UIUC has a Waste Transfer Station on campus, which collects and bales the recyclables which then get purchased from us by a regional waste hauling company. Basics of the Waste Management system can be found at Waste Reduction Plan 2020.docx in https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/state-waste-reduction-plan.
On August 3, 2021, the SSC submitted a semesterly report concerning the Precious Plastic Campus Recycling Hub, which is attached here.
Spring cleaning in your office? If you need to recycle office paper, you can request a bin from the F&S Waste Transfer Station. To request a blue paper recycling tote, email recycling@illinois.edu with your building name and room number.
F&S Waste Transfer Station • Facilities & Services
In its March 2021 edition, the F&S Insider highlights the efforts of the F&S Waste Management department to continuously reduce the total volume of waste being sent to a landfill. This short story addresses campuswide recycling and waste hauling in-depth, and iCAP's Zero Waste vision for the campus.
To read more about the department's appreciated work, please see the attached file below.
Join us on Feb.1 at 6pm for an exciting workshop highlighting the collaborative relationship between Illinois and Kyushu University faculty on the development of global CO2 recycling technology towards “beyond-zero” emission. This effort is within the framework of the Moonshot Program in I2CNER at Kyushu funded by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan.
Global Relations • Global Relations
This opportunity is available online
The SSC approved $12,000 in funding for a precious plastic campus recycling hub in Fall 2020. This project expires 12/16/2022.
Funding Letter - Precious Plastic Campus Recycling Hub.pdf
App - Precious Plastic Campus Recycling Hub.docx Step_2_Additional_Information fab lab.docx Step-2-Application-18 Fab Lab.docx
Step-2-Supplemental-Budget-and-Timeline_2020 Fab Lab Corrected (1) copy.xlsx Step-2-Supplemental-Budget-and-Timeline_2020 Fab Lab.xlsxAttached is the final draft of the recommended 2020 iCAP objectives from the Zero Waste SWATeam.
Any meeting minutes from October 2019 or November 2019 may reference the following categories:
There will be a revised version by the end of the 2019 Fall Semester after iWG gives feedback for the SWATeams to revise.
Recommended locations for dual bins for outdoor trash and recycling collection were identifed in February 2018. Locations were indicated on an updated version of the map of the outdoor bin locations that was completed in September 2017.
The PWR SWATeam discussed the history and future opportunities and mechanisms for battery recycling on campus. They also talked about updates in the rearrangement of outdoor and indoor bins.
The Purchasing, Waste, and Recycling SWATeam met to discuss a variety of updates and challenges regarding recycling on campus. The group discussed progress on the rearrangement of outdoor dual bins on the North Quad and standards for the placements of bins inside of buildings. The group also discussed their long-term vision for trash and recycling operations on campus and brainstormed various methods for increasing recycling at the Waste Transfer Station. An update was also given on the status of SmartWay certification on campus.
Content has been drafted for a PowerPoint presentation to encourage the use of separate bins for recyclables and trash. It will emphasize that separation at the point of disposal is more effective than the older system of placing all items in a single bin and will therefore help the campus meet landfill diversion targets. The presentation will be made over the summer to Campus business officers, the Staff HR Advisory Council, and student groups that can talk to other groups.
