Attendance: Jake Slager, Shawn Patterson, Thurman Etchison, Jen Fraterrigo, Steve Breitwieser, Travis Tate, Shreya Mahajan, Daphne Hulse

Coke Updates:

• Jake is now officially solely focused on colleges and universities
• RVAT totes
  • Nothing charged for totes or for transportation
  • Chloroplast wrap and cut-outs are about $150 each x 20 = $3,000 (probably does not include transportation)
  • Keep these recycling only
  • 2-3 weeks lead time for wrap
  • Coca-Cola has the rendering for royal blue. Can make tweaks and changes
  • Couple $100 to edit or change the wrap design
  • Daphne’s to-do: Update QR code for new website
  • Make sure bins have clear messaging just for “bottles and cans”
  • These bins would be used for tailgating near to Memorial Stadium, ideally

Reusable Cups/Bottles

• Coke is supportive of reusable cups
  • Yeti sponsors for reusable cups
• Making an effort to push sustainability early in the college processes
  • Encourage use of reusable bottles
  • Use tap water from filler stations
  • Cut back on waste
  • Where there are purchases, ensure that the recycling bin is used
  • Ohio State’s effort with reusable bottles has been mixed success (MyCup program)
  • Indiana did something similar. It was costly and mixed results there, too
    • Jake will get more plugged in on these programs at different schools

Athletics

• • 100th year of Memorial Stadium
    • Ohio State did something similar with their 100th year
    • Sustainability can be incorporated in here, too

Engagement opportunities

• • GoGreen - Eric Green - not a large sample size
    • Jake talked with David Watson, who is in contact with Eric
    • Shreya’s experience as a student: without the incentive behind it, it’s not going to encourage students to regularly use it
  • Looking into Rockwire Illinois App to see how we can encourage plastic reduction

Welcome Week

• T-shirts
  • Mid July get the quantities for the welcome week
  • Orange shirt may fit well with giveaway items for tailgating

Bigger Conversations

• Path forward - Be Orange Go Green, Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste, Don’t Waste
  • How do we differentiate, make it clear to the public what is what?
  • Is tailgating a fighting illini, fighting waste event?

On June 12, UIUC sustainability representatives met to discuss the following:

Attendance: Shreya Mahajan, Thurman Etchison, Marty Kaufmann, Julie Wurth, Steve Breitwieser, Jen Fraterrigo, Bryan Johnson, Daphne Hulse

In progress: iCAP Zero Waste Recommendations

• ZW010: Tailgate Recycling:
  • Transmitted to Josh Whitman – approved.
  • Next steps:
    • Meet with iSEE/DIA POC to finalize plans for fall.
    • Meet with Jake Slager to discuss incentives for the event.
    • Meet with relevant groups for after-game pickup (Grange Grove, Stadium seats)
• ZW011: Recycling Bins at State Farm Center:
  • Transmitted to Josh Whitman and Tim Knox.

In progress: Welcome Week 2023

• Friday, August 18: Welcome Celebration Lunch in Lot 31. 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Planning a recycling-focused event with the help of outdoor recycling bins from Coca-Cola and student volunteers.
• Proposed bin: RVAT
  • Length x width x height = 47” x 39” x 40.5” (interior framing). Cannot be collapsed for storage.
  • Wrapping with Don’t Waste messaging can be collapsed for storage.
  • Transported via pallets.
  • Can be used for other outdoor purposes (recycling near Memorial Stadium entrances)
  • Cost: wraps. Jake is working on an estimate based on the quantity available.
• Students from SECS, SSLC, Project4Less, SSC on campus over the summer
• Next steps:
  • Where could we store these? How many could we store?

Exploring: Housing Insider Newsletter - Sustainability Highlight

• Conceptually similar to “Don’t Waste Wednesdays” approach – sustainability initiatives across different campus units.
• Housing Marketing Team to determine what is feasible.
  • Chris Axtmen-Barker
• Dining – plan for advertising sustainability initiatives in the upcoming academic year?

Completed: Water Bottle Station Inventory

• Encourage campus community to use reusable bottles across the locations identified.
• Inventoried state-supported, McKinley, Illini Union/Bookstore, DIA, Housing, KCPA facilities.
• Clarifying fancy vs simple bottle filler stations in the legend:
  • Include pictures where we post

How can students support waste management on campus?

https://dailyillini.com/life_and_culture-stories/2023/03/17/students-was...

By Lily Perez, Contributing Writer
March 17, 2023

Have you ever placed something in a recycling bin and wondered what happens next? Does it actually get recycled, or does it just get tossed in the landfill without ever being sorted out?

Students said it can be hard to be committed to sustainability when resources to do so are not always clear.

Adeline Hoegberg, junior in FAA, said she does not have a lot of knowledge about where the trash on campus is taken or how big of a difference the University is making with their waste management systems.

“I’ve heard that all of the recycling would just end up in the normal trash,” Hoegberg said.

The Waste Transfer Station in Champaign filters out around 30% of the trash that comes in, but still sends around 50 pounds to the landfill each day. This is not taking into account busier times like holidays and move-in days for students.

The Waste Transfer Station is located just off of St. Mary’s Road in Champaign and takes in trash from all various places on campus. This includes instructional facilities, University Housing, Illini Union and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Daphne Hulse works as the Facilities & Services zero waste coordinator, a new position focused on decreasing the amount of waste that goes through the University. Hulse works on various outreach projects, including hosting tours of the Waste Transfer Station.

“These tours are a really unique opportunity to illuminate to the broader campus community what goes on after you put something in the bin,” Hulse said.

Adam Soper, senior in FAA, recalled seeing several recycling places on campus but, like many other students, hasn’t heard of the Waste Transfer Station on campus.

“I know all the dorms have dedicated recycling bins,” Soper said. “But I’m not necessarily sure where those get dumped to.”

Another program that Hulse is facilitating in collaboration with Coca-Cola and the DIA is the “Fighting Illini, Fighting Waste” campaign. This campaign has students volunteer at basketball games to encourage recycling at sporting events. The last zero waste basketball game was March 2 and had 100 volunteers.

“(We’re) creating that general awareness for sustainability in an audience with not just students but townies, out of state folks and athletic rivals,” Hulse said.

Despite these programs, it can be hard for students to recycle on campus and even more so on their own where businesses and residencies don’t provide recycling services. Along with a lack of opportunity, some students feel that recycling doesn’t have a huge impact.

“I’m under the strong feeling that you can’t solely rely on us recycling,” Hoegberg said. “It’s more about the corporations if you really want to fix things.”

Soper said he would most likely not see discernible difference in a world without recycling.

“It wouldn’t be a whole lot different because the recycling practices aren’t widespread enough to be making a huge impact on the scale that we’d be able to really see,” Soper said.

Hulse recognizes that sustainability can seem isolating at times but encourages students to join organizations and communities that bring collective action. She highlighted the RSO Project4Less, whose members package leftover food in good condition and ship it out to food assistance programs in the surrounding area.

“The human connection component of climate change is so important,” Hulse said. “I think we often feel stuck by ‘what can I do as an individual’ in this global planetary crisis.”

Aside from joining sustainability-focused communities, Hulse also recommends learning what people can about what’s happening in the community and leading by example.  

“We know reduce, reuse, recycle. But what about at the start of all of that, refuse,” Hulse said. “What could you refuse in your day-to-day life and start small. For example, I know students really enjoy coffee and many, many, many places around campus will take your reusable cup.”

Hulse was particularly inspired by her mother who showed her that small habits, like using reusable bags at the grocery store, can make a big change. Hulse encourages students to look for that positive influence around them and wants students to be that influence in their own sustainability journey.

“A community that is pursuing zero waste imperfectly is far better than a few individuals doing it perfectly,” Hulse said.

lilygp2@dailyillini.com