The primary deliverable of this proposed project is to provide a detailed waste characterization assessment for three facilities located throughout the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois. Lincoln Avenue Residence Halls (LAR), Business Instructional Facility (BIF), Roger Adams Laboratory(RAL) are facilities that will be characterized.

This proposal builds upon the initial waste characterizations conducted in the Spring of 2013 for four buildings: Henry Administration Building, Alice Campbell Alumni Center, Swanlund Administration Building, and Illini Union Bookstore.

The objective of the assessments is to characterize the waste generated from a Lab building, a classroom building and a housing building.  The primary goal of the waste stream characterization study is to provide UIUC with an accurate and precise baseline measurement of the solid waste generated at each facility type. ISTC will assist F&S in identifying and implementing practices and technologies that will reduce waste, increase landfill diversion, increase recycling revenues, and decrease waste disposal costs. These efforts will help UIUC to become an example of a sustainable campus, and will provide new learning and teaching opportunities for the university and community at large.

The ancillary deliverables are various direct educational programing opportunities both structured as well as passive.

ISTC will work with one or more UI professors to guide students through the creation of a sculpture made from waste materials (e.g. electronic waste, paper, plastic, etc.) collected at the waste audits. The purpose of the sculpture will be to raise awareness of the magnitude of waste generation at the University, and promote related local opportunities for waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Students will research generation of the chosen waste stream(s) at the University and accordingly scale the sculpture to represent the volume of waste generated at the University by a defined population over a particular time period.

Material choice will be made by the students in consultation with staff from ISTC and UI Facilities & Services. A poster and plaque will also be designed to accompany the sculpture, providing statistical context for its size, and suggestions related to waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. Depending upon the timing of the student project, the resulting sculpture and information will be displayed at ISTC as part of the 2015 Naturally Illinois Expo.

The sculpture and associated information will be available for showing at other campus locations and events (e.g. Krannert Art Museum, Spurlock Museum, Earth Week events, Campus Sustainability Day, etc.). ISTC will obtain primary materials for the sculpture from the UI Waste Transfer Station and the baseline waste characterization study, materials required for the IDEA Store or other local partners, or from materials gleaned from campus waste audits.
During the proposed waste characterization at LAR Hall, ISTC will partner with the Sustainability Living Learning Center and conduct combined programing related to waste and material management. The programing will focus on the current situation on campus and around the world, but as well as focused discussion on the role and responsibilities of students in improving the situation. 

The proposal supports UIUC’s strategic goal of creating a Zero Waste paradigm on campus by increasing recycling rates, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing waste destined for the landfill, and by conserving natural resources through systematic improvements in waste reduction.