The Office for Sustainability at the University of Arkansas is completing a waste audit in several buildings on campus to quantify the amount and types of waste being generated on the university grounds.
The waste is collected and then sorted into different categories by sustainability volunteers from the Applications of Sustainability class. “This effort helps students learn valuable sustainability skills and abilities while also influencing the University of Arkansas’ Zero Waste strategies,” said Carlos Ochoa, director of the Office for Sustainability.
“We collect trash from throughout the buildings—so trash from the offices, bathrooms and everywhere—and then we sort it into different categories,” said Kate Hurlbut, Office for Sustainability intern.
Once the waste is sorted, volunteers weigh it on a suitcase scale and collect the recyclable and non-recyclable weights. This data is used to determine exactly how much trash is being generated in each building and then provides an idea of what kinds of materials are being disposed of in the garbage.
“We weigh all categories, so every bit of trash goes into separate groupings, and then everything is weighed, so we can get a total weight. Then you can also figure out how much of it should’ve been recycled,” said Hurlbut.
All of the trash is sorted in the gravel lot behind the Office for Sustainability house. Tarps are used to sort out the waste, and then the items are weighed and either recycled or placed back in the trash.
“A lot of what we pull out is no longer recyclable because it has been contaminated by spilled coffee or apple cores or whatever, so we end up throwing away a lot of it, but we sort out what we can recycle and put it back in the dumpster where it would have gone otherwise,” said Hurlbut.
The reason for these waste audits is to gain an understanding of what the university needs to do to reduce trash that eventually goes to landfills, while increasing recycling on campus.
“This is really about understanding what we need to do. So, do we need to put in more recycling bins? Or, if we get rid of paper towels, how much of a difference would that make in the waste stream?” said Hurlbut.
The waste-reduction efforts in each building will be tailored based on what it needs the most, such as installing hand dryers in the bathrooms or making more recycling bins available.
If you are interested in volunteering with the waste audits, please contact Carlos Ochoa at cochoajr@uark.edu or (479) 575-2405.
By Paige Acklie, Agricultural Communications Experiential Learning Lab Reporter