WASTE NOT, WANT NOT: UCAR'S AMBITIOUS NEW RECYCLING PROGRAM KICKS OFF IN JULY Zero, zip, nada, zilch, nothing. However you choose to say it, this is the goal of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (R3) Program being implemented this week at UCAR and NCAR. Virtually everything that the institution now throws out is being evaluated for possible reuse, reduction, or recycling. The program officially kicks off on Monday, 11 July, with new procedures in several UCAR departments. However, the kick-off is actually the beginning of phase two of the project. Many months ago, the "zero waste" concept (originated by a Canadian company) was introduced at a meeting of the Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). The concept was enthusiastically embraced by members of the ESP, who were disconcerted by the amount of material thrown out on a daily basis. The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle focus group in ESP soon evolved into the steering team for the expansive new R3 Program. This team has been hard at work ever since designing and implementing our own waste reduction strategy. "There's been a lot of time and energy invested in this endeavor just to get it ready to kick off. It couldn't have been done without the dedication and commitment of everyone involved," says Gaylynn Potemkin, one of the four members of the R3 steering team (see photo on page 1). Along with securing the endorsement of management, the R3 steering team has been coordinating with local entities, including Eco-Cycle and the city of Boulder, to design and execute this prototypic approach. If all goes well, UCAR could become a national model for other organizations looking to start a waste reduction plan. "This is a very ambitious undertaking, which we hope to share with other institutions," says Gaylynn. "One of our objectives for this program is to formulate a systematic approach to the goal of comprehensive resource reclamation so that other companies will be willing and able to take on this kind of project - learning from mistakes, building on successes. We don't see the point of everyone reinventing the wheel each time." Dumpster Diving The first step towards comprehensive waste reduction is a clear understanding of exactly what makes up our waste stream. In order to identify the components, a trash audit (or dumpster dive, as some of the participants put it) was conducted at the Mesa Lab last 15 December and at the Foothills Lab on 16 February. The auditors sifted through two days of trash at each site, or a total of about 1,166 pounds. All of the garbage was hand-sorted into 14 categories based on its recycling potential. Though it sounds unappealing, the trash audit went smoothly, says Dean Lindstrom (Traffic Services), and its results were revealing. About 700 pounds of trash were analyzed at ML and 450 pounds at FL. These totals do not include an estimated 422 pounds at ML and 350 pounds at FL that went directly into existing recycling processes without first entering the waste stream. One surprising fact that came to light was the amount of recyclable material that did end up in the dumpsters. Both labs were tossing between 300 and 400 additional pounds of material that was, in fact, recyclable within the existing program. This includes about 100 pounds of mixed office paper and 30 pounds of white paper at each site. (See complete results on page 3). "We see this not as a failure of the current system," says Gaylynn, "but rather as an educational opportunity. It serves as a good benchmark by which to measure the effectiveness of our new recycling strategy." Food was a major part of the waste stream that is potentially reusable. Sifting through banana peels, orange rinds, and a seemingly endless stream of coffee grounds, the trash auditors found 150 to 200 pounds from each site. Within the new system this material will be diverted from the waste stream, composted, and put to use. The Action Plan Armed with the results of the trash audit, the R3 task force set to work devising the following comprehensive approach that would address each of the major waste categories. In some cases modifications were made to the existing methods; in other cases new procedures will be instituted. Ongoing research into new technologies continues to provide new ways of dealing with previously unrecycled waste. The R3 program is designed to stay on top of these advances and to use new techniques wherever feasible. Composting. Containers for compost will be located in all kitchen and kitchenette areas for collection of food scraps and coffee grounds and filters. These will be emptied daily by the custodians. Cafeteria staff will be separating and collecting compostable material during food preparation. In the short term, a local farmer will be accepting all of UCAR's compostable material. In the longer term, the city of Boulder will haul our compostables to an experimental project site. The longest-term plans incorporate the use of a compost accelerator that produces ready-made compost suitable for use in ML or FL landscaping. Enhanced recycling of office paper. Since last year, staff have been using deskside containers that allow for the collection of all recyclable office paper. White and mixed office paper will now be collected together in one side of the deskside bins; the other side of the bin will be used for the collection of commingled newspapers and magazines. Paper-towel and napkin reduction. Facilities Support Services is looking into the cost and benefits of installing hot-air blow dryers in ML and FL bathrooms as an alternative to paper towels. Food Services manager Velma Ryan is investigating the use of oxygen- bleached paper napkins and coffee filters to replace the ones using a chlorine-based bleaching process. Besides reducing the pollution from chlorine, oxygen-bleached napkins and filters would be compostable. Packaging recovery. Packaging materials will be picked up by custodial staff and recycled or reused by Traffic Services. The Mesa Lab's new Central Store will also be used as a convenient location for collection and distribution of reusable packing and shipping supplies. Beverage containers. Aluminum cans and glass bottles will now be commingled in labeled bins at the many collection points throughout UCAR facilities. Plastic pop bottles (number 1) and translucent plastic jugs (number 2) as well as gabled (pointed) milk cartons and juice boxes will also be collected in marked bins in the ML and FL cafeterias. A more detailed list of what is recyclable, and where, will be distributed to all staff during kick-off week. Also, stop by the information tables in the ML and FL lobbies to learn more about any of these points. Coordination Drawing from every group and program within UCAR and NCAR, R3 and ESP have assembled a group of resource recycling coordinators. By dividing the buildings into zones, coordinators will be overseeing the recycling efforts for their own locale. Coordinators will be the main link between the R3 steering team and the NCAR community. "They will be able to keep people apprised of new developments within the recycling program and disseminate information about recycling," Gaylynn says. "As the recycling experts on the block, they mostly will just answer people's questions and help them find ways to minimize waste output. In turn, their feedback to the steering team will ensure that the recycling needs of each particular group or area are being addressed. This two-way communication is imperative to keep us all on track." Gaylynn issues special thanks on behalf of the R3 team to the more than 50 staff who have volunteered to be coordinators: "Without these people, the program would not exist." Other links are being established as well. UCAR will coordinate with its custodial contractor to ensure that all custodians are aware of the recycling plan and committed to its success. To gauge progress, data on UCAR's recycling and waste streams will be regularly collected from Eco-Cycle and Browning-Ferris Industries. The steering team reassures staff that this won't be a draconian, heavily policed policy. Nobody will be taking offenders to "trash court" or rooting through your garbage can without your knowledge, says Gaylynn. "We're operating on the premise that people want to participate, and if they don't, it's just that they don't know how. We're not here to catch people doing it wrong, we're here to help them do it right." ESP hopes that all staff will join in the campaign and share the goal of a more environmentally friendly UCAR. If you'd like to help by being a resource recycling coordinator, contact Gaylynn (ext. 1618, e- mail potemkin@ncar.ucar.edu). To join the ESP, contact Joanne Dunnebecke (ext. 8431, dunnebec@ncar.ucar.edu). --BH Kick-Off Week Events Watch for information tables staffed by R3 volunteers in the ML and FL cafeterias on 11 and 12 July from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Information sessions on recycling office paper, composting, and organic gardening will be scheduled that week, and an environmental products show will take place at the Mesa Lab on 13 July between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and at the Foothills Lab on 15 July between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.