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UAA’sUAA’sResource Recovery and Resource Recovery and Conservation ProgramConservation Program
Facilities & Campus Services
University of Alaska Anchorage
BOARD OF REGENTS BOARD OF REGENTS POLICIESPOLICIES
P05.08.01… Publications shall be printed on recycled paper whenever it meets specific printing needs and shall be printed on both sides of the paper. …
P05.08.03 Each university department will take an active role in resource recovery and conservation by recycling; minimizing resource use and waste; increasing electronic data exchange versus duplication; purchasing recycled, reusable, and recyclable products; purchasing equipment that is compatible with these products; and, when feasible, printing copies on both sides of paper . …
Both of these policies were written as a result of community input and both deal almost exclusively with paper recycling and use. They both fall short of addressing the BIG PICTURE.
ObjectiveObjective
Provide a resource recovery and conservation program that works within current resource constraints and complies with the Board of Regents mandates.
Recycling Resource Recycling Resource ConstraintsConstraints
Annual Budget• Appropriated Budget of $4,000
• No significant revenue generated Types of Acceptable Materials
• Office Paper• Aluminum, copper, ferrous metals
• Cardboard• Newspaper• Glass
Recycling DisincentivesRecycling Disincentives
No strong legislative mandates. Revenue for recycled material is
far less than the cost of running the program.
Limited marketability. There are very few industries that use recycled material in Alaska as a raw material.
Recycling DisincentivesRecycling Disincentives
Alaska currently has an enormous capacity for containing “environmentally friendly” landfills.
Trash dumping fee in Anchorage is cheap ($45 vs. $300 or more per ton outside).
Recycling DisincentivesRecycling Disincentives
Cost in labor and fuel usage for shipping recyclables outside is high and shipping is potentially more environmentally unfriendly than landfilling.
Recycling DisincentivesRecycling Disincentives
Any contamination of recyclables turns them into trash.
•Hand sorting is labor intensive and cost prohibitive.
•Past education efforts have not proved to be 100% effective. It only takes one person to contaminate an entire load of recyclables.
Resource DisincentivesResource Disincentives
Beverage Vending Machines• most machines on campus
dispense plastic bottles now
• plastic recycling is currently not viable in Alaska
• Aluminum can recycling is only viable in a few areas on campus
What UAA Has TriedWhat UAA Has Tried Before 1990, Anchorage Recycling
came to many individual offices on campus, then they levied a fee ($40 - $60/month).
The Environmental Education Club ran a program in the early nineties and discontinued the program due to insufficient resources.
Environmental Health & Safety took over the program for a few months right after the EEC discontinued it.
What UAA Has TriedWhat UAA Has Tried
Shortly after EHS took over the program, it was transferred to General Support Services until July, 1998.
The recycling program has recently been reorganized under the Custodial Department.
Recycling Prior to FY99 Recycling Prior to FY99 26 buildings with a total of 76 stations. Recycling aluminum cans, white paper
and newspaper. Containers were usually so contaminated
that most went to the landfill. Because of inconsistent pick-ups, recycle
centers became unsightly trash heaps, fire hazards, and attracted insects and rodents.
Recycling Prior to FY99Recycling Prior to FY99
The program was labor intensive and ran a deficit of about $8,000 per year.
Other groups have tried their own mini-programs which were successful for a short period of time, but were usually discontinued after a few semesters because of lack of interest or a key player left or changed jobs.
Recycling at UAA TodayRecycling at UAA Today Two clearly labeled
seawolf-logo yellow dumpsters located in the Library parking lot; one for newspaper and the other for cardboard and one large dumpster located at the Housing Commons for cardboard.
Recycling at UAA TodayRecycling at UAA Today
Departments and individuals are responsible for transporting materials to the dumpsters.
Custodial Services will assist with transporting small pickup loads to the dumpsters.
Residence Life recycling program for glass, newspaper, and office paper with plans for expansion
Recycling at UAA TodayRecycling at UAA Today
To be consistent with Regents’ Policy P05.08.01, departments and individuals are encouraged to manage their own mini-programs, but they are responsible for transporting materials to the municipal recycle centers.
Departments may spend recycling revenues in accordance with acceptable procurement practices.
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Preferential purchasing of commodities made from recycled materials
• Develop the Market• Paper, stationery, business cards• Construction material (sand,
asphalt, fill, fiberboard,etc) Making extensive use of electronic
communications to reduce paper usage and the need to recycle
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Substitute hazardous products with more environmentally friendly products
• Using water-based rather than oil-based paints & solvents
• Relamping with low mercury fluorescent tubes
• Replacing halon systems with carbon dioxide, bicarbonates, and phosphates for fire
extinguishers and suppression systems
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Reusing, reclaiming and recycling• Using newspaper/hydroseed mulches
for our landscaping• Recycling lead/acid and nicad
batteries• Recovering and reusing all freon
coolants in automotive air conditioners• Reclaiming metals in dental amalgams
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Reusing, reclaiming and recycling
• Fuel blending or filtering spent crankcase oil
• Redistilling spent solvents from science, arts, voc/ed, and trades especially for in-house applications
• Recycling metals by Maintenance and VocEd
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Controlling energy usage in our buildings
• Delamping areas with too much light
• Distributing energy citations for people who leave lights, computers, and other equipment on after hours• Setting back ventilation and
heating systems when buildings are not in use
Going Beyond Regents Going Beyond Regents Policies The Bigger PicturePolicies The Bigger Picture
Redistribution of• surplus materials (furniture, equipment)• unused hazardous materials to internal departments or external agencies
Developing programs that reduce air pollution U-Pass and Share-A-Ride Programs
U-Pass SystemU-Pass System
UAA Partnership with the People Mover
U-Pass SystemU-Pass System Free rides on all routes of the People Mover for
students and employees showing the U-Pass sticker on their green UAA ID cards (free stickers available at the Campus Center information desk)
Paid for by UAA ($50,000 per year) Up to 800 rides per day Estimated 200 to 400 people using it per day 200 to 300 vehicles not coming on campus each day Reduces air pollution and traffic congestion Reduces the need for more parking spots Includes accessibility options
Share-A-RideShare-A-Ride
Van pooling• Limited takers because of diverse schedules and starting/ending points• Survey and information available
at http:/www.uaa.alaska.edu/ehsrms• Possibly develop reserved or free
parking for vans
What Have We LearnedWhat Have We Learned While usually unseen and running in the
background, UAA purchasing practices, U-Pass, hazmat management, energy conservation, recycling and other resource recovery and conservation incentives contribute more to preserving a safe and clean environment than the highly visible paper recycling programs do alone.
These programs also help to conserve dwindling budgets and that’s a WIN-WIN!
What We Have LearnedWhat We Have Learned
Past experience reveals that UAA must develop small successful recycling programs at the department level then capitalize on their success by continuous improvement and expansion in a methodical manner.
What We Have EarnedWhat We Have Earned
1991 Mayor’s Pollution Prevention Award 1992 EPA Region X Administrator’s
Nomination Green Star recognition for waste reduction
and air quality EPA’s most favorable hazardous waste
generator status - Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator
Why Is UAA Conditionally Why Is UAA Conditionally Exempt?Exempt?
On the average, UAA generates between 200 and 400 pounds of listed hazardous each year.
That’s roughly the amount generated by the average Alaskan household in a year!
The next unfavorable status is someone who generates over 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month as a Small Quantity Generator.
What Do We Get For This Favorable What Do We Get For This Favorable Status?Status?
Satisfaction in doing our part to preserve the environment and providing a safer work place
UAA can use the Hiland Drive Hazardous Waste Facility at a cost of $1 per pound vs. a potential cost of $10 per pound if we couldn’t use the facility.
Prior costs were approximately $20,000 per year. Now they are less than $1,000 per year.
Savings can be diverted into other conservation efforts and academic programs.
Less paperwork for Trig
How Do We Keep This How Do We Keep This StatusStatus
By practicing continuous improvement in existing programs
By developing new programs as resources permit
By prioritizing and using cost effective management techniques - Getting the most bang for our buck
SETTING UAA PRIORITIES
Contributions to: Combined
Effort Conservation Economy Ranking
Reducing Most Most First
Reusing | | Second
Recycling Least Least Third
Some Buzz PhrasesSome Buzz Phrases
Think globally . . . act locally. Everything we do in our private and
employment activities to improve the quality of our environment counts.
Employers, employees and customers share equally in the responsibility to preserve our environment.
Look at the big picture and prioritize.
Need Help with Need Help with Recycling?Recycling?
Contact the following individuals for assistance or advice on recycling or other environmental concerns:
Rick Mason, Custodial Service 786-4762, [email protected]
Trig Trigiano, Environmental Health & Safety 786-1351, [email protected], www.uaa.alaska.edu/ehsrms
Anchorage Recycling Center 562-2267
Feed Trig pizza and Feed Trig pizza and nobody gets hurt!nobody gets hurt!