Solid Waste Inventory: Assessment of Recyclable and Compostable Material in Pacific’s Waste Stream and its Environmental and Financial Impacts

Colleges and universities across the United States invest significant resources in developing effective and sustainable recycling programs. These programs yield financial and environmental benefits, which include reducing waste disposal costs, minimizing material diverted to landfills, and reducing the use of energy and resource needed to produce new products. While the University of the Pacific (Pacific) has made significant investments in a recycling program, the program was not being fully utilized. With the help of Pacific’s Students for Environmental Action group, approximately 175 kg of solid waste was inventoried from four buildings on Pacific’s Stockton campus during the spring semester of 2007. The results from this inventory suggest that only 14 ± 6% (by mass) of the material in Pacific’s waste stream is true waste and the remainder of the material in the waste stream was either recyclable (53 ± 6%), green waste and compostable material (23 ± 6%), or liquid/hazardous waste (7 ± 6%). Results from a companion photographic survey of three dumpsters serving the dormitories also indicate that the majority of material in Pacific’s waste stream is recyclable or compostable. Recycling uses less energy, decreases waste, reduces air and water pollution. As a result, increasing Pacific’s recycling efforts will lead to greater environmental sustainability. In addition, the results of this waste audit suggest that Pacific may save a significant portion of waste removal fees by eliminating recyclable and compostable materials from the waste stream. The financial benefit should serve as an incentive for improvement of recycling on campus and could be used to offset the cost of future environmental initiatives at Pacific