trash to treasure - umd
DESCRIPTION
In 2011, the Department of Resident Life revisited a program that was initiated almost 10 years prior as a way to help divert items from the waste stream during May move out. The renewed and re-envisioned Trash to Treasure program was adopted for the entire Resident Life and Fraternity & Sorority Life systems, collecting large quantities of goods for Goodwill and the Capital Area Food Bank. This presentation discusses the history behind the revitalization of the program, details of the current design, results from the first 2 years of collections, and considerations for future advancement of the program.TRANSCRIPT
TRASH TO TREASURE
An effort to divert our students’ “trash” from the waste stream to become someone else’s treasure
Resident Life: Dan Hairfield, Erin Schlegel, Michael MelnykFacilities Management: Adrienne Small
BRIEF HISTORY• Began in 2002 and remained small and decentralized until 2011.
• Offshoot of department’s sustainability committee
• Original Committee: Cindy Felice, Michael Glowacki, Dan Hairfield, Michael Melnyk, Dennis Scott, Tracy Kiras, Craig Leets, Genevieve Conway
• Sustainability Fund Grant: $10,000
• Partners: Facilities Management, Residential Facilities, Dining Services, and the Office of Sustainability
• Merged together with Mindful Moveout
• Residence Hall Association’s Sustainability Committee
PROGRAM CHARGE
Trash to Treasure is the signature program charged with the management of a spring semester closing program aimed at reducing the amount of items that enter the waste stream. In association with other campus and community agencies, Trash to Treasure serves to capture commonly disposed items to be donated to non-profit organizations, including Goodwill and Help by Phone.
ADVERTISING VIDEO
DONATION LOCATIONS
APPROVED DONATION ITEMS
CAMPUS PARTNERS• Facilities Management• Office of Sustainability• Residential Facilities (incl. Housekeeping)• Department of Transportation Services• Dining Services• Residence Hall Association• Fraternity & Sorority Life• Volunteers from around Student Affairs
THE COLLECTION - 2012
THE COLLECTION - 2013
THE RESULTSMay 2012Goodwill: 5810 cubic feet (6 box trucks and 1 trailer)Help by Phone: 6 carts of food suppliesTerrapin Trader: 5 box trucks of itemsACE Recycling: 2.5 30-ft dumpsters of carpets
May 2013Goodwill: 1 24-ft box truck of total itemsHelp by Phone: 6.5 carts of food suppliesACE Recycling: 2.51 tons of carpetWaste Reduction: 200 tons of trash, 4 tons of metal, 2 tons of paper, 68 tons of recycling, 4 tons of wood productsTipping Fee: reduction of …
FUTURE PLANSThe Resident Life Sustainability and Trash to Treasure program hope to continue to explore…
• Engaging new areas for collection (South Campus Commons, University Courtyards, College Park Community).
• The concept of a community yard sale, similar to programs at other universities operating sustainable move out programs.
• Staggered collections to capture items around the end of the fall semester and mid-spring semester (spring cleaning).
CUSTOMIZING A SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM
When developing this program, we have learned that the following factors are vital to consider:• Institutional size, scope, and budget• Who makes up the committee/central coordination• Vital partnerships (internal, non-profit organizations)• Who implements the program (departmental staff,
student volunteers, divisional partners, etc.)• Marketing to the university community• Measuring the savings/communicating the impact• Donation versus community sale• Expanding the reach of the program
THANK YOU!
Department of Resident LifeDan HairfieldAssistant Coordinator for South Campus [email protected]
Michael MelnykResident Director, North [email protected]
Erin SchlegelCommunity Director, [email protected] facebook.com/UMDreslife
@UMDreslife
Facilities ManagementAdrienne SmallRecycling SpecialistRecycling & Waste [email protected]
Web: www.facilities.umd.edu