CONDUCTING A CAMPUS WASTE AUDIT: TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES FOR DESIGNING A SUCCESSFUL INVENTORY OF MATERIALS IN A SOLID WASTE STREAM

Undergraduate students conducted a waste audit at the University of the Pacific (PACIFIC) to quantify the types, quantities, and sources of materials in PACIFIC's solid waste stream. These data will generate new strategies for improving the current campus recycling program. While the effectiveness and impact of PACIFIC's recycling program were not previously critically evaluated, it was clear the program was underutilized and in need of modifications. The results of a companion study of PACIFIC's recycling program suggest the lack of participation stems from the limited number, inconvenient placement, and poor labeling of recycling bins. While individual solutions to these specific problems are relatively simple and inexpensive, the most effective strategies for implementing campus-wide solutions remain unclear. Strategic implementation of improvements based on the results of PACIFIC's student-run waste audit are more likely to initiate student participation with minimal cost to the institution. Data generated by PACIFIC's waste audit are also providing a basis for a campus environmental impact assessment, the development of curricula specifically designed to help improve campus and community recycling habits, and a cost-benefit analysis of PACIFIC's waste stream. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits of an improved recycling program, PACIFIC could save more than $30,000 annually in waste removal fees given the projected average of 30% recyclable material in campus waste streams.

The practical and student-safe research methods underlying the PACIFIC waste audit were developed through close collaboration with campus administration and several prominent colleges and universities who successfully completed their own audits. The most challenging aspects of this process were associated with the development of research methods that satisfied the safety-, privacy-, and insurance-related concerns of PACIFIC's offices of Risk Management and Physical Plant. However, these rigorous negotiations resulted in a comprehensive research plan containing detailed methodologies that satisfied all administrative concerns.