Marian M. Brown, Director Center for Sustainability and the Environment mbrown@wells.edu Aurora, New York www.wells.edu/sustainability
Wells at a Glance Founded 1868 Private, liberal arts 575 students (66% female : 34% male) 350 acres 20+ buildings 8 residence halls Center for Sustainability and the Environment 6/2014 Mission: bring focus to/foster connections among curricular, operational and outreach activities
Over 90% of our students live on campus in 8 different buildings Traditional residence halls Main Weld Leach Dodge ~180 students ~60 students ~80 students ~120 students Glen Park ~40 students Apartments / affinity houses Green House ~ 8 students Fairlane Apartments ~ 11 students Mandell House ~ 12 students 510 student rooms total
Our Challenge: Institute a Residence Hall Recycling Program The Good: Small scale Campus support for sustainability Pre-existing student support for recycling in residence halls * The Bad: Small scale Financial constraints No comprehensive recycling system
Hallway separation station in Main Trash Redeemable bottles/cans Other recyclable materials Cardboard Reorganized separation station (commingled/single stream) Cardboard
Reorganized separation station
Hallway separation station in Main Our planned station upgrade
Hallway separation station in Main Our planned station upgrade
Fire Marshal visit citations of several buildings
Fire Marshal visit citations of several buildings New York State Fire Code SECTION 304 COMBUSTIBLE WASTE MATERIAL 304.1 Waste accumulation prohibited. Combustible waste material creating a fire hazard shall not be allowed to accumulate in buildings or structures or upon premises. 304.2 Storage. Storage of combustible rubbish shall not produce conditions that will create a nuisance or a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare. 304.3.2 Capacity exceeding 5.33 cubic feet. Containers with a capacity exceeding 5.33 cubic feet (40 gallons) shall be provided with lids. Containers and lids shall be constructed of noncombustible materials or approved combustible materials.
No hallway separation stations that could create egress issues in the event of a fire Separation stations will ideally be located inside rooms with closed, fireproof doors Containers under 40 gallon do not have to be non-combustible Rubbermaid Slim Jim style containers 33 gallon Containers over 40 gallon not located inside a room with a closed, fireproof door have to be non-combustible or certified as fire resistant per standard: UL 242 Significant fines for non-compliance with violations 30 days to rectify before re-inspection
Continental Wall Hugger gray base with Drop Shot black lid Continental Wall Hugger blue recycling base Rubbermaid Slim Jim single stream lid $105 per 2 bin station (in quantity) TRASH CorTech Cobra can, fire retardant, 40+ gallon meets CAL 133 fire retardancy standard (accepted in lieu of UL 242) Blue base/lid (we stenciled on recycling symbol) Gray base/top (we stenciled on TRASH ) $276 per 2 bin station
Students complained about the loss of hallway separation stations and the difficulty of keeping recyclables separate in their room until they transported them to the trash/recycling room. Working with the Wells Campus Greens, a student organization, we purchased 14 x 14 x 14 cardboard boxes for this purpose. Greens organized box decorating parties, supplying paints, markers, glue, magazines, etc. so students could customize their in-room recycling box. $1.25 each carton
In January 2016, we will place one recycling container in each residence hall room (510 rooms). $5 each (in quantity) These bins will become part of the furnishings for each room; residents will be billed for replacement if their bin is missing at end of year check-out.
In 2016, we will again participate in RecycleMania.
Thanks!