1. Background 2 2. Methodology Audit Analysis Mixed Recycling Audit Analysis General Waste. 5. Audit Analysis - Composting 11

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1 Contents 1. Background 2 2. Methodology 3 3. Audit Analysis Mixed Recycling 4 4. Audit Analysis General Waste 8 5. Audit Analysis - Composting Audit Analysis Cardboard Conclusion Recycling Performance 13 Prepared by: Daniel Boddington daniel. boddington@london-recycling.co.uk Waste Audit LSE NAB, December 2008

2 Background This waste audit is designed to assess the early success of the new Bin-the-Bin scheme, which has been implemented at the New Academic Building in Holborn. 2 Waste Audit LSE NAB, December 2008

Methodology All materials (Mixed Paper, Mixed Recycling, Cardboard, Glass, Composting and General Waste) were collected and weighed to provide bespoke average bin weights as an alternative to

The sacks from the General Waste and the Mixed Recycling were separated to provide an overview of the quantities of specific materials that are being sent for recycling and wasteenergy incineration

Miscellaneous Non-Recyclables x Polystyrene Cups x Wet Food x Other Polystyrene x Liquid These waste streams were then photographed and weighed to provide a quantified breakdown of the waste

3 Methodology All materials (Mixed Paper, Mixed Recycling, Cardboard, Glass, Composting and General Waste) were collected and weighed to provide bespoke average bin weights as an alternative to industry standard weights. The sacks from the General Waste and the Mixed Recycling were separated to provide an overview of the quantities of specific materials that are being sent for recycling and wasteenergy incineration respectively; Waste was broken down into; x White Paper x Cans x Mixed Paper x Metals x Cardboard x Glass x Tissue x TetraPak x Paper Cups x CD s x Plastic Bottles x WEEE x Other Plastics x Miscellaneous Non-Recyclables x Polystyrene Cups x Wet Food x Other Polystyrene x Liquid These waste streams were then photographed and weighed to provide a quantified breakdown of the waste constituents. Where possible, the weights were taken from the electronic scales, as these were more accurate. However, the heavier sacks were weighed using the pallet scales as the electronic scales have a limit of 5kg and are somewhat impractical for weighing large sacks. During the course of the audit, if there was anything of interest, anything unusual or anything in the waste that should not be there (i.e. hazardous waste) it was photographed and noted. Once all the waste has been separated, weighed and recorded, it is either placed in the MRF for recycling or put into a general waste bin and sent for Waste-Energy incineration. 3 Waste Audit LSE NAB, December 2008

Audit Analysis Mixed Recycling Mixed Recycling collections are twice Daily from 2x660L bins. Sample 1 The first sample of mixed recycling was taken from 1x660L bin and weighed 28.

4 Audit Analysis Mixed Recycling Mixed Recycling collections are twice Daily from 2x660L bins. Sample 1 The first sample of mixed recycling was taken from 1x660L bin and weighed 28.4Kg, though on visual inspection it appeared heavily contaminated. When sorting this waste, it was clear that there had been some sort of event held as there were large plastic platters, corks from bottles of wine, skewers, napkins and large quantities of food waste. Certain sacks had such clear and heavy contamination that they should have been placed into the general waste collection. Regardless of whether this was genuinely a mixed recycling bin or a misplaced general waste bin, it is clear that cleaners are not trained to identify contamination and place the sacks in the correct bin accordingly. A small composting liner was also found within this sample providing an even more worrying insight into how the bins are misused. To compound matters, the contents of this composting bin included non-compostable materials. There was one small sack that contained leaves and cigarette butts, this looked like sweepings from the ground around the bins, again it should have been placed in with the general waste. Liquid Contamination was high. Sample 2 Sample 2 was far cleaner than sample 1. It was taken from 1x660L bin and weighed 33.9 Kg. Even visually you could tell that there was a lot less in the way of solid contamination, though there was still a fair amount of liquid contamination, probably due to the high proportion of drinking vessels. There was no sign of any of the catering materials, consequently, food based contamination was much lower. Quantities of drinking vessels in this sample were much higher than previously, this was reflected by a substantial increase in liquid contamination. The level of mixed and white paper was also higher than the previous sample. While there was still a higher level of glass than we would expect, it was much lower than the previous sample, again. This lends weight to the argument that the first sample was 4

not typical due to an event (higher glass due to wine bottles, catering platters etc), as does the fact that there were no TetraPak juice cartons in this sample.

5 not typical due to an event (higher glass due to wine bottles, catering platters etc), as does the fact that there were no TetraPak juice cartons in this sample. Sample 3 This was a larger sample with 2x660Ltr bins being collected and a total sample weight of 69.5 Kg. This sample was similar to the second in that contamination was below a third, though the majority of the recyclable material was made up of white and mixed paper. We would not normally expect such high levels of paper, especially with separate bins for paper. The low level of liquid contamination backs up the lack of drinking vessels. One of the main issues that this sample raised was that a large number of plastic sacks were being used for very small amounts of waste. In numerous cases whole sacks would contain one or two items, representing a substantial waste. This is reflected in the high plastic content. Miscellaneous items such as street sweepings and vacuum cleaner bags are finding their way into the waste stream. While not hazardous, these items still have the potential to contaminate recyclable materials past the point of recovery. Material Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Total % White Paper Mixed Paper Cardboard Tissues Paper Cups Plastic Bottles Other Plastic Polystyrene Cups Other Polystyrene Glass TetraPak Cans Metals CD ' s WEEE Food Waste Liquid Misc. non-recyclable Green Waste Totals 28.4 Kg 33.9 Kg 69.5 Kg Kg 100 Table 1 5

6 The charts and table above provide the statistical breakdown of the samples collected. On average, we are looking at a contamination rate of around 32%, though the audit has shown that normally contamination is lower, it is when events are held that the contamination spikes above normal rates (up to 42%). Drinks vessels make up a fair proportion of the recyclables in this stream, by adding liquid capture to some bins in key areas, there is the potential to reduce the level of contamination here. 6

The same sort of thing seems to have happened in the last sack, only with sacks of pure paper being placed in mixed recycling rather than in the mixed paper bin, this could have been laziness on the

7 The same sort of thing seems to have happened in the last sack, only with sacks of pure paper being placed in mixed recycling rather than in the mixed paper bin, this could have been laziness on the part of a cleaner or due to the paper bin being full. Food contamination is clearly the largest issue in this waste stream. More effort must be made to keep food to either the composting or, failing that, the general waste bins. This may not be down to just staff and students, but also giving cleaners more training on identifying when sacks are contaminated. Some sacks were clearly heavily contaminated and still placed in with the mixed recycling, cleaners should be made aware that they are to use their judgement when deciding which bin to place the sacks in. 7

8 Audit Analysis - General Waste General Waste is collected twice daily from 2x 660L bins. Sample 1 Taken from 2x660L bins, the sample weighed 63.8 Kg. The first sample of general waste contained a moderate quantity of drinking vessels, in particular paper cups, though other recyclables such as paper and card were fairly scarce, this is a good indicator for proper bin use. As with the first mixed recycling sample, the waste was dominated by event catering waste such as skewers, soiled napkins and solid food waste. In general, levels of recyclables in this stream are fairly low, however the amount of plastics was relatively high due to bulky catering containers being thrown out rather than being re-used or recycled. There was also a large amount of plastic film, which had originated from catering, so perhaps catering staff could benefit from more awareness of what is recyclable. Sample 2 Taken from 2x660L bins, this sample weighed 47.9 Kg. The second sample showed much the same characteristics of the first though there was less event-based catering waste (skewers, platters etc). The proportions were fairly similar with high levels of plastic film and identical levels of drinking vessels. In both samples, food waste was the largest constituent, indicating that there is scope for improvement in use of com posting bins. Levels of paper and card were even lower than in the previous sample, this indicates consistently good use for materials that are clearly recyclable. Levels of plastics were still high, but this could be down to the fact that most of the plastic was film that had previously contained food so was borderline contaminated. 8

Material Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Total % White Paper 2 0.4 2.4 2.1 Mixed Paper 3 0.8 3.8 3.4 Cardboard 3 0.28 3.28 2.9 Tissues 4 2.4 6.4 5.7 Paper Cups 6 4.4 10.4 9.3 Plastic Bottles 3 2.1 5.1 4.

9 Material Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Total % White Paper Mixed Paper Cardboard Tissues Paper Cups Plastic Bottles Other Plastic Polystyrene Cups TetraPak Cans Metals ' WEEE Food Waste Liquid Misc. Non recyclable CD s Totals Table 2 9

We can clearly see that the amount of plastics going into the waste is too high, much of this material could easily be placed in mixed recycling with minimal effort.

10 The breakdown of general waste serves to highlight the high proportion of food waste in these bins. While it is a positive step as it keeps potential contamination away from mixed recycling, the food could be better dealt with as compost. We can clearly see that the amount of plastics going into the waste is too high, much of this material could easily be placed in mixed recycling with minimal effort. Some of it may need a quick rinse, but seeing as most looked like it was from a kitchen/catering area, this shouldn t be a problem. The large amounts of liquid & miscellaneous non-recyclables, combined with the low levels of paper, card & metals show that as a whole, staff and students are using the general waste bins well. 10

Audit Analysis Composting During the course of the audit, 4x140L composting bins were collected.

More awareness over the proper use of the composting is essential.

11 Audit Analysis Composting During the course of the audit, 4x140L composting bins were collected. These were at varying levels of fullness, though the weight and fullness was not the issue, having opened one or two of the sacks it was clear that the quality of this waste stream has considerable room for improvement. Certain sacks contained paper cups, and wooden stirrers as will as napkins and other non-compostable materials, it looked as if the caddy had simply been used for dumping all materials at a tea-point. More awareness over the proper use of the composting is essential. Also cleaners must be made aware that if it is clear that there are non-compostable materials in a sack, it must not be placed in the large composting bin, but instead should be placed in the general waste. Audit Analysis Cardboard During the course of the audit 4x660L cardboard bins were collected. The vast majority of the card was clean and flat, though in some instances there were unflattened boxes, this is not a drastically important issue. What is more of an issue is the fact that there were sacks of mixed recycling and general waste placed in almost all of the cardboard bins. Again, we would recommend better training for the cleaners so that they are not contaminating otherwise perfectly clean loads of recycling by placing contaminants in the wrong bin. Average Bin Weights Mixed Recycling - 33Kg General Waste - 28Kg Cardboard - 22Kg Mixed Paper- 31.5Kg Glass - 52Kg Note not all these bins were full, full bin weights will be assessed with further sample weighing. 11

12 Conclusion In general the quality of the waste coming out of the NAB is much better than previous. The liquid contamination has decreased enormously and overall levels of contamination are decreasing. With a few tweaks to the system and some additional awareness and training, we can expect to see the system really come into its own within the next few months. With the building not being your typical office setting, it is important to take into account the varied activities and events that occur and set out the bin scheme respectively. When hosting events with large amounts of catering waste, it may be more appropriate to increase the proportion of general waste bins and create bespoke posters to advise external people who have no previous experience of the scheme on proper bin use. Better signage dissuading people from putting cups and the like in composting caddies would be advisable at tea-making facilities. Training for cleaning staff and advising them to use their own discretion when deciding whether a not a sack is contaminated is highly recommended. By simply diverting contaminated sacks from the mixed recycling 660 bin, you can easily increase the quality of your recyclables, though obviously in the long term, education and awareness for proper bin use is the preferred solution. Huge amounts of the plastics are from the sacks themselves, perhaps clean sacks less than half-full can be decanted into the larger sacks that we have seen and be re-used, this would not only reduce wastage, but also reduce cost. At a glance, the main issues raised by this audit are: x High x contamination due to catering waste from events Liquid contamination in bins with high drinking vessel content x Sacks being placed in the wrong bins. x High plastic usage in sacks x Misuse x Decline in contamination x Good 12 of com posting bins usage of general waste bins

13 Recycling Performance Using the calibrated recycling figures for November, we can see that your recycling percentage is 78%. Mixed Paper 3112 Kg 40% Cardboard 1210 Kg 15% Mixed Recycling 1221 Kg 15% Glass 225 Kg 3% Food Com posting 400 Kg 5% 10Kg 0% 1708 Kg 22% Toners General Waste 13

Residual Waste and Recycling Composition Analysis From Flats. Barnet Borough Council. November April 2015 DRAFT REPORT

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