PSU Urban Center Building

PSU Urban Center Building Materials Assessment Prepared for Portland State University Eric T. Crum Moonrose Doherty Gretchen Sandau December 9, 2013 Director Materials Assessment Manager Materials Assessment Assistant Community Environmental Services Portland State University PO Box 751 CES Portland, OR 97207

Contents Section 1: Background 1 Section 2: Methods 3 Section 3: Findings 5 Section 4: Observations 7 Section 5: Recommendations 8 Section 6: Waste Sort Photos 10 Section 7: Glossary of Material Categories 12 Figures Figure 3.1: General material composition by weight 5 Figure 3.2: General breakdown of landfill-bound materials categories 6 Tables Table 3.1: Generalized categories by weight 5 Table 3.2: Specific material categories by weight 6

Section 1: Background In August of 2013, the Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) and Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) of Portland State University (PSU) contacted Community Environmental Services (CES) with the request to conduct a landfill-bound material assessment for PSU s Urban Center Building (Urban Center), located in Portland, Oregon. CES is a research and service unit at Portland State University. PSU is a state university that was founded in 1946, is home to Oregon s largest undergraduate and graduate enrollment, and is the only public university in the state located in a major metropolitan city. Portland State is worldrenowned for its sustainability initiatives, and has had this status reflected in the numerous green rankings achieved through the campus efforts. The Urban Center, home to the College of Urban and Public Affairs was built in 2000 and is a mixed-use building made up of classrooms and offices on the top six floors and retail down on the ground level. The retail spaces include the PSU Bookstore, Seattle s Best, Rice Junkies, Pizzicato, and Ben & Jerry s. The material diversion services PSU offers to the vendors are four to six 60 gallon roll carts for compost, two 95 gallon roll carts for glass bottle and jar recycling, two 4-yard dumpsters for commingled recycling (mixed papers, corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles and tubs, and metal containers) and two 4- yard dumpsters for landfill- bound materials. PSU currently employs a variety of material diversion practices depending on the building and its occupants. All buildings currently collect commingled and glass bottle and jar recycling. As of August 2013, all buildings have the option to collect post- consumer compost in break room areas to be serviced by custodial staff. Compost collection prior to August 2013 was under DIY systems, in which responsible parties emptied their own internal compost bins into the external compost containers provided by the commercial hauler because the custodial contracts did not include compost collection. Pre-consumer compost on campus is collected in various locations such as the Aramark serviced kitchens and retail tenant kitchens. Post-consumer compost is collected in only three food vending locations: the student-run, sustainably-focused Food for Thought Café, Victor s dining hall, and a single station in the Smith Viking Food Court. The collection for recycling of rigid plastics, batteries, e-waste, film plastics, yard debris/landscape waste, expanded foams, media (including CDs), and other recoverable materials is accomplished through individual and independently generated work order requests on behalf of individual departments or units. Periodic PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 1

collection recycling events are also held for Styrofoam, textbooks, and e-waste. The objectives of the current material assessment are as follows: 1. Determine the composition of the landfillbound waste stream by conducting a material assessment on the waste generated from the Urban Center during a disposal period of 24-hours. The material assessment included hand sorting the waste into material categories, weighing the sorted materials, recording the data, and making quantitative and qualitative observations. 2. Develop recommendations regarding material waste that could be diverted or reduced based on the findings from the material assessment. 3. Provide evidence for diversion targets and waste minimization goals. 2 Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

Section 2: Methods The assessment was conducted on October 2, 2013 by CES, CSO and the Sustainability Leadership Center (SLC). Half of the materials from a 24-hour generation period at the Urban Center were extracted from each of the two 4-yard landfill- bound containers. The entire 221.8 pounds extracted were hand sorted into the 18 material categories listed below. The five categories that are grouped under Readily Recyclable are considered more readily recyclable due to the widely available diversion infrastructure on campus and at the Urban Center Building. The general category of Other Recoverables includes materials that are divertible through current systems at PSU, but not on a campus-wide basis. The general category of Non-recoverables includes materials that are avoidable and possibly divertible through unique diversion programs if they were to be implemented. See Section 7: Glossary of Material Categories for detailed descriptions of each material. These material categories were chosen by CES and CSO to best view the waste composition of the PSU campus and the Urban Center in accordance with the current campus diversion systems. The material assessment was conducted in the walk way between Neuberger Hall and the Smith Memorial Student Union as an educational tool for the students and faculty of the university. Once the materials were sorted out into their respective categories they were displayed in the yellow bins for passersby. Education signs were placed on the materials such as poly-coated non-recyclable coffee and drink cups had a sign encouraging students and faculty to bring their own mug and avoid cups in the waste. PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 3

The list of material categories is as follows: Readily Recyclable and Recoverable» Mixed paper» Cardboard» Metals» Plastic bottles and tubs» Glass bottles and jars» Compostable food» Compostable containers Other Recoverables» Rigid plastics» Plastic film» Plastic cold drink cups» Plastic to-go food containers» Electronics» Reusable office supplies» Liquids Non-Recyclables» Poly-coated drink cups» Poly-coated to-go food containers» True waste» Restroom waste Image 2.1: Landfill-bound materials prior to sort The 18 material categories above can be viewed as three general types of categories 1) Readily Recyclable and Recoverable, 2) Other Recoverables, and 3) Non-Recyclables. The terms recyclable, compostable, and other recoverable refer specifically to a material s ability to be recycled, composted, or recovered by other means, in the current diversion programs on the PSU campus. Image 2.2: Material sort in progress 4 Image 2.3: Organized material categories Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

Section 3: Findings Findings and recommendations resulting from the material assessment are cited in terms of weight in pounds. Lighter materials such as plastic film and coffee cups can represent a large percentage of volume in the waste stream, however, when considered by weight alone these materials may not appear as a significant component of the load. Please refer to the photos in Section 6 for visual examples. Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1 present the weight according to the three general material categories outlined in the methods. Table 3.2 and Figure 3.2 show the different weights of specific categories. According to the data, 46% of the landfill-bound waste consists of compostable food and fibers. By combining the compostable materials (45%) and the readily recyclable materials (11%), a total of 57% of the landfill-bound waste could be recovered and/or diverted through PSU s existing standard recycling and composting practices. An additional 5% of the landfill-bound waste could be diverted if PSU were to expand its recycling and recovery systems to make it easier to divert the items in the Other Recoverables category. The materials could be targeted by offering a more user-friendly and widespread system of collection for plastic film, rigid plastics, e-waste, batteries across the entire PSU campus, based on the system that is already employed by successful departments such as in the Market Center Building or the Academic and Student Recreation Center. Other strategies include continuing to hold building-targeted pop-up swaps for capture of office reuse materials, as well as maintaining PSU s Reuse Room. Further elaboration into these strategies can be found in Section 5: Recommendations. READILY RECYCLABLE & RECOVERABLE 125.3 57% OTHER RECOVERABLE 12.1 5% NON-RECOVERABLE 84.4 38% TOTAL 221.8 100% Table 3.1: Generalized categories by weight Figure 3.1: General material composition by weight PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 5

Non-recoverable Other Recoverable Readily Recyclable & Recoverable Figure 3.2 presents three of the material categories grouped together as a To-Go Containers category, which includes Compostable containers, Plastic to-go containers, and Poly-coated food containers. Additionally, figure 3.2 presents three material categories grouped together as a To-Go Cups category, which includes Compostable cups, Plastic cold drink cups and Polycoated cups. It should be noted that each of the types of containers or cups belong to one of the following three general material categories of Other Recoverables, Readily Recyclables & Recoverables, or Non-Recoverables shown in Table3.2. This data presentation of To-Go items was done in order to accentuate their potential for reduction within the building and potentially on campus. 11% Recyclables MATERIAL WEIGHT % Compostable food 99.7 45% Compostable containers 2.0 1% Mixed paper 13.9 6% Plastic bottles & tubs 4.1 2% Glass bottles 2.6 1% Metals 1.7 1% Cardboard 1.4 1% Plastic film 4.3 2% Office reuse 3.0 1% Rigid plastic 2.5 1% Plastic cold drink cups 1.8 1% Plastic to-go containers 0.6 0% Poly-coated cups 10.0 5% Restroom waste 9.4 4% Liquid 6.8 3% Poly-coated food containers 2.6 1% Non-recyclables 55.5 25% Electronics 0.1 0% TOTAL 221.79 100.0% Table 3.2: Specific material categories by weight 46% Compostables 2% To-Go Containers 5% Other Recoverables 5% To-Go Cups 38% Non-recoverables Figure 3.2: General breakdown of landfill-bound materials categories 6 Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

Section 4: Observations The following qualitative observations were made in addition to the quantitative data gathered from the hand-sort materials assessment. 1. Several rolls of partially used paper towels were observed in the landfill-bound materials stream, suggesting opportunities in working with custodial staff on protocols for removal (image 4.1) 2. Multiple landfill-bound bags from the PSU Bookstore contained large amounts of recyclable paper and recyclable metal or plastic containers. The presence of recyclables in the landfill-bound waste from the PSU Bookstore suggests an opportunity for enhanced recycling infrastructure, including increased visibility and additional collection containers; as well as staff training (image 4.2-4.3) 3. Compostable materials were found in multiple bags from Seattle s Best, Rice Junkies, and Pizzicato. The presence of compostable food scraps and fibers in the landfill indicates an opportunity for education to vendors currently not participating or under-participating in the compost program offered on campus at PSU (images 4.4-4.6) Image 4.1: Paper towel rolls found in the materials stream Image 4.2: A landfill-bound bag with large amount of recyclables Image 4.3: Recyclable paper found in the PSU Bookstore landfill- bound bags Image 4.4: Compostable coffee grounds from Seattle s Best Image 4.5: Compostable materials from Rice Junkies Image 4.6: Compostable materials from Pizzicato PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 7

Section 5: Recommendations After analysis of the data, CES recommends the following: Compost. Compostable materials accounted for 46% of the Urban Center s total landfill-bound sample (Table 3.2). To reduce this amount, continue to provide internal compost collection containers to any departments/units requesting them from CSO and continue to provide access to free compostable bags and liners to eligible campus departments/units. Investigate how to provide education and encouragement to vendors on campus for composting. CES also advises the implementation of the following:» Expand the current post-consumer compost collection program within the building.» Target food vending tenants specifically for pre-consumer/back-of-house compost capture: Provide signs in all Urban Center back-of-house kitchen compost operations to inform staff/employees on what can be composted and what are excluded materials. Inform all food service tenant/vendors at the Urban Center that are not composting or under-composting, about their external compost containers location and use; and introduce them to composting system basics. Recycling. Continue to improve the collection of recyclable materials such as corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, plastic bottles and tubs, aluminum, steel, and tin cans, and glass bottles and jars, as these materials comprised a total of 11% of the landfill- bound sample.» Conduct a walk-through with Campus Sustainability Office of the Urban Center to assess set-ups, signage, and opportunities; consult Campus Sustainability Office for container and signage guidance with consideration given to standardization and buddy placement.» Make campus recycling and composting a required topic for new student orientations, new faculty and staff orientations, and all campus tours.» Provide periodic in-service recycling training to janitorial service staff, current staff, faculty, and new employees or students that may have missed the initial orientations.» For vendors, provide signs for each collection area and ensure that all landfill-bound containers are buddied up or paired up with commingled recycling collection containers. This will help prevent recyclable materials from being deposited into the landfill-bound receptacle due to the lack of the proper recycling container being present. Other recoverables. The combined category of Other Recoverables accounted for 5% of the landfill-bound waste. To reduce the presence of these materials in the landfill stream, CES suggests the following: 8 Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

» Target plastic film, rigid plastics, e-waste, and batteries for increased recycling recovery by offering a more user-friendly Other Recoverables system throughout the building and providing noticeable drop-off sites or online, easily accessible resources for potential users.» Promote department/ tenant-specific practices for capturing office reuse materials, such as each unit/department has a collection area that is transported to the PSU Reuse Room on a periodic basis or Pop-Up Swaps in the building.» Continue to perform staff, retail, tenant, and vendor outreach: Encourage vendors to participate in a reusable to-go container program (such as Go Box) to reduce the amount of disposable food containers. Encourage vendor/retail/tenants to explore recycling options through Recycle at Work program for materials such as plastic film and rigid plastics. Promote and expand the current a rigid plastics collection system, establish a collection route with a hauler, increase campus educational outreach for collection of rigid plastics. Non-recoverables. The materials in the general category of Non-recoverables accounted for 38% of the landfill-bound waste. To reduce the presence of these materials, CES suggests the following:» Restroom Waste: Explore the option of providing high-efficiency hand dryers to supplement paper towel usage in restrooms. Talk to the custodial staff about keeping the paper towel rolls in the machine until they are completely out. In conjunction with hand dryer installation, post stickers or specially designed permanent signage that read These Come from Trees or Please Conserve on paper towel dispensers. The These Come from Trees stickers can save up to 100 pounds of paper every year, reduce the amount of janitorial effort in restrooms, and cost $19 for a pack of 100 stickers. More information on how to purchase the stickers can be found at http://thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com/» To-Go Cups and To-Go Containers: Initiate a campus-wide campaign to kick the container and use durable reusable to-go containers in place of poly-coated disposable food containers on campus and at nearby food carts. Promote the Mug Runner program which takes abandoned reusable drinking containers and gives them to the PSU Reuse Room (CH 180) allowing people to get reusable drink containers for free, potentially reducing the 5% of to-go cups found (Figure 3.2) Address disposables by setting an annual PSU goal for reduction in purchases. PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 9

Section 6: Waste Sort Photos Image 7.1: Sorted compostable food & fibers Image 7.2: Sorted plastic film Image 7.3: Sorted non-recoverables & restroom waste Image 7.4: Sorted metals Image 7.5: Sorted plastic bottles & tubs Image 7.6: Sorted glass bottles 10 Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

Image 7.7: Sorted cardboard Image 7.8: Sorted plastic to-go containers, plastic cold drink cups, rigid plastics Image 7.9: Sorted office reuse Image 7.10: Sorted mixed paper Image 7.12: Sorted to-go containers Image 7.11: Sorted plastic to-go cups & poly-coated cups PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 11

Section 7: Glossary of Material Categories Compostable Food and Containers Vegetable, fruit, grain-based food scraps, meat, fish, fat, bones, eggshells, and coffee grinds. Paper fibers contaminated with food including coffee filters, soiled napkins, soiled paper bags, pizza boxes, waxed corrugated cardboard, and compostable food service war products that meet the guidelines set by ASTM, BPI, Cedar Grove Composting (www.cedargrove.com/acceptable/acceptedlist.asp), and Metro Regional Government. This category excludes noncompostable hot and cold drink cups, gable-top or square shaped aseptic cartons, and utensils, straws, lids, or bags made of plastic. Cardboard Corrugated boxes or sheets used for shipping and packaging materials. Electronics Discarded electronics such as central processing units (CPUs), monitors, televisions, cell phones, microwaves, radios, printers, fax machines, cords, and related office equipment. Glass bottles Containers made of glass. This category excludes light bulbs, flat glass, flower vases, drinking glasses, and tempered glass such as baking dishes. Liquid Liquids that were contained in contained in bottles, cups, or cans from the load. Metals Containers made of aluminum, steel or tin, including containers for beverages, food, and other materials. Empty aerosol cans, scrap metal, and clean aluminum foil are included in this category. Mixed Paper Includes office paper, newspaper, magazines, phonebooks, paper board/soft cardboard, folders, scrap paper, sticky notes, shredded paper, paper bags, egg cartons, cereal boxes, and all other non-corrugated cardboards. This category also includes aseptic such as gable-top milk and juice cartons and square-shaped cartons often used for soups or soymilk. Non-Recyclables Materials that cannot currently be diverted. These materials are also known as true waste because there are currently no recycling markets for the materials, the materials are not compostable at local composting facilities or the materials are not readily reused or fit for donation. Office Reuse Items that may be re-used through donation to a program or by in-house programs such as for office supplies or furniture. Plastic Cold Drink Cups Single use cups that are made with plastic. Plastic Bottles and Tubs Plastic containers with a neck, including containers for beverages, other fluids; plastic tubs of primarily food grade plastic often used for yogurt, margarine, and other food or nonfood materials, rigid plant pots larger than four inches, and plastic buckets smaller than five gallons. 12 Community Environmental Services December 9, 2013

Plastic Film All clean plastic film bags including grocery and sandwich bags. Also includes shrink wrap, pallet wrap, bubble wrap, and plastic films. Plastic To-Go Containers Plastic clam-shell containers used for serving food from restaurants or food carts. Poly-coated Cups Single use cups used for beverages made with paper lined with plastic. Poly-coated food Containers Single use food containers made with paper lined with plastic. Restroom Waste Bathroom paper towels and other restroom related items. Rigid Plastic Plastics that are accepted through expanded plastic recycling programs and specialty plastic recyclers that are non-bottle or tub shaped plastics such as lids. PSU Urban Center Building : Materials Assessment 13

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