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!""#$%&' Abstract
The Road to a Campus-Wide Composting System
Compost Alliance is a student group dedicated to implemen3ng a campus‐wide compost diversion system to help UC Berkeley achieve its stated goals of 75% waste diversion by 2012 and zero waste by 2020, while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save the campus money, and encourage sustainable prac3ces. For the first stage of the project, Compost Alliance sought to achieve the ‘cri3cal mass’ necessary to jus3fying ‘in‐house’ compos3ng for the campus by implemen3ng compos3ng in over a dozen buildings. Moving forward, for the second stage of the project, our group seeks to expand compos3ng into even more buildings on campus, and more importantly, move towards ins3tu3onalizing the compos3ng system by permanently integra3ng it into already established campus waste services.
Our Approach Compost Alliance has been working to expand compos3ng (and recycling) systems to include all buildings on campus. Student coordinators and volunteers work directly with campus stakeholders, including building managers, custodians, and building occupants, to progressively implement waste diversion systems in each building across campus, with special focus on compos3ng. In addi3on to the infrastructural component, our project has been working to educate the campus community on waste reduc3on topics via educa3onal outreach efforts and the development of universal campus signage, both of which are central to the success of program. Program performance is measured upon diversion rates of >75% for paper towel waste from restrooms and significantly improved food waste diversion. Metrics for successful implementa3on also include assessing educa3on levels of students, staff, and faculty on a campus‐wide basis.
Building Timelines Our standardized ‘building 3melines’ allow us to streamline the waste diversion implementa3on process. The 3meline includes (1) a mee3ng with building manager and custodians to garner support and discuss logis3cs for the new compos3ng program, (2) conduct a preliminary waste audit to assess the ini3al state of waste flow, (3) implement bins and appropriate signage for compos3ng and recycling, (4) educate building occupant via posters, newslefers, adver3sing, and presenta3ons, (5) conduct a follow‐up waste audit, and (6) inspect the systems, taking note of problem areas to be targeted in the con3nuing educa3onal outreach of building occupants.
Implementation + Education = Money Saved + CO2E Averted
“Achieving Critical Mass”
Over the past year, we have been working to bring over fi]een (15) buildings ‘online’ by implemen3ng campus‐standard compos3ng systems for waste diversion, in an effort to move the campus towards achieving the ‘cri3cal mass‘ necessary to jus3fy in‐house compos3ng. In‐house compos3ng will eventually allow the campus to divert over 2000 tons of landfill waste per year. That equates to roughly 300,000 kgCO₂E (emissions) saved each year. Moreover, bringing internal collec3on of compos3ng (as opposed to contrac3ng out) and consolida3ng equipment and supply purchases will reduce both fixed and variable costs of compos3ng per building and, as compost increases, reduce costs through economies of scale.
Milestones Along the Road As of March 2012 Compost Alliance has... implemented compost systems in 9 buildings on campus, and by June we will have implemented over 15+ ✓ educated or reached out to more than 1000+ people over the course of the program ✓ diverted an es3mated 18,000 pounds (lbs) of waste from disposal in the landfills ✓ averted an 1,300 kilograms (kg) of CO₂E from releasing into the atmosphere ✓ made fundamental, posi3ve changes in the ways in which campus waste is managed ✓ promoted an ethic of environmental stewardship for the campus community and beyond ✓
The Road Ahead By June 2012, Compost Alliance will have completed its first stage of ‘achieving cri3cal mass.’ Upon comple3on of ‘Phase I’ in June 2012, the focus of ‘Phase II’ will be (1) the significant expansion of compost collec3on systems into 15+ more buildings and (2) the ins3tu3onaliza3on of Compost Alliance program within Physical Plant‐Campus Services (PPCS) and Campus Recycling and Refuse Services (CRRS). Moving forward, Compost Alliance seeks to create an economically viable and logis3cally efficient infrastructure within already established campus waste services to ensure the long‐term sustainability of the program. Such efforts seek to move the program away from grant funded and economic dependence from outside sources towards complete integra3on into campus waste services.
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The Compost Alliance compostalliance@gmail.com 11A Edwards Track, UC Berkeley (510) 643 ‐ 4612 Claire Evans, Anna Szendrenyi, Annie Gordon Compost Alliance Coordinators Poster by Anna Szendrenyi