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What are the most effective ways to reduce waste in educational facilities?

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Educational facilities, such as schools, colleges, and universities, generate a significant amount of waste every day. From paper and plastic to food and electronics, the waste stream can have a negative impact on the environment and the budget of the institution. However, there are some effective ways to reduce waste in educational facilities and promote a culture of sustainability among students, staff, and faculty. Here are some of them.

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1 Conduct a waste audit

A waste audit is a process of measuring and analyzing the types and amounts of waste produced by an educational facility. It can help identify the sources, destinations, and costs of waste, as well as the opportunities for waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. A waste audit can be done by a professional service or by the facility itself, with the involvement of the stakeholders. A waste audit can provide a baseline for setting goals, developing strategies, and monitoring progress.

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Kelly O'Day Weisinger

Energy Transition, Director of Global Methane at Environmental Defense Fund
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Determining the % of waste materials that are compostable, i.e. food waste, is critical to reducing methane emissions from landfills. This number alone can make the case for collection of pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste and reduce GHG emissions significantly. If post-consumer food collection is not feasible, then at least collecting pre-consumer food waste from cafeterias and food vendors on campus is a critical step.

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2 Implement a waste reduction plan

A waste reduction plan is a document that outlines the actions and policies that an educational facility will take to reduce its waste generation and disposal. It can include elements such as waste prevention, purchasing, storage, collection, separation, recycling, composting, education, and evaluation. A waste reduction plan can help an educational facility save money, conserve resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve its environmental performance.

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Kelly O'Day Weisinger

Energy Transition, Director of Global Methane at Environmental Defense Fund
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Transparency in how the plan will be implemented, monitored, and enforced is critical to getting buy-in from all members of the institution. If the plan calls for effort from the students, faculty, and staff, the plan must also call for protocols for upstream suppliers, downstream vendors, and the operational pieces that connect them. Constant and transparent communication about the plan and its working parts help prevent suspicion of greenwashing or skepticism of results.

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3 Adopt green purchasing practices

Green purchasing is the practice of buying products and services that have a lower environmental impact than conventional alternatives. It can help an educational facility reduce its waste by choosing items that are durable, reusable, recyclable, biodegradable, or made from recycled or renewable materials. Green purchasing can also support the local economy, enhance the health and safety of the users, and demonstrate social responsibility.

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Kelly O'Day Weisinger

Energy Transition, Director of Global Methane at Environmental Defense Fund
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Strong policies for what is allowed onto an educational institution's campus are critical. The institution can control what contractors and vendors sell or bring to campus and make sustainable products the default so that they don't rely on users to make the choice at point of use/purchase/sale.

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4 Encourage reuse and sharing

Reuse and sharing are ways of extending the life and value of products and materials, instead of discarding them after one use. They can help an educational facility reduce its waste by minimizing the need for new purchases, saving money, and reducing environmental impacts. Some examples of reuse and sharing are: using refillable water bottles and coffee mugs, donating or exchanging books and clothing, borrowing or renting equipment and tools, and using digital platforms for communication and collaboration.

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Kelly O'Day Weisinger

Energy Transition, Director of Global Methane at Environmental Defense Fund
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Reuse and sharing requires space and staff time! Institutions must be willing to dedicate space and staff time to making successful sharing and reuse programs work. Digital platforms, student projects, and ad hoc collection events can't solve for everything. A strong reuse program can save money with some ongoing investment.

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5 Promote recycling and composting

Recycling and composting are methods of diverting waste from landfills and transforming it into new products or organic matter. They can help an educational facility reduce its waste by recovering valuable materials, reducing disposal costs, and creating new revenue streams. Some examples of recycling and composting are: collecting and sorting paper, plastic, metal, and glass, using bins and containers for organic waste, partnering with local recyclers and composters, and using recycled or composted products for landscaping or gardening.

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Kelly O'Day Weisinger

Energy Transition, Director of Global Methane at Environmental Defense Fund
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Color-coded processes with lots of visuals and labels are essential! Choose bins and bags/liners of the same color for recyclables and compostables for easy identification. Label all bins and lids with both visuals and text. Minimize contamination by choosing the right lid with the right size collection receptacle. Standardize everything, so each waste station across campus looks the same. Co-locate landfill bins with recycling & composting bins so that landfill is never the only option.

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Usman Jabbar - Waste Recovery Expert

Helping Waste Management Professionals & Managers to reduce waste disposal costs through innovative greener technologies whilst optimising company profits.
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you need to make it as simple as possible, separate colour coded bins with pictures and description usually does the trick, even a child should be able to identify the correct bin for their waste....

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6 Educate and engage the community

Education and engagement are essential for creating awareness and behavior change among the members of the educational facility and the wider community. They can help an educational facility reduce its waste by providing information, incentives, feedback, and recognition for waste reduction efforts, as well as fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. Some examples of education and engagement are: organizing campaigns and events, creating signage and labels, providing training and workshops, and forming green teams and clubs.

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Brandie Townsend

Senior Consultant | Waste Management Expert
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Literally engage your community business owners. In Rome ,GA we work with the carpet yarn guys , MARGLEN Industries to sell our PET plastic bottles to, and PAPER Recovery to sell our cardboard and paper to and all of their kids can relay back to their friends that the schools recycling gets recycled at my parents company! Closing the loop with recyclables and business economics is a great example to show the VALUE in green businesses!

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the most effective ways to reduce waste in educational facilities?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Conduct a waste audit

2 Implement a waste reduction plan

3 Adopt green purchasing practices

4 Encourage reuse and sharing

5 Promote recycling and composting

6 Educate and engage the community

7 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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What are the most effective ways to reduce waste in educational facilities?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Conduct a waste audit

2 Implement a waste reduction plan

3 Adopt green purchasing practices

4 Encourage reuse and sharing

5 Promote recycling and composting

6 Educate and engage the community

7 Here’s what else to consider

Environmental Services

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