Waste Reduction and Recycling

Working Group Minutes

Meeting Minutes
November 19, 2007

Attendees: Mike Buckley, Megan Durling, Roger Guzowski, Deb Harbison, Mark Garner, Lousie Labrie, Deb Morrissey, Julie Parks, Mark Bielas

I.  RecycleMania in Spring

• The campus is once again participating in RecycleMania, a national friendly intercampus competition about recycling and waste reduction efforts.
• A focal point of our RecycleMania efforts will be on waste reduction.
• This began the general discussion of ideas for how to reduce waste in offices and how to promote waste reduction ideas and tips to faculty & staff.

II.  EAC sort last spring

• In the context of the RecycleMania competition, and waste reduction efforts, the group discussed the waste sort of office waste that EAC and the Eco-reps performed last spring (3/5/07). 
• In this sort, the groups found that 19% of what was in the trash by waste was recyclable paper.
• They also found that another 19% of what was in the trash by weight was food waste, and an additional 5% was to-go food containers of various types.

III. Discussion of food packaging for offices

• There was discussion about ways to reduce food-related packaging in offices. 
• Discussion that stand alone signs (such as those that have sometimes been used in Blanchard) don’t work. For the message to reach people, there has to be a comprehensive campaign, so that folks are getting the same message in different forms from the EcoReps, Dining Services, EAC, etc.
• Discussion to focus any waste reduction campaign on existing opportunities and making sure people know about them.

1. Encouraging use of reusable cups (Note: South Hadley Board of Health requires reusable cups to have a lid design in which the part that touches your lips is fully in the lid and completely removed when lid is removed so that that part of the cup cannot touch the dispenser when being refilled.)
2. Not taking bag in Kendade.
3. Getting meals “for here” rather than “to-go,” especially if only taking the meals a short distance (e.g., Ciruti, etc).

IV. Discussion of ideas to combat individual food waste in offices

• Sandwiches - It was noted that there were several unfinished sandwiches, both in compost and in the EAC trash sort. This led to a discussion of whether or not portion size was an issue (in that some people could not finish a whole sandwich and thus discarded ½ of it uneaten).

1. There was some discussion about offering a ½ sandwich option. 
2. Mark Garner indicated this might be difficult to do at the Blanchard Deli since the sandwiches are custom made there and there would be an issue of what to do with the other ½ sandwich (as opposed to other locations such as grab-n-go or some off-campus locations in which a whole sandwich is made ahead of time and cut into 2 portions and wrapped to go).
3. However, he indicated that there have been other requests for a ½ sandwich option and will investigate how feasible that is in Blanchard.

•  Pickles from Blanchard- it was noted by the group that there were a significant number of pickles that are not eaten.

1. As part of the discussion it was noted that diners had a choice whether or not to receive a pickle at the deli, but not at the grill, in which a pickle comes standard.
2. This discrepancy is the result of the fact that there is a higher level of interaction with the deli staff, whereas, because of the speed in which meals are prepared at the grill and the lesser contact between grill staff and the diner ordering the meal, there is currently not that option at the grill.
3. One suggestion was to have a check box on the order form at the grill for pickle or no pickle.
4. Another was not to make pickles a standard accompaniment, but rather to have pickles available self-serve near the condiments for those who want a pickle.
5. Mark Garner will discuss these options with his staff.

V.  Food for meetings and events in academic and administrative areas

• Roger indicated that one of the things he noticed during the trash sort with EAC was a lot of food packages (e.g., cookie containers) that seemed to indicate they had been bought for a campus meeting or event. This led to a lengthy discussion about the amount of food, food packaging and food waste in meetings or other events (presentations, discussions, film nights, etc.).
• Based on that discussion, the use of food as a lure to attract folks to campus events appears to be widespread. The group’s perception is that there is a general opinion on campus that the only/best way to get folks to come to a meeting/event is to have food.
• Julie Parks indicated that there is a significant amount of food purchased from off campus (via Big Y, etc.) for these meetings with the purchasing card.  She will try to compile a dollar number for educational efforts. The goal is that if people see the cumulative effect of how much they spend, they might think twice about ordering for their own events, especially ordering more than needed.
• The group was very sensitive to the need for food at certain events, either as a draw to increase attendance or to convince people to linger and foster discussion at discussion oriented events.

1. As was noted, in some instances, the funding for a speaker or event is predicated on having a lingering discussion afterward, of which some food and drink is an expected integral part.
2. It was also noted that such experiences were part of what separated an educational experience at Mount Holyoke from other schools.  To some degree, this practice may have an impact on attracting and retaining students. 

• However, while remaining sensitive to all of the benefits of having food at these campus events, there was consensus that there was considerable room for reduction in this practice.

1. Given that a significant amount of this food appears to be discarded uneaten, it appears that some reductions could occur without affecting meeting attendees at all.
2. Given the state of the campus budget in which other campus services are being cut, there was a lengthy discussion about whether it was appropriate for campus funds to be used for food on such a widespread basis, especially given that a significant amount of that food (and those food dollars) are going into the trash uneaten.
3. There was also some discussion whether this practice is needed since most/all students are on the board plan – for an event near a mealtime, does there need to be food?

VI. Discussion of paper reduction ideas – given that the discussion of food waste and food packaging ran over, discussion on these items was rushed but important.

• Campus mailings

1. Currently any department can send a mailing to all faculty & staff without incurring any distribution charges.
2. Roger posed the question of whether this was still appropriate in a time of widespread electronic communication in which most staff have computers to even have all-campus mailings.
3. Many in the group felt that most campus mailings could be easily sent by an e-mail instead.
        a. In such a scenario, care would have to be made to insure info was available to Facilities and Dining staff, many of whom do not have a computer.
4. Roger also posed the question of whether there should be mail receiver rights in which faculty & staff could sign up to NOT receive any all-campus mailings (would have to be adjusted so folks got stuff from HR and certain campus mailings from the President’s Office, etc.) or perhaps more viably, certain types of mailings (e.g., notices of athletic events, art/performance events, etc.).
5. One prominent example that came up in discussion is that several folks indicated that a significant number of staff never read and thus have no need to receive individual copies of the Alumnae Quarterly. Another issue seems to be that some folks are on the mailing list multiple times (e.g., both as an alum and as staff) and receive multiple unneeded copies. The group felt that efforts should be undertaken to investigate the viability of a system in which either faculty & staff would have to sign up to receive the Alumnae Quarterly, or in which they could sign up to not receive the Alumnae Quarterly.