Category: Zero Waste Illinois

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Green Lunchroom Challenge Webinar Scheduled for 3/14

The Green Lunchroom Challenge is an ISTC project funded by US EPA Region 5 focused on K-12 schools. Schools and districts participate in a voluntary competition aimed at reducing food waste in food service operations through completion of a variety of suggested activities. Participation not only helps ensure that precious resources are expended to provide nutrition as intended, rather than being wasted in the form of food waste, but also sets an example of conservation for students. Points are earned for completion of activities; the school with the most points at the end of the Challenge period will receive public recognition and a prize.

 

The Challenge offers a series of webinars open not only to registered schools, but to all interested parties. The next webinar is scheduled for 3:00- 3:50 PM on Monday, March 14th. Sara Ryan, of St. Louis Composting/Total Organics Recycling will discuss their food scrap composting services and their work with school districts and schools. If you’re located in the southwestern part of IL, and are considering commercial composting of food scraps, don’t miss this opportunity to learn more!

 

Online registration for this webinar is available at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6307274058949983492. To view recordings and slides from past Challenge webinars, go to https://www.greenlunchroom.org/archivedWebinars.cfm.

 

Questions about the webinar or Challenge in general may be addressed to Joy Scrogum, ISTC.

 

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Four Ways ISTC Can Help Your Organization Zero-In on Zero Waste

This article was written by Shantanu Pai  for Linked In Pulse.

 

Zero Waste Illinois logo

For over three decades, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center’s (ISTC) staff of engineers and scientists have provided a variety of cost-effective, sustainable material management services.

 

ISTC has enabled organizations to improve their environmental footprint and achieve zero waste at every step in their operations by being a resource for innovative management and reuse of materials. We conduct waste audits, assist with materials management planning, supply chain optimization, and stakeholder engagement. These services are part of a subset of our technical assistance program which we refer to as Zero Waste Illinois. The technical assistance program is part of ISTC’s mission to help the citizens, businesses, governments, and organizations of Illinois conserve natural resources, prevent pollution, and reduce waste to promote improved human and environmental health. Here are the ways we can help your organization be part of Zero Waste Illinois.

 

Comprehensive Waste Audits

ISTC staff design and help implement site specific waste audits ranging in scope from individual buildings to large communities. By analyzing both material inputs and outputs within a facility, we identify more opportunities to help organizations achieve zero waste.

 

For example, as the result of a waste audit at a mid-sized manufacturing plant in Wheaton, IL, our team was able to make six recommendations which have been implemented. Through our work and a truly energetic internal staff, that facility has achieved 44% reduction of material use through process modifications—”up-stream” changes that make the entire operation more efficient over the long-term, and a new landfill diversion rate of 62%.

Photo of ISTC staff sorting waste

 

Enhanced Materials Management Planning

We help clients identify gaps in, and opportunities to improve, existing waste management processes. Additionally, we can offer solutions for site-specific constraints that prevent greater waste diversion.

 

For example, ISTC has been working with the Forest Preserve of Cook County, the nation’s largest forest preserve district with over 69,000 acres, to create a materials management plan for the entire district. Our efforts have resulted in increased recycling opportunities for District users, novel waste contract language and zero waste guides for event planners and the general public, in English, Spanish and Polish!

Bins at a zero waste event

 

Composting/Anaerobic Digestion Assistance

We conduct business outreach and research to support food waste reduction and diversion efforts. We assist clients with setting up successful compost programs by conducting waste stream assessments, designing signage, and training employees. We are currently researching a growing number of food scrap technology options, including aerobic and anaerobic digestion, and in-vessel composting.

 

Stakeholder Engagement

By partnering with employees, students, and communities, we can help you improve existing waste reduction programs through education and training. We provide advice on communication strategies that lead to lasting behavior change.

 

We recently worked with the University of Illinois, Urbana campus, on multiple recycling and waste reduction initiatives. In the fall of 2014 ISTC managed the Zero Waste football game at Memorial Stadium. With the help of over 150 volunteers and various departments on campus we were able to divert over nine tons of material to composting and recycling facilities.

 

We also assisted in rolling out a campaign to increase recycling at the Quad through improved signage, location assessments, and directed data collection.

 

Begin Your Journey to Zero Waste

Learn more about how our team of professionals might help your organization approach zero waste by visiting our web site to view our recent success stories. Then, sign up for a free site visit. There is no obligation on your part to work with us beyond the free initial visit, and that first conversation may reveal opportunities to achieve greater sustainability within your organization.

 

Have questions? Contact us at istc-zerowaste@illinois.edu.

 

Shantanu Pai is an Assistant Sustainability Researcher at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center with a BS from University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point in Waste and Soil Resources. His research interests include fate and transport of waste materials through market driven initiatives; the role of affluence and directed public policy in solid waste management; and solid waste industry in the developing world.

 

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What to do with Wood Waste – Research & Conference

the words From lumber and paper to building and shipping, wood can be used in a wide variety of ways. But with all those different applications comes many different waste streams including wood itself as a waste product. ISTC has partnered with Western Illinois University and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to find new markets for waste wood. Read more about the project via our news page titled “Wood Waste Market Research Could Benefit Illinois Business.”

 

In addition, ISTC is pleased to announce that we will be a partner sponsor for the March 18 conference (and March 17 hardwood workshop), Bringing the Urban Forest Full Circle, at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, IL.  The conference will highlight opportunities for individuals, businesses, trade groups and public entities to capitalize on the salvage and conversion of community trees into high-valued logs, lumbers and wood products. Plan to join us for this event.

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Best Buy Ends Free Recycling of Televisions and Monitors

Last week, Best Buy announced that it would no longer be offering free recycling of televisions and monitors through its in-store collection program. The retailer is now charging a fee of $25 for each TV or monitor–whether they are flat screen or the older, bulky CRT monitors that contain leaded glass–in most states.

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According to the announcement, in Illinois and Pennsylvania, “we are no longer recycling these particular products because of laws that prevent us from collecting fees to help run our program. All other products – such as batteries, ink cartridges, computers, printers and hundreds of other items – continue to be recycled for free at all of our stores.” However, there is an exception to this complete discontinuation of the company’s recycling service for these products in IL, as noted in the latest version of the Electronics Recycling Guide for Residents of or nearby Champaign, County, IL: “If a Best Buy customer purchases a 55″ or larger TV from Best Buy and has it delivered to their home, then Best Buy will take back one TV for recycling. Or, a person may sign up at Best Buy’s home theater section, pay $100 for a television pick-up, and then Best Buy would arrange to pick-up and recycle a TV from a residence.” (Thanks to Susan Monte of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission and Courtney Kwong of the City of Urbana for this information. It should also be noted that the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission is also seeking approval and authorization of funds to host county electronics collection events in the spring. Decisions regarding such funding will be made later this month, and if county collection events are scheduled, information on those collections will be shared on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative web site.)

 

Best Buy has been a leader in offering electronics recycling for many years–it has collected more than a billion pounds of electronics and appliances since 2009. The company’s leadership will continue in terms of recycling other consumer electronics, but recycling is driven by commodity prices. Old cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors were surely a large part of the TV and monitor recycling stream coming into Best Buy stores, and since these monitors aren’t really manufactured any more, there’s less demand for the leaded glass they contain. This makes handling these hazardous materials a costly prospect for recyclers, and as time goes on, more and more recycling programs are ceasing the acceptance of monitors and TVs, or adding restrictions.

 

However, CRTs aren’t the only issue here, as Resa Dimino, Senior Advisor for the Product Stewardship Institute, pointed out in an opinion piece for Resource Recycling this week. Best Buy is charging for flat screens as well, so its clear that costs associated with recycling those types of devices are also proving too much for the retailer to continue to offer for free nationally. This counters the argument made by some that once the problematic CRTs have been cleared from the system, electronics related Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws that hold manufacturers responsible for safe and proper disposal of their products, will no  longer be needed as the value of other materials in the recycling stream covers the costs of collection and processing. Dimino further notes that EPR laws are only effective when they’re fair and equitable–flaws in current legislation allow some manufacturers to step back while a few manufacturers and retailers (like Best Buy) take up the slack, shouldering more than their fair share of financial responsibility for sustainable management of materials. Also, local governments cannot afford to pay for provision of electronics recycling to residents. All of this suggests, according to Scott Cassel of the Product Stewardship Institute, “it’s time to revisit the nation’s 25 state e-scrap laws to ensure that all manufacturers are equally responsible for electronics recycling.”

 

Barbara Kyle of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition suggested the following in her blog post on Best Buy’s recycling policy change: “The solution here would be for the manufacturers – particularly the TV companies – to visibly partner with Best Buy to cover some of the recycling costs, and to make sure that responsible recycling occurs. The TV companies, who are always challenged by finding collection sites, could take advantage of the chain’s huge network of stores, which are very convenient collection points for most consumers. This would be an ongoing national partnership program, in every state, in every store, co-marketed by the retailer and the industry. This could also be established with Walmart and their huge network of stores. While Amazon doesn’t have stores, there are many ways in which they could help to be part of the solution.”  Perhaps if there is pressure from consumers on electronics manufacturers and other big retailers, this sort of scenario could happen.

 

For more information on the stewardship of electronics and other consumer products in our state, see the Illinois Product Stewardship Council web site. Also see the IL EPA site for information on our current state electronics recycling law.


This post originally appeared on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative Blog. 

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8 Easy Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year 2016 over colored fireworks

 

Aah….the New Year’s resolution. Whether it was exercising, dieting, crafting, getting out doors, or cleaning more frequently, it always seems that life took over and I was back to doing the bare minimum just to make it through the week. So when I decided to write a blog on sustainable New Year’s resolutions, I thought, “Oh boy!” there are so many great sustainable things to do like growing your own food in your back yard with your own compost or installing renewable energy sources on your property to get totally off the grid. But then I had to stop myself because here I was again setting New Year’s resolutions that were too ambitious for my current life style. So let’s start with the basics. Here are eight easy sustainable New Year’s resolutions that just about anyone could incorporate into their daily routine. Don’t worry about them all; just pick your favorite one and give it a try this year!

10 different colored and shaped reusable beverage containers

  1. Reusable beverage containers – Many places have rewards programs when you buy their reusable beverage containers and they often come in stylish patterns that can set you apart from the average mobile drinker. In addition, reusable water bottles come in all sizes, shapes, and styles these days and a one-time investment in a reusable water bottle can provide you with free water for the rest of your life because nearly every place has a drinking fountain or sink where water bottles can be filled. (And by the way, there are more safety regulations on tap water than bottled water, making it a better choice in most instances as well as saving money.)
  2. Eating in season – We all have to go to the store to get food (unless we have a large garden) but instead of just getting the usual stuff, think about what food is in season and was grown locally. By shopping for in season and local produced food, you can make a big dent in your carbon footprint because the food wasn’t shipped from all over the world.
  3. multi colored reusable bags. one is open and four are folded on top of the open bagReusable shopping bags – Avoid having to choose between paper or plastic and which one might be better for carrying different items vs. their environmental impact by investing in reusable shopping bags. Usually they fold up into small bundles and can be left in the car so you will never forget them when you are at the store.
  4. Drive less – In the city, many have embraced public transportation as a great way to move around quickly and avoid pollution from driving their own vehicles. But that often doesn’t work for most small cities and rural communities. Consider working from home and/or teleconferencing a couple days a week if your work allows. Or check with people in your neighborhood or at your work to see if you can set up a carpool. Also, combining errands by location and day can reduce your carbon footprint and time spent driving around town.
  5. Sustainable laundry – Some articles of clothing don’t need to be washed as often as we might think. For example, a student-professor team at the University of Alberta found that new jeans could be worn and not washed for 15 months without affecting a person’s health (see article on not washing jeans). In addition, consider the natural drying power of a clothes line either in the back yard, basement, or spare room to avoid using electrical or gas power for drying.
  6. Reduce, reuse, recycle – Reducing waste is the number one way to be more sustainable and have a zero waste life style. If you buy individual servings, consider buying a bulk container to reduce packaging or think of another use for the individual serving containers. If you find that you aren’t using something as much as you have in the past, think about cutting that item off your shopping list.
  7. Donate Don't Dump - the word donate and the word dump are spelled out using donatable items like computer keybord, mirror, clock, cloths, dishes, toys, lamps, umbrellas, and musical instramentsDonating old stuff – With the New Year comes Spring Cleaning. Don’t just toss out all that junk and old clothes; many reuse stores such as Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity will take all sorts of items from small appliances, furniture, silverware, to clothes, decorations, and games. This way you can keep stuff out of the landfill and get a tax benefit and/or the pleasure of giving items which others can use!
  8. Energy efficiency – Throw on an extra sweater this winter and keep the thermostat down to reduce energy consumption and save money on your bill! Also, when a light bulb burns out, try replacing it with an LED bulb. The LEDs are a little pricier but they last longer and use so much less energy than conventional bulbs that the investment is worth it in the end. LEDs have conventional watt bulb comparisons on their box as well as a cool-warm light emission rating, so if you like the warm glow of traditional bulbs you can get the same look with an LED.

 

For the more ambitious sustainability enthusiast or if you just want to check out some cool stuff:

 

Sources & Ideas

 

Companies and products mentioned in this blog are not an endorsement but merely discussed as an example.

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Green Lunchroom Challenge Webinar Recording: Food Donation for Schools

In case you missed it, the recording and presentation slides from the recent Green Lunchroom Challenge webinar on food donation for schools are now available online at https://www.greenlunchroom.org/archivedWebinars.cfm. Dr. Kathleen Dietrich, Executive Director of Food Bus, Inc. described how that organization assists schools in donating excess food to local pantries and food banks.

 

The Green Lunchroom Challenge is an ISTC project, funded by US EPA Region 5, focused on engaging K-12 schools in IL in food waste reduction and prevention strategies through a voluntary, friendly competition. Interested schools or school districts can sign up at https://www.greenlunchroom.org/, and complete any combination of suggested activities during the Challenge period (Sept. 1, 2015 – April 1, 2016).

 

Though any school or distict in IL can participate, ISTC is particularly interested in recruiting participants from Pulaski, Alexander, Marion, White, and Fayette counties. According to data from the ISBE, over 70 percent of K-12 students in those counties are eligible for assistance through the National School Lunch Program. By preventing and reducing food waste in these areas particularly, and throughout the state, it is hoped the Challenge will not only achieve environmental benefits, but also stretch federal and state assistance and resources through increased efficiency.

 

To learn more about the Challenge, visit www.greenlunchroom.org or contact Joy Scrogum. Watch the Challenge web site’s Upcoming Events page for information on other relevant webinars and events hosted by ISTC or other agencies in the weeks to come.

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Tips for a 2015 Waste-Free Holiday

old maps used as wrapping paper on gifts with a little bit of white and red ribbon to finish the look.

Imagine a simple holiday season without a bunch of stuff to clean up in the end. You might think that it can only happen in your dreams, but it is easier than you might think. Take a look at the blog we wrote last year called, “9 Ways to have a Waste Free Holiday.”

 

Are you traveling over the holidays? Whether you are going to Grandma’s or heading south for some warmth and sun, we all like to take our favorite things with us. But, consider this: how much volume will all those one-time-use travel toiletries and bought-on-the-go travel snacks take up in the landfill? Holiday traveling can indeed be waste-free! Check out the “Waste Free Holiday Travel” blog by KathrynH on Second-Hand Tales or “Philippines: a Zero Waste and Plastic Free Holiday” by Erin Rhoads on Rogue Ginger for some helpful zero waste travel tips.

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Take a Good Look at the Bad Old Days, and How Science Saved the Future

bttf-30thThe 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) gathered together many of the original leaders of the effort to get a handle on hazardous pollution in the environment.

 

It was a valuable window into the spirit of the times before 1985 that convinced Illinois lawmakers to create a center for research, industry assistance and public information. Thousands had been killed in Bhopal, Love Canal had blighted whole neighborhoods, the Cuyahoga River had burned, and in Illinois, contamination at Waukegan Harbor and Lake Calumet had brought home to citizens the need for scientific evidence about the threats.

 

ISTC took the opportunity to tell this story at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Nov. 9. It was a proud moment for the original players who participated in the event, and for ISTC’s parent Prairie Research Institute, and all of their current researchers who continue to drive sustainable economic development in Illinois. Videos on the presentations will be made available soon at http://www.istc.illinois.edu/news/30anniversaryhome.cfm.

 

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Green Lunchroom Challenge Webinar, 11/18: School Food Donation

Are you an IL school or district administrator, nutritionist, educator, or parent interested in food donation as part of your school’s food waste reduction strategy? Join the Green Lunchroom Challenge for a free webinar, Wednesday, November 18, from 3-4 PM to hear Dr. Kathleen Dietrich, Executive Director of Food Bus, Inc. describe how that organization assists schools in donating excess food to local pantries and food banks.

 

The Green Lunchroom Challenge is an ISTC project, funded by US EPA Region 5, focused on engaging K-12 schools in IL in food waste reduction and prevention strategies through a voluntary, friendly competition. Interested schools or school districts can sign up at https://www.greenlunchroom.org/, and complete any combination of suggested activities during the Challenge period (Sept. 1, 2015 – April 1, 2016). Participants earn points for each completed activity, and relative progress will be displayed on an online leaderboard. Resources and guidance will be available on the Challenge website and from ISTC technical assistance staff for each recommended activity. On Earth Day 2016, the school and district with the most points will be declared winners, and will receive public recognition and prizes (to be determined) to foster continuous improvement in food waste reduction. Donating excess food for human consumption is among the suggested Challenge activities.

 

Register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/731005178672176385. Feel free to attend even if your school has not yet signed up for the Challenge, or if you don’t represent a school or school district and are simply interested in learning more about how schools in your area can donate excess food to prevent waste. Webinar participants will be able to ask questions and participate in discussion through the GoToWebinar chat box. If you are unable to attend the webinar live, it will be recorded and posted to the Challenge web site for later viewing. Questions about this webinar, the Green Lunchroom Challenge, or suggestions for future Challenge webinar topics may be addressed to Joy Scrogum.

 

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