Reducing the amount of waste we produce and send to landfills is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. The world population is growing by approximately 80 million people each year and the amount of waste we produce is staggering at over 2 billion tons per year. Sourcing and producing new materials, rather than reusing, leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and public health issues related to air, water, and land pollution. As a result of these enormous pressures, cities around the world are setting zero waste goals, including Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, Paris, and Tokyo. While waste management is still poorly understood and waste experts are rarely brought in to consult on design, Architects can play a critical role as designers of the systems that support maintenance operations within buildings.
To meet the challenge, the AIA (American Institute of Architects) has assembled best practices for designing buildings to achieve zero waste. GBCI has also recently launched a new certification called TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) for facilities which have achieved at least 90% diversion from landfill and incineration. More specific to schools, several entities have created guidelines to help staff and administration achieve zero waste in their facilities. In NYC the Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) teamed up to create guidelines for diverting all recyclable and compostable waste from 100 schools in five years starting in 2016.
The strategy for achieving zero waste consists of three main tenets:
1 - Reduce the amount of material used;
2 - Reuse materials instead of buying new;
3 - Recycle and separate food scraps and food-soiled paper for composting1.
Materials such as clean paper, cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic can be recycled using traditional methods (separated and baled to be sold to facilities who recycle the material). Food scrap and soiled paper can be brought to regional facilities where it is turned into compost for soil fertilizer or turned into renewable energy. Recycling alone can be a challenge for many facilities, so special attention needs to be paid to create a comprehensive waste reduction program. Best practices for creating a program include:
- Start by creating a culture that includes recycling as the norm by raising consciousness and refining practice.
- Identify a school sustainability coordinator or team leader who is in charge of managing the process.
- Get students involved through an established group or club
- Provide training and education through kickoff events, classroom and staff training with lunchroom monitoring.
- Keep consistent communication through newsletters, waste-free lunch promotions, anniversary celebrations, and assistance in coordinating events2.
- Work with custodial staff to confirm that trash, recycling, and composting remain separated as they are collected from various spaces in the school.
- Establish consistent signage and colors for the bins and place wherever waste bins are located, especially in high-traffic areas such as the cafeteria, kitchen, teacher break rooms, and restrooms.
- A local composting facility will need to be contracted to receive the compost material. For recycling, confirm which items local waste haulers or municipal facilities will accept.
- Alternatively, composting can be done on-site using vermicomposting (worms) or typical backyard residential containers (which often require additional material such as leaves to break down the compost).
- Ensure only organic items are composted: Organics, typically include vegetables and fruit; prepared foods; baked goods; cereal, flour, grains, pasta, and rice; eggs and eggshells; dairy products; nuts, meat, fish, and bones; paper towels and napkins; paper plates Food-Soiled Paper; coffee filters and tea bags; paper bags; paper trays and plant-based compostable trays; paper food boats
- Consider performing a waste audit to determine existing waste streams
- Engage students to come up with new ideas about how to reuse items rather than throw away.
In addition to the more obvious benefits of waste reduction, zero waste programs have tangential benefits. By making connections between our consumption and the waste produced, schools can advance the culture of sustainability throughout the school system. Composting programs can also be tied in to lesson planning around growing healthy food and sustainability using harvest planters or school gardens. The most comprehensive programs can deliver financial, environmental as well as social benefits.
1 https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/docs/zero-waste-schools-guide-zwsg-accessible.pdf