!""#$%&'()*+),-

!""#$%&'()*+),-

The Road to a Campus-Wide Composting System

“Achieving Critical Mass”

CompostAllianceisastudentgroupdedicatedtoimplemen3ngacampus‐widecompostdiversionsystemtohelpUCBerkeleyachieveitsstatedgoalsof75%wastediversionby2012andzerowasteby2020,whilehelpingreducegreenhousegasemissions,savethecampusmoney,andencouragesustainableprac3ces.Forthefirststageoftheproject,CompostAlliancesoughttoachievethe‘cri3calmass’necessarytojus3fying‘in‐house’compos3ngforthecampusbyimplemen3ngcompos3nginoveradozenbuildings.Movingforward,forthesecondstageoftheproject,ourgroupseekstoexpandcompos3ngintoevenmorebuildingsoncampus,andmoreimportantly,movetowardsins3tu3onalizingthecompos3ngsystembypermanentlyintegra3ngitintoalreadyestablishedcampuswasteservices.

Abstract

CompostAlliancehasbeenworkingtoexpandcompos3ng(andrecycling)systemstoincludeallbuildingsoncampus.Studentcoordinatorsandvolunteersworkdirectlywithcampusstakeholders,includingbuildingmanagers,custodians,andbuildingoccupants,toprogressivelyimplementwastediversionsystemsineachbuildingacrosscampus,withspecialfocusoncompos3ng.Inaddi3ontotheinfrastructuralcomponent,ourprojecthasbeenworkingtoeducatethecampuscommunityonwastereduc3ontopicsviaeduca3onaloutreacheffortsandthedevelopmentofuniversalcampussignage,bothofwhicharecentraltothesuccessofprogram.Programperformanceismeasuredupondiversionratesof>75%forpapertowelwastefromrestroomsandsignificantlyimprovedfoodwastediversion.Metricsforsuccessfulimplementa3onalsoincludeassessingeduca3onlevelsofstudents,staff,andfacultyonacampus‐widebasis.

Our Approach

Milestones Along the RoadAsofMarch2012CompostAlliancehas...

✓ implementedcompostsystemsin9buildingsoncampus,andbyJunewewillhaveimplementedover15+✓ educatedorreachedouttomorethan1000+peopleoverthecourseoftheprogram✓ divertedanes3mated18,000pounds(lbs)ofwastefromdisposalinthelandfills✓ avertedan1,300kilograms(kg)ofCO₂Efromreleasingintotheatmosphere✓ madefundamental,posi3vechangesinthewaysinwhichcampuswasteismanaged✓ promotedanethicofenvironmentalstewardshipforthecampuscommunityandbeyond

Overthepastyear,wehavebeenworkingtobringoverfi]een(15)buildings‘online’byimplemen3ngcampus‐standardcompos3ngsystemsforwastediversion,inanefforttomovethecampustowardsachievingthe‘cri3calmass‘necessarytojus3fyin‐housecompos3ng.In‐housecompos3ngwilleventuallyallowthecampustodivertover2000tonsoflandfillwasteperyear.Thatequatestoroughly300,000kgCO₂E(emissions)savedeachyear.Moreover,bringinginternalcollec3onofcompos3ng(asopposedtocontrac3ngout)andconsolida3ngequipmentandsupplypurchaseswillreducebothfixedandvariablecostsofcompos3ngperbuildingand,ascompostincreases,reducecoststhrougheconomiesofscale.

The Road AheadThe Compost Alliance

compostalliance@gmail.com11AEdwardsTrack,UCBerkeley

(510)643‐4612

Claire Evans,Anna Szendrenyi,Annie GordonCompostAllianceCoordinators

PosterbyAnnaSzendrenyi

ByJune2012,CompostAlliancewillhavecompleteditsfirststageof‘achievingcri3calmass.’Uponcomple3onof‘PhaseI’inJune2012,thefocusof‘PhaseII’willbe(1)thesignificantexpansionofcompostcollec3onsystemsinto15+morebuildingsand(2)theins3tu3onaliza3onofCompostAllianceprogramwithinPhysicalPlant‐CampusServices(PPCS)andCampusRecyclingandRefuseServices(CRRS).Movingforward,CompostAllianceseekstocreateaneconomicallyviableandlogis3callyefficientinfrastructurewithinalreadyestablishedcampuswasteservicestoensurethelong‐termsustainabilityoftheprogram.Sucheffortsseektomovetheprogramawayfromgrantfundedandeconomicdependencefromoutsidesourcestowardscompleteintegra3onintocampuswasteservices.

Implementation + Education = Money Saved + CO2E Averted

Ourstandardized‘building3melines’allowustostreamlinethewastediversionimplementa3onprocess.The3melineincludes(1)amee3ngwithbuildingmanagerandcustodianstogarnersupportanddiscusslogis3csforthenewcompos3ngprogram,(2)conductapreliminarywasteaudittoassesstheini3alstateofwasteflow,(3)implementbinsandappropriatesignageforcompos3ngandrecycling,(4)educatebuildingoccupantviaposters,newslefers,adver3sing,andpresenta3ons,(5)conductafollow‐upwasteaudit,and(6)inspectthesystems,takingnoteofproblemareastobetargetedinthecon3nuingeduca3onaloutreachofbuildingoccupants.

Building Timelines