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Abstract The sustainable disposal of food waste is done to limit the amount of waste. We observe that our current system has logistical flaws which leads to a less sustainable campus and an over-reliance on campus faculty. How can we dispose of our waste in a way that allows for the UVM campus to be sustainable? Background In 2012, The Vermont legislature has passed a law (Act 148) that bans the disposal of food scraps in the trash or landfills in order to save landfill space and decrease the greenhouse emission. Before this law was passed, UVM had been sending food scraps to the Intervale. Ideas Explored Using “Brain Dumping” we ideated a few solutions: • Putting compost bins in the Res Halls • Minimize packaging and single serve items • New sorting systems for recycling • Information campaigns • UVM Polling app Proposed Solution Our ideal waste collection room has: more specific bins, easier access and more instruction Potential Impacts • If the proposed solution were to be implemented at UVM some positive impacts would be that: • Waste would be minimized as more disposed items will have multiple purposes • Students would be more involved in the waste process • Potential negative impacts might include: • Cost to create these systems and bins • More bins require more stops to pick it up • To further develop this proposal we suggest sending out a survey to students and staff about the new systems The Team Team Member Roles: • Sampson Casadei – Technical Lead • Sean St. Clair – Communication Lead • Joey Lopresti – Technical Lead • Sarah Lindberg – Team Coordinator • Couby Ouattara – Document Control Acknowledgements 1. We would like to thank the custodial and kitchen staffs for welcoming change and working with us to better the recycling system. 2. We also give thanks to the students of UVM for working with us to increase recycling and decrease trash output. Bibliography Staff, V. (2012). Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law | Department of Environmental Conservation. Vermont.Gov; Staff. https://dec.vermont.gov/waste- management/solid/universal-recycling Problem Statement The sustainable disposal of food waste and compostable kitchen materials is done to limit the amount of waste of usable materials, uphold the regulations passed by Vermont’s Universal Recycling Law, and increase the amount of student involvement in waste management. We observe that our current system has logistical flaws and wastes food and other organic materials which leads to a less sustainable campus and an over-reliance on campus faculty. How can we dispose of our waste in a way that allows for the UVM campus to be sustainable and not reliant on custodial staff? Data Analysis & Calculations UVM Waste Disposal Reimagined Figure #1: Above, Diagram showing trash and recycling output of UVM. The figure shows that UVM is currently disposing much more trash than recycling Figure #2: Left, Diagram of proposed solution for waste disposal challenge. The figure shows an ideal waste disposal room for a lunch hall or dorm floor. Figure #3: Left, Gantt Chart is pictured. The figure shows our Team organization tasks and schedule. Hungry Healthy Hippos: Sampson Casadei, Sean St. Clair, Joey Lopresti, Sarah Lindberg, Couby Ouattara Resources @ UVM - Food waste disposal Project Partner Corey Berman
