Materials Strategies
Comprehensive Recycling Program
Recommendation: Implement Phase I of a comprehensive recycling plan that focuses on collecting five materials in all campus buildings: white paper, mixed paper, newspaper, cardboard, and plastic (clear plastic, such as water and soda bottles, and high-density plastic, such as milk/juice jugs and detergent bottles).
Intent: Recycling pulls waste out of the waste stream and provides efficiency by reusing materials. A comprehensive recycling program reduces outputs to landfills. As the new recycling facility comes on line in 2009, the collection of these five materials will support the business plan by generating revenue through the sale of these materials to local and regional markets.
Community Impact: The campus must double its current recycling volume by spring 2009 to support the business plan for the recycling facility. MSU lags behind other institutions in its recycling rate. Currently, buildings recycle none, some, or all of these five materials. The campus will notice a significant increase in the types and locations where white paper, mixed paper, newspaper, #1 and #2 plastics, and cardboard can be recycled. Implementation teams will work with building occupants and operational staff to ensure the best placement of new containers.
New Recycling Containers
Recommendation: Prototype new recycling and trash containers in selected buildings to enhance their attractiveness, ease of use, and functionality.
Intent: MSU research studies on campus have indicated that recycling efforts will increase if recycling containers are convenient, attractive, and functional. As more recycling occurs, current containers (trash and recycling) may have to undergo changes. Feedback from recycling studies indicates that people view MSU’s recycling containers as unattractive, which has resulted in nonuse in some areas.
Community Impact: Several buildings will be selected to test different types of material waste containers(recycling and trash). Building occupants will be asked for feedback. They will notice existing containers being swapped out for trial containers. These studies will aid in determining the type of containers to use campuswide.
Duplex Printing
Recommendation:
- Require printer and copiers that print more than 40 pages per day be replaced with equipment capable of automatic double-sided printing to significantly reduce paper inputs;
- Communicate with and educate the MSU community that the extra cost of buying duplex capability pays for itself within five years;
- Make duplex printing the default printer setting on current and new equipment through education and vendor requirements;
- Require that users set the default to duplex printing on all current printers/copiers; and
- Provide annual data to colleges and units from Purchasing and the Computer Store on types of new printers purchased by units and the volume of paper each unit purchases. The intent is to use this information to measure the change.
Intent: Reduce the paper input to campus and maximize campus systems by finding more efficient ways to use materials. This action should reduce the amount of paper consumed by approximately 30 percent, which results in savings in paper, costs, and greenhouse gases.
Community Impact: Many campus units still print documents on one side. Most high-volume printers and copiers have the capability to print on two sides. Departments and units will be asked to set their printer/copier defaults to print two-sided to maximize paper use.
Purchase Recycled Paper
Recommendation: Substitute recycled content paper for virgin paper (paper with no recycled content) with the target of a minimum of 75 percent of the white paper purchased on campus becoming recycled content paper by fall 2009.
Intent: Maximize campus systems by finding more efficient ways to use paper.
Community Impact: The majority of campus units still use virgin paper for office printing. While previous types of recycled paper present some challenges, including dull color and paper jams on high-speed machines, new versions of recycled paper perform similarly to virgin paper. Units and departments will be asked to purchase paper with a minimum of 30 percent recycled content whenever possible. When campus units redirect spending to purchase paper with recycled content and print two-sided, it is expected that the cost of paper to the unit will decrease overall.
Phone Directories
Recommendation: Provide paper AT&T phone directories for use only upon request. In addition, AT&T directories will no longer be delivered.
Intent: Reduce material inputs to campus. More than 22 tons of phone directories have been collected and recycled in the past three years. In addition, several phone book deliveries are made, requiring $7,000 annually in labor and operating costs. Fewer materials coming into the campus system reduces the amount of cost and energy (both labor and greenhouse gases) expended to transport and dispose of the materials. Source reduction provides more cost and environmental savings than recycling, so it is beneficial whenever the university can reduce the amount of materials being used.
Community Impact: AT&T directories will no longer be delivered to campus units. Alternative methods such as online phone books and directories will be encouraged. A small quantity of AT&T directories will be available from University Stores for individuals who prefer paper directories. The recycling office will continue to collect old directories upon request.
Pack Up, Pitch In Student Move In and Move Out
Recommendation: Increase the collection of student-owned materials going to the landfill that can be reused, donated, or resold by engaging more students and other volunteers. The program should also include a new partnership with East Lansing that will connect East Lansing to local agencies and nonprofits used by MSU.
Intent: Reduce outputs to the landfill and maximize materials within the university system. Recycling and reusing products pulls materials out of the waste stream.
Community Impact: Students, faculty, staff, and community volunteers will be engaged each year in collecting a wide range of materials during student move out. Materials are either recycled or donated to nonprofit organizations for distribution. Future program development also will include a similar program for all other nonresidence buildings.
