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Waste Reduction <br />Rate desired <br />Additional Tons <br />needed to be <br />Diverted <br />70% <br />11,908 <br />80% <br />30,799 <br />90% <br />50,040 <br />3. University Waste Reduction Obiective <br />The University announced a zero waste initiative. Their goal as stated in the Gazette (10/12/16) is a <br />targeted 95% reduction including cutting total incoming waste by 50% and then recover 90% of <br />remaining waste through recycling and composting. No plans have been adopted or developed that <br />communicate how such a policy would be implemented or the objective achieved and in what time <br />period. The University's current recovery rate is 47 %. Their per capita waste reduction to landfill rate <br />from the base year of FY 1991 -92 is 42% (not counting coal ash). <br />4. General Staff Observations <br />➢ Staff detects no perception from public or elected officials of interest in reducing or eliminating <br />existing programs or services. <br />➢ Current programs are working at a commendable level of efficiency and cost - effectiveness. <br />➢ It is essential to resolve the current $2,000,000 budget gap and implement a new financial plan <br />before seriously contemplating further investment in waste reduction programs. <br />➢ The "low hanging" waste reduction fruit has already been harvested; additional substantive <br />waste reduction will be increasingly expensive and challenging and will require creativity and <br />innovation. <br />➢ A careful and systematic process will be necessary to identify future direction of waste <br />reduction programs and achieve more assertive goals. <br />➢ Any existing program or service reductions are likely to result in increased tons disposed and a <br />decrease in local waste reduction goal attainment. <br />5. General Program Planning Components toward Achieving Additional Waste Reduction <br />➢ More education and outreach. <br />➢ New programs and services. <br />➢ Examine new and improved collection or processing methodologies. <br />➢ Improvements to existing programs and services. <br />➢ New or different regulations, ordinances, and potential enforcement. <br />➢ New and better markets for the sale of recyclables. <br />➢ Pursue new materials or focus on materials identified as available in larger amounts through <br />waste composition study. <br />➢ Focus on or pursue new or currently underserved waste generation sectors (Commercial). <br />➢ New or improved expanded disposal or processing facilities. <br />➢ Consider enhanced influence or oversight of private waste collection services. <br />