ZERO WASTE COMMITTEE

INTRODUCTION

The Zero Waste Committee is the new name for the AS Recycling Committee and still includes the Department of Public Worms, which utilizes earthworms to produce a high quality soil amendment and “tea” containing plant nutrients.

The committee works closely with AS Recycling to manage the student run campus recycling program. The program relies on student Route Riders who have been collecting recyclables from across campus since 1994. Today collection is done using specially modified and fossil-free bikes. Various types of bins are placed around a campus to collect these materials and the Zero Waste Committee is there to inform the campus community about these resources. They also host workshops open to both students and the public.

In spring of 2012, Associated Students hired Sarah Siedschlag, the first permanent, full time staff to supervise the ASR and DPW programs in several years.

Working with students, her priorities have been to organize the department and improve efficiency by reducing route frequency when possible, improve training and communication, and improve safety standards. Route Riders have stopped sorting recycling as the income generated did not fully counteract the labor cost of extra time spent on sorting and because sorting also created pest infestations and cash handling risks. DPW has stopped picking up food waste from Isla Vista to feed the newly redesigned worm bin, and now collects higher quality food from the dining commons.

Audits are now conducted to include measurements of both pre- and post-sort diversion rates, which gives a much more accurate picture of event waste diversion.

WORKSHOPS

Workshops included a demonstration of composting and how earthworms are used to make a soil amendment and “worm tea.” The tea can be used to add nutrients to the soil and is available for sale to the public. There was also an  Urban Garden Workshop, showing how you can grow your own food even with limited space.

PAPER TOWEL FREE PROJECT

Taking a cue from UC Santa Cruz and several other campuses, Zero Waste Committee and the Residence Hall Association rolled out a pilot program to eliminate paper towel use in the Residence Halls. The intention was to ultimately remove all paper towel dispensers from the dorms. A test group was given blue cloth towels embroidered with Zero Waste Committee in gold. Unfortunately, the program came during a year when there was a meningitis outbreak that sickened several students and led to a mass vaccination of UCSB students. Student Health was concerned that the use of the cloth hand towels might spread the disease and the program was stopped. On the upside this led to a program to compost hand towels and this program remains in force.