MPS Waste Audit Report
by
Andre Xiong
For a copy of this report or to access more information about waste management / recycling at MPS,
visit: http://mpsgoesgreen.mpls.k12.mn.us
School name and grade:
Today’s date:
Audit date:
Audit participants:
Jefferson Community School k-8
2-22-2010
12-3-2009
Andre Xiong, Hennepin County Environmental Services
Bill Hill, MPS Plant Operations
Doug Link, Allied Waste Services
Brent Reiland, Head Building Engineer
ANALYSIS OF WASTE GENERATION AT YOUR SITE
Waste generated at your site in December, 2009:
 In December, your school produced 5,010 lb of waste.1
 Trash:
3,200 lb (64 %)
 Mixed recycling: 1,000 lb (20 %)
 Organics:
810 lb (16%)
 Based on your school population of 654 (546 students, 108 staff), each
person in your school produced an average of 7.5 pounds of waste
during this month.2
 It took 8 dumpsters to haul your 3,200 lbs of trash.3
 The waste you recycled in December will result in 1,810 less pounds of
material going to the incinerator as well as the production of new
materials and 405 lb of compost. Making new products from recycled
material is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than
making them from raw materials. Compost is a safe fertilizer that also
reduces erosion, water loss, and weed growth in soils.
MPS is now collecting
information about waste
and recycling rates by
school. The analysis
below is based on data
for the month which this
audit took place at your
site. To access weights
from other months,
please visit:
www.mpsgoesgreen.com and
click on ‘Green Reports’.
District cost of trash and recycling disposal for your site in December, 2009 6:
Monthly haul charge $1.90/yd
Processing fee rate
$/ton
Processing fee based on weight
MN State tax
17%
Hennepin Co. tax
14.5%
Trash, actual
$152
$40
$64
$10.88
$9
Total Cost
$236
Mixed Recycling
$30
$
$6
exempt
exempt
$36
Organics Recycling
$15.2
$15
$6
exempt
exempt
Trash,
had you not recycled
$152
$40
$100
$17.03
$15
$21
$284
In December alone, your school diverted 1,810 lb of waste towards recycling; saving the district $48 in
disposal fees that would have incurred from adding that 1,810 lb to the trash instead of recycling it. These
savings allow the district to enhance its resource management strategy and offer programs like organics
recycling and improved mixed recycling. Increasing your recycling rates would yield even higher savings
throughout the school year.
ON-SITE AUDIT RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Included below are findings and recommendations based on the audit of your building’s
waste management practices.7
Organics Recycling:
You were recycling organics in addition to mixed recycling.
Congratulations for being among the first MPS schools to launch this important program. Hopefully you have
all the tools you need to make it successful. If you need to change your hauling schedule or request additional
supplies, please contact your Plant Operations supervisor. If you have questions about the program overall,
including associated education materials, please visit:
http://mpsgoesgreen.mpls.k12.mn.us/Organics_Recycling.html OR email: mpsgoesgreen@mpls.k12.mn.us
You were recycling organics during breakfast.
Congratulations for implementing a robust organics program that seeks to capture as much of the organic
waste generated throughout your building as possible. Keep up the good work.
You were not collecting restroom (paper towel) waste as organics.
Try collecting restroom paper towel waste for organic recycling. School restroom waste is almost exclusively
paper towels so very little education and promotion is required to successfully include it as organic recycling.
Keep in mind that a little contamination is acceptable. The district recommends collecting the restroom waste
without bags in the restrooms and then consolidating it into a compostable bag-lined organics barrel
designated for that area.
You had materials displayed in cafeteria to help during sorting.
Congratulations for making every effort to educate and encourage proper sorting of waste. Proper sorting will
maximize recycling rates and decrease trash to fully experience the financial and environmental benefits of
recycling. Remember that MPS has informational signage in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali on the
website. Position your posters as close as possible to waste containers so students can refer to them during
sorting.
Your lunchroom sort stations were monitored.
Congratulations for having dedicated individuals to actively assist students with sorting as necessary. Proper
sorting will maximize recycling rates and decrease trash to fully experience the financial and environmental
benefits of recycling. The shortage of monitors to assist with sorting has been linked to unsuccessful organics
recycling programs. Keep up the good work. Remember that volunteers must go through an application
process through the district. Keep in mind that the intent of monitoring is to help students learn to sort
properly as opposed to doing the actual sorting for students.
Your head building engineer suggests there has been some decrease in the amount of trash since organics
recycling was introduced.
Congratulations on successfully diverting organic material away from the trash and into recycling. This success
is critical to the financial sustainability of organics recycling. Keep up the good work!
Recycling and waste reduction practices:
You were stacking trays prior to disposal.
Congratulations on efficiently using resources. Trays take up massive volume and fill up trash bags quickly,
requiring them to be changed out frequently. Stacking trays to be disposed of separately will allow much
more room in the trash container for other waste items. This practice, in turn, can save space in the trash
dumpster(s) as well.
You were using MPS Goes Green signage.
Congratulations on helping standardize the district-wide MPS Goes Green message. Remember that there are
informational signs in English, Spanish, and Somali available on the MPS website. Also, there are fun ‘What to
Collect’ signs on the website that are appropriate for a K-8 audience.
You were using custom-made educational materials as well.
Congratulations on taking ownership for making your building green. Signs and educational materials made by
staff and students in addition to those provided by MPS will help make the program successful in your
building.
[ Most / Some / None ] of the surveyed classrooms displayed posters and labels to aid in sorting.
*not sufficient data*
Note: Posters and labels help students and staff comply with the recycling program. Labeling containers and
displaying recycling information reduces contamination in the recycling containers. Minimal effort is required
to post up educational materials yet has major positive effects. Please check the MPS website for a variety of
informational signs you can use in classrooms. Another step you can take is to incorporate environmental
sustainability information into coursework. The MPS Goes Green website provides curriculum materials you
may find useful.
You often used color coding to promote sorting.
Congratulations on using the MPS-designated colors (blue = mixed recycling, green = organics recycling,
red/gray = trash) to promoting recycling and proper sorting. Make sure to cover up any recycling labels on
containers that do not correspond with its designated use. (i.e. recycling sign on a red barrel). Contact your
Plant Operations Supervisor for stickers that can be used for this purpose.
Interior containers:
All classrooms sampled had recycling containers.
Congratulations on increasing recycling efforts throughout your school building. Classrooms generate large
amounts of paper waste. Managing paper through the recycling process is less expensive and more energy
efficient than throwing it away. Additionally, making new paper from recycled paper uses a lot less energy and
water than making new paper from trees.
You often provided both trash and recycling containers at the same location (in classrooms.)
The practice of placing both trash and recycling containers near one another has been found to increase
recycling. Making recycling containers available wherever there are trash containers maximizes the likelihood
that recyclables will not simply be thrown away.
You were not bagging mixed recycling containers.
Congratulations on further reducing your school’s environmental impact by minimizing plastic bag use.
MPS’ waste hauler prefers recyclables un-bagged because the bags become a problem at the materials
recovery facility (MRF) where the recyclables are sorted and processed. At the MRF, in order to keep the
plastic bags from getting wrapped around the sorting equipment, they must be separated and disposed. The
plastic bags do not get recycled. Furthermore, the recyclables can easily be contained and transported through
the use of bins, dumpsters, and trucks. Keep up this environmentally friendly, cost effective practice.
You were collecting liquid waste in a separate container.
A great way to minimize the weight of your waste is to divert liquid waste down the drain. Weight is one key
basis that MPS’ hauler uses to charge the district for trash and recycling. In addition, because MPS sends its
trash to the incinerator, dry waste results in a more efficient burn which is better for the environment.
Contamination assessment:
Number of sampled bags of trash: 1
Your sampled trash had no contamination. It is great to see that your school is successfully diverting recyclables
away from trash. Less recyclables (especially dense organics) in the trash means less weight, thus reducing
disposal fees for the district. Proper sorting also saves energy as more recycling leads to less energy and
resources required to make products from recycled materials.
Number of sampled bags of recycling: 0-2
Your sampled mixed recycling had [
] contamination.
Samples not provided or available. Note: When a school diverts excessively contaminated recycling to the
dumpster, there is a high likelihood that the hauler will ultimately discard the entire load as trash.
Contaminated recycling prevents material recovery facilities from converting recycled material into high quality
recycled products. It is very important that your school community works to keep the recycling stream as free
of trash as possible. Improper sorting means the district is wasting money and not achieving a positive
environmental impact.
Number of sampled bags of organics: 1
Your sampled organics had excessive contamination in the form of nonrecyclable plastics, namely cereal and
juice containers. Again, these plastics unfortunately cannot be recycled either, so they must go into the trash.
If your organics recycling is badly contaminated, it will be disposed of as trash once it arrives at the transfer
station. If contaminated loads go unnoticed during handling and pass on to composting facilities, they will
lead to the production of low quality compost with little market value. If your site is experiencing difficulties
with organics recycling, you may want to increase monitoring and education. Feel free to contact
mpsgoesgreen@mpls.k12.mn.us for further assistance on improving organics recycling.
Exterior dumpsters:
Your dumpsters were labeled.
Your dumpsters are labeled to distinguish what waste type goes in them, ensuring that trash and recyclables
(and organics) are disposed of properly.
Waste were correctly disposed of in their corresponding dumpster.
Congratulations on completing the process by correctly placing waste in their proper dumpsters.
Your dumpsters were not effectively arranged to encourage recycling.
It is a best practice to place recycling dumpsters in a convenient location. Placing the recycling dumpster(s)
closer than trash dumpster discourages recyclables from ending up in the trash dumpster. If your school is
participating in organics, it is especially important to put that dumpster close due to the heavy weight of those
bags. If you would like to move your dumpster location or arrangement, please contact your Plant Operations
supervisor.
Your trash dumpster [ 4 yd3, picked up 5x weekly ] is typically full at pick-up.
Congratulations for choosing an appropriately sized trash dumpster. Keep in mind there should be a decrease
in trash as a result of the district’s revitalized recycling program. As recycling improves at your school, make
note of reduced trash production and request a smaller dumpster as necessary.
Your mixed recycling dumpster [ 4 yd3, picked up 1x weekly ] is typically full at pick-up.
Congratulations for filling your mixed recycling dumpster to its capacity. Dumpster disposal fees are charged
based on size and service frequency, so an underutilized dumpster costs the district extra money. Increasing to
a bigger recycling dumpster is perfectly fine if your school’s recycling efforts have improved that much.
Your organics dumpster [ 2 yd3, picked up 1x weekly ] is typically full at pick-up.
Congratulations for filling your organics dumpster to its capacity. Dumpster disposal fees are charged based on
size so an underutilized dumpster is costing the district extra. Upgrade to a larger dumpster if your school is
consistently and successfully diverting large amounts of organic waste.
If your school needs to modify its hauling schedule / dumpster size or access additional materials to make your
waste management/recycling program successful, please contact your Plant Operations Supervisor. For
questions regarding the audit and audit report, please contact Andre Xiong.
Andre Xiong
MN GreenCorps School Waste Prevention Specialist
Hennepin County Dept. of Environmental Services
417 N. 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
phone: 612-543-1316
email: andre.x.xiong@co.hennepin.mn.us
Appendix / Sources
1 Monthly waste generation data was provided by MPS contract hauler, Allied Waste Services. Data on
dumpster sizes and hauling schedules were also obtained from Allied.
2 Student enrollment numbers were obtained through MPS student account, available to the public online.
Staff enrollment numbers were obtained through payroll.
3 Allied Waste estimates one cubic yard of trash weighs approximately 100 lbs.
4 Ginny Black, from MN Pollution Control Agency, estimates approximately 50% of organic waste remains as
finished compost after decomposition.
5 It was decided upon to use 32% as the figure for organic waste composition of total waste generated at
schools. The study was conducted in southern California by California Integrated Waste Management Board
for 2002.
6 Calculations:
Monthly haul charge = [ $1.90 X dumpster size (yd3) X frequency of pickup in a week ] X 4 weeks (month)
Processing fee = processing rate X weight (tons)
Total cost = monthly haul charge + processing fee + tax
Savings incurred from recycling = total cost (gross weight) ▬ total cost (trash weight)
7 Audit procedures:
o Audits were scheduled for 1 hour and included:
1. Interview with head building engineer 2. Interior walkthrough
3. Contamination assessment
4. Exterior walkthrough
o Audits were conducted by Hennepin County Environmental Services’ GreenCorps member; alongside an
Allied Waste representative and the Plant Ops supervisor for that site.
o Questions during audit were answered based on head engineers’ observations and perceptions.
o Walk-through portion of audit consisted of observing (as needed):
2 hallways (or other common areas)
3 classrooms
1 bathroom
Cafeteria
Dumpsters
o Contamination assessment portion of audit consisted of visually assessing:
2 bags of trash
2 bags of mixed recycling
2 bags of organic waste
8 Not all schools were able to supply samples for contamination assessment due to various reasons. In such
cases, samples were attained in these other manners (where possible):
Observing bags already disposed of in dumpsters
Observing un-bagged waste in dumpsters equivalent to bag
Observing active containers on the floor
Clarification on contaminants:
Non-recyclable paper include: food-soiled paper, napkins, paperware, milk cartons.
Non-recyclable plastics include: shrinkwrap, plasticware, food containers.
Cardboard is allowed in single stream collection, so it is categorized with ‘paper’ for our purposes.
Food waste is only considered a contaminant in trash where organics recycling is in place.