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:
Thomas Edison High School
7-6-2010
5-26-2009
Andre Xiong, Hennepin County Environmental Services
Laurie Fischer, Head Building Engineer
James Tschida, Plant Operations Supervisor
Doug Link, Allied Waste Services
ANALYSIS OF WASTE GENERATION AT YOUR SITE
Waste generated at your site in May, 2009:
 In May, your school produced 17,520 lb of waste.1
 Trash:
12,600 lb (72 %)
 Mixed recycling:
3,620 lb (21 %)
 Organics:
1,300 lb ( 7%)
 Based on your school population of 975 (844 students, 131 staff), each
person in your school produced an average of 18 pounds of waste
during this month.2
 It took 21 dumpsters to haul your 12,600 lb of trash.3
 The waste you recycled in May will result in 1,300 less pounds of
material going to the incinerator as well as the production of new
materials and 1,300 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 May, 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
$304
$43
$271
$46.05
$39.28
Total Cost
$660
Mixed Recycling
$46
$0
$0
exempt
exempt
$46
Organics Recycling
$15.20
$15
$10
exempt
exempt
Trash,
had you not recycled
$304
$43
$377
$64.04
$54.62
$25
$799
In May alone, your school diverted 1,300 lb of waste towards recycling; saving the district $139 in disposal
fees that would have incurred from adding that 1,300 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 not recycling organics during breakfast.
A large percentage of the organic waste created by your school happens during breakfast. This presents an
opportunity to significantly increase your organics recycling rates, save money in waste hauling costs, as well
as maintain consistency for students who are participating in the program. A successful breakfast organics
program requires a close partnership between the breakfast supervisors and the building engineer.
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 educational 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
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 bags quickly,
requiring them to be changed out frequently. Stacking trays to be disposed of separately will allow much
more room in waste containers for other waste items. This practice, in turn, can save space in the
dumpster(s) as well. Continue this practice with the new compostable trays
You were collecting liquid waste in a separate container.
Congratulations. 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.
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.
Some of the surveyed classrooms displayed posters and labels to aid in sorting.
It is good to see that classrooms in your building are taking ownership for the recycling program. Posters and
labels help students and staff comply with the program. Teachers, take as little as a minute of your time to
post up signage by recycling containers to encourage recycling in the classroom. 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.
Contamination assessment:
Number of sampled bags of trash: 2
Sample 1 had excessive contamination (paper, plastic bottles, and metal cans.)
Sample 2 had excessive contamination (metal cans.)
Contaminants in your trash are any items that can be recycled or composted. Common items such as paper,
glass/plastic bottles, and cans require much more energy to produce from raw materials than from their
recycled counterparts. These items also add weight to trash, thereby, increasing disposal fees for the district. A
collaborative effort from your school community is needed to prevent recyclables from becoming trash.
Number of sampled bags of recycling: 2
Sample 1 had minimal contamination (non-recyclable paper.)
Sample 2 had excessive contamination (non-recyclable plastic.)
When you have excessive contamination in your recycling it could mean that the hauler will reject your entire
load to the trash. It is very important that your school community continues to keep the recycling stream as
good of quality as possible. If you would like clarification on whether or not certain items are recyclable,
please contact me.
Number of sampled bags of organics: 1
Sample had excessive contamination (non-recyclable plastic and aluminum foil.)
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 / were not ] not labeled.
*not sufficint data* Note : Differentiate dumpsters with labels provided by Allied Waste. Disposing of your
waste streams in the proper dumpsters is the crucial final step your waste takes before it leaves your school
property. If you end up putting sorted materials (mixed recycling and/or organics) in the trash dumpster--or
contaminate sorted materials with trash, it undermines the entire recycling effort and can be very discouraging
for all of the staff, students, and parents who participate in the recycling program.
Waste [ were / were not ] correctly disposed of in their corresponding dumpster.
*not sufficint data* Note: Disposing of your waste streams in the proper dumpsters is the crucial final step
your waste takes before it leaves your school property. If you end up putting sorted materials (mixed
recycling and/or organics) in the trash dumpster, -- or contaminate sorted materials with trash, it undermines
the entire recycling effort and can be very discouraging for all of the staff, students, and parents who
participate in the recycling program.
Your dumpsters were effectively arranged to encourage recycling.
*not sufficint data* Note: 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 dumpsters [ both 6 yd3, picked up 5x weekly ] are typically half-full at pick-up.
Congratulations for reducing your trash disposal. As recycling improves at your school, make note of reduced
trash production and request a smaller dumpster as necessary.
Your mixed recycling dumpsters [ both 6 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 [ two at 2 yd3 each, picked up 1x weekly ]is typically full at pick-up.
Congratulations for filling your organics dumpsters to their capacity. Dumpster disposal fees are charged based
on size (and quantity) so underutilized dumpsters cost the district extra. Therefore, upgrade to a larger capacity
only if your school is consistently and successfully diverting large amounts of organic waste.
Summary of Recommendations
-Collect organics from breakfast and restrooms (paper towel waste) to be part of the organics recycling
program.
-Notify school community and organics coordinators of the excessive contamination observed in the organics
waste stream and its negative impact to compost facilities.
-Notify plant operations supervisor of much-reduced trash disposal—request one trash dumpster to be
removed from site.
-Establish a school-wide set-up that best promotes recycling (especially of paper) in classrooms:
-Post up signs/posters by containers to differentiate recycling from trash.
-Position trash and recycling containers together to promote sorting.
-Place containers in prominent locations, such as by doors or teachers’ desks, rather than scattered
around.
-Limit the amount of containers in class rooms—one recycling and one trash should suffice.
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.