Towards Achieving Zero Waste at UBC : Food Service Ware
Creators: name: Cheng, Andrea
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2017

description: Single-use food service ware is often disposed in landfills, incinerators or the world’s oceans where it can cause numerous adverse effects to the environment and humans. These adverse effects include depletion of non-renewable resources, introduction of toxic chemicals into the environment, generation of air and water pollutants, and contribution to climate change. To mitigate these impacts, many municipal governments are developing policies, which increase the use of recyclable and compostable food service ware, and aim to divert the majority of food service waste to either composting or recycling facilities. As a result, institutions need to transition from using conventional food service ware to either reusable options or compostable and recyclable products. The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Point Grey campus, located in Metro Vancouver, is a prime example of an institution in the midst of this transition. Currently within UBC’s waste disposal system, there is significant cross contamination between its composting and recycling streams and it is striving to improve the source separation of waste. This study determined what compostable and recyclable food service ware products UBC should provide to its consumers to make waste sorting more efficient and decrease contamination in the campus waste collection system. Across the campus, the majority of food service ware types are either compostable or recyclable. Straws should be thrown into the garbage because they are made of unmarked plastic. Other food service ware types that were identified as garbage include: unmarked plastic cutlery, biodegradable plastics, composite paper and plastic products, aluminum-lined sleeves and sandwich toothpicks lined with cellophane. Targeted spot audits at Sort it Out stations determined that the mean percentage of item types correctly sorted across the campus was 63%. The AMS Nest, Sauder Exchange Café and Vanier Residence Dining Hall had correct sorting rates of 50% or lower. The items that were most commonly sorted incorrectly were: coffee cups, coffee cup lids, coffee cup sleeves, paper sleeves, compostable take-out containers, chequered food wrapping paper, compostable Nature bowl, recyclable Nature bowl lids and soiled napkins. Up to 98% of the waste analyzed during the spot audits was from the main campus. In response to the findings from the food service ware surveys and targeted spot audits, a food service ware management plan was recommended to improve waste sorting at UBC’s Vancouver campus over the next two years. The plan has the following goals: 1. Make service policies 2. Increase the use of reusable/washable ware wherever possible and increase the breadth of compostable materials on campus 3. Increase awareness and competence of correct waste sorting practices 4. Test compostability of new and prospective products 5. Monitor waste sorting practices on campus 6. Develop and implement a proper documentation and data management system UBC will accomplish its target of diverting 80% of its waste by the year 2020 through the achievement of these goals and the release of the food service ware procurement guidelines adapted through this project. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”