At Merritt College, the most notable waste diversion trends in 2007 year were:
- Huge increase in recycling beverage containers
- Huge increase in recycling cardboard
- Expected disappearance of construction and demolition debris
- Expected disappearance of MRF
Until 2007, Merritt College was the only campus who has had a dedicated staff person making sure that all the recyclables — cardboard, paper — were collected from around the campus. That person is now-retired classified staff, Jim Harding. According to Mr. Harding, the College did try recycling cans and bottles in order to comply with the State’s Bottle Bill (AB75), but rodents, ants, gnats and bees hindered Jim’s and the custodians’ best efforts.
Recycling bins were installed throughout the campus between August and September 2008. A study will forthcoming on the use and effectiveness of the bins. Merritt head custodian Felix Smith has also reported that the college has not filled all of its custodial positions, and therefore has inadequate staffing to fully run the cleaning protocol, let alone the recycling protocol, which requires that the evening custodians would empty the recycling bins simultaneously with the trash bins.
Currently, Merritt College is also the only campus to have a compactor dedicated to collecting recyclable materials. NorCal Waste Services of Alameda County lent the compactor in May 2008 to conduct a pilot study on the cost-effectiveness of installing comparable compactors at other colleges. Since the cost of a new compactor is approximately $30,000, NorCal believed it would be prudent to estimate the cost savings of such a program before implementing it at other campuses.
To date, the compactor is not well used. A large amount of cardboard, currently sitting in the utility hallways underneath R-building, remains to be taken to the compactor. The compactor also has not been emptied, indicating a complete lack of use or a very low amount of recyclables generated on the campus.
Merritt College Summary
The most notable trends in the 2007 waste diversion data are
- The start of beverage container recycling
- Resumption of mixed office paper recycling
- Decrease in cardboard recycling
- One time increases in construction and demolition debris
| Program Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diversion Rate Percentage |
94.9%
|
76.4%
|
78.5%
|
84.5%
|
| Total Tonnage Disposed |
82.14
|
113.81
|
139.5
|
208.98
|
| Total Tonnage Diverted |
1,523.2
|
368.4
|
508.2
|
1139.3
|
| Total Tonnage Generated |
1,605.0
|
482.0
|
648.0
|
1348.3
|
Merritt College Diversion Details
| Program Name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source Reduction | ||||
| Business Source Reduction |
1.3
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
| Material Exchange |
0.4
|
7.0
|
NR
|
|
| Recycling | ||||
| Beverage Containers |
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
2.25
|
| Cardboard |
NR
|
52.0
|
52.0
|
28.92
|
| Glass |
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
| Newspaper |
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
| Office Paper (white) |
NR
|
NR
|
19.8
|
NR
|
| Office Paper (mixed) |
46.8
|
19.8
|
NR
|
38.74
|
| Scrap Metal |
NR
|
3.1
|
7.7
|
NR
|
| Other Materials |
NR
|
4.2
|
4.2
|
NR
|
| Composting | ||||
| Xeriscaping, grasscycling |
237.3
|
237.3
|
241.0
|
237.3
|
| On-site composting/mulching |
24.0
|
4.0
|
4.4
|
4.0
|
| Commercial pickup of compostables |
26.0
|
29.6
|
124.9
|
29.6
|
| Special Waste | ||||
| Scrap Metal |
NR
|
4.6
|
NR
|
224.0
|
| Wood waste |
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
42.43
|
| Concrete/asphalt/rubble (C&D) |
437.5
|
NR
|
NR
|
460.0
|
| Other special waste |
750.0
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
| Facility Recovery | ||||
| MRF |
NR
|
5.2
|
52.5
|
70.46
|
| Hazardous Material | ||||
| Electronic Waste |
0.1
|
NR
|
NR
|
NR
|
[...] shelves and a combination of Gould's and Merritt's furniture make cozy reading nooks throughout. …Sustainable Peralta Recycling at Merritt College with 2004 …Until 2007, Merritt College was the only campus who has had a dedicated staff person … Merritt [...]