Tag: Betsy Ruckman

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Illinois Materials Management & Recycling Opportunities Report

Photo by Napasnan  – stock.adobe.com (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) 

Project Title: Illinois Materials Management & Recycling Opportunities Report 

Sector: State Government 

Location: Illinois, Statewide 

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Pollution Prevention, Process Optimization, Stakeholder Engagement, Resilient Solutions, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management 

Background: Between 2019 and 2021, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) Technical Assistance Program provided support to the Illinois EPA (IEPA) and the statewide Materials Management Advisory Committee (MMAC) in the development of the MMAC report submitted to the Illinois General Assembly in July 2021. In early 2022, ISTC began collaborating with IEPA to identify ongoing study needs associated with the MMAC Report. Specifically, the MMAC Report established the following statewide diversion goals: 

• 2025: 40% diversion 

• 2030: 45% diversion 

• 2035: 50% diversion 

IEPA commissioned ISTC to conduct a two-year study focused on researching large volume recyclable materials to better understand recycling and diversion efforts throughout Illinois and barriers and opportunities to further diversion. Through conversations with IEPA and stakeholders involved with the MMAC report, ISTC decided on five material categories to focus on for this study. They include glass, metals, organics (food waste and yard waste), plastics (#1, 2, 5), and textiles.  

This study focused on one primary question: Where should IEPA focus their efforts, resources, and funding to further divert these materials from the landfill? 

Approach: ISTC began by reviewing and analyzing data from the MMAC report, primarily Table 2 on page 26 and Table 4 on pages 56-57. Data from these tables uses the material breakdown from the 2015 Illinois Commodity/Waste Generation and Characterization Study Update (IC/WGCS) and applies it to 2018 landfill generation data. As of 2024, this is the most up-to-date data on waste composition in Illinois. Note that in conjunction with the Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Act, the IEPA will be funding a statewide waste characterization study to identify the annualized volume of individual materials generated in Illinois by geographic region of the state. That forthcoming waste characterization will provide updated waste composition data that can be used in guiding materials management decisions. 

ISTC then conducted research to better understand the state of recycling and diversion for each targeted material. In addition to the initial stakeholder engagement focused on MMAC contributors and participants, virtual stakeholder listening sessions for each material were held, with follow-up conversations as needed to accommodate scheduling conflicts, connect with additional individuals suggested by session participants, or to collect further information from session participants. Questions asked at each of the listening sessions included: 

• What are the barriers to diverting this material from the landfill? 

• What are the opportunities to further divert this material from the landfill? 

• What types of support and investment form the Illinois EPA would be most impactful to diverting this material from the landfill? 

Results: ISTC submitted a report to IEPA in December 2024 summarizing its findings. The report consists of chapters for each of the five materials listed above and a sixth chapter summarizing stakeholder input gathered from listening sessions and follow-up conversations. While existing efforts, infrastructure, markets, etc. differ for each material (and thus the research conducted for each material), each material category has subchapters on: 

• Definitions – Defining key terms used throughout the chapter. 

• Generation – What data is available to better understand generation of each material? 

• Impacts on the environment and human health – What are the impacts of allowing each material to end up in a landfill? What are the impacts of recycling each material? 

• Collection – How are these materials collected for recycling? 

• Infrastructure – What recycling infrastructure exists for each material? 

• End markets – What end markets exist for this recycled material? What markets need to be developed or bolstered for each material? 

• Existing policy/regulations – What policies and/or regulations exist in Illinois that govern the recycling process for each material? What policies or regulations could be put in place to increase the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing goals – What local, state, or national goals exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing funding opportunities – What local, state, or national funding opportunities exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Existing education & resources – What local, state, or national educational resources exist for the recycling and diversion of each material? 

• Solutions & Research Gaps – What are the best practices for recycling and diverting additional material from the landfill? What research gaps exist to better understanding challenges and opportunities to recycling each material? 

In early 2025, IEPA shared the report with stakeholders who participated in the MMAC and provided feedback to ISTC as part of this follow-up study. IEPA subsequently published the report on its website to foster ongoing statewide discussions about improving recycling and sustainable materials management in Illinois. It is available online at https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127016.

IEPA news release announcing the report: https://epa.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/epa/about-us/documents/news-releases/2025/03.24.2025-IEPA-ISTC-MMAC-Report-Final.pdf  

Additional press coverage

• New state recycling report shows different rates of recycling of materials, by Jess Savage for Northern Public Radio, 4/15/25.

Other projects with this client: https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/illinois-environmental-protection-agency-epa/  

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Net Zero as Emissions Reduction at Wisconsin School District

Photo by fizkes for Adobe Stock Images (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign).

Project Title: Net Zero as Emissions Reduction at Wisconsin School District                                                                                                                                       

Sector: K-12 School District, K-12 Schools

Location: Wisconsin

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Climate Resiliency, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management

Background: The ISTC Zero Waste team was made aware of the opportunity to assist with this project due to past partnership with McKinstry. McKinstry’s mission is to “make the built environment healthier, more efficient and safer through our engineering expertise, construction excellence and innovative facility operations.” The ISTC Zero Waste team was brought on as a consultant for the solid waste, recycling, and compost portion of a larger emissions reduction plan.

Approach: ISTC compiled available information on waste hauling data including dumpster or bin sizes and pickup frequency at 50+ district buildings.

ISTC contacted staff in grounds, cafeteria, waste management, and other high-generation areas to understand current practices and diversion efforts across the district. ISTC also spoke to local government, business, and nonprofit agencies to gain greater understanding of the local area’s waste resources and assess potential partnership opportunities. Through these conversations, ISTC developed strategies and recommendations that complemented and built on existing waste reduction and management work, as well as first steps toward unaddressed “low-hanging fruit” solutions.

Finally, ISTC compiled a list of case studies, best practices, peer institutions, and assistance organizations to provide inspiration and aid for implementing waste reduction strategies. These were documented in a report and submitted to both the district and McKinstry.

Hauling data, stakeholder feedback, and additional resources were presented at an educational workshop. ISTC staff presented in person and answered questions from workshop attendees.

Results: Information, recommendations, and resources compiled and shared by ISTC can be used by the school district to address waste reduction, data collection, and diversion. Attendees of ISTC’s presentation will be able to advocate for waste reduction and management as important pieces of a carbon neutrality plan.

Other Projects with this Client (McKinstry): https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/mckinstry/

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Florida School District Solid Waste Analysis and Reduction Planning

Photo by WavebreakMediaMicro for Adobe Stock Images (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Project Title:  Florida School District Solid Waste Analysis and Reduction Planning

Sector: K-12 School District, K-12 Schools

Location: Florida

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management

Background: The ISTC Zero Waste team was made aware of the opportunity to assist with this project due to past partnership with McKinstry. McKinstry’s mission is to “make the built environment healthier, more efficient and safer through our engineering expertise, construction excellence, and innovative facility operations.” The goal for this specific project was to develop carbon reduction goals with a focus on six key areas: energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, on- & off-site renewables, energy purchasing, fleet operations, and solid waste. The ISTC Zero Waste team was brought on to assist with the solid waste and recycling portion of this plan which analyzed existing data and practices, engaged stakeholders, and provided recommendations on ways to reduce waste across the district.

Approach: The tasks set out for the ISTC team involved evaluating existing data streams, engaging with key stakeholders across the district, conducting an educational session on waste reduction and diversion, developing strategies and recommendations to reduce waste generation and the associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, and developing the solid waste section of the final plan. Evaluating existing data involved obtaining bills and records from waste and recycling disposal efforts and analyzing how those values differed across types of district buildings as well as the associated greenhouse gas emissions. ISTC also analyzed other waste streams including tires, construction and demolition waste, scrap metal, and landscape waste. As part of the engagement process, working groups from different priority areas were engaged to discern current conditions and existing practices within the district. Meetings were held with the custodial team, grant writing team, Green Team leaders, purchasing team, student nutrition services, as well as key stakeholders from the county recycling team. These meetings helped ISTC uncover what programs existed, what was going well, where gaps existed, and what opportunities there were across the district for improvement. The education session targeted Green Team members across the school district and focused on why waste reduction is important and relevant to the school district. This presentation also included ideas for engaging with students on the topic of waste, such as conducting waste bin audits in their classrooms. The ISTC team summarized their findings and presented recommendations for waste diversion and reduction in the final plan.

Results: The result of this project was the final carbon reduction plan of which ISTC contributed to the Solid Waste section. Recommendations were presented as “good,” “better,” or “best” which reflected cost, difficulty, and overall impact to allow the district to choose an approach in line with their financial and labor capabilities.  This process not only collected valuable information which aided in creating a tailored pathway to reduction but also fostered connections and collaboration within the district by allowing the spread of knowledge about existing projects, partnerships, and ideas.

Other Projects with this Client (McKinstry): https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/mckinstry/

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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Building Waste Characterization & Opportunity Assessment 2023

Photo of waste audit sorting set up
TAP staff sorting waste samples collected from campus buildings.

Project Title: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Building Waste Characterization & Opportunity Assessment 

Sector: Higher Education 

Location: Champaign-Urbana, IL 

Services: Waste Characterization/Reduction/Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Implementation Assistance

Background: Beginning in 2014, the ISTC Technical Assistance Program (TAP) Zero Waste Illinois team worked with F&S on a two-phase building waste characterization study, which involved sampling and characterizing waste streams from eight buildings, including two residence halls, one academic building with laboratories, one academic building without laboratories, an administrative building, the student union, a bookstore, and a mixed-use event building. Each building was also audited for the availability and location of refuse and recycling bins. Additionally, employee and student occupants of the study buildings were surveyed to gauge knowledge of current programs, gaps in service, and overall satisfaction with the campus recycling program. With this data, TAP made recommendations to improve waste reduction and diversion for the individual buildings, as well as campus-wide recommendations. See “University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Waste Characterization Studies 2014-2015“ for further details. 

In 2019, TAP also conducted an indoor solid waste and recycling collection and infrastructure assessment and improvement study, which among other recommendations, spurred the acquisition and deployment of new three-bin recycling collection stations to improve the consistency of recycling infrastructure, in an effort to increase both the quantity and quality of recyclable materials recovered on campus. 

In Fall 2021, TAP began discussions with representatives from the F&S Waste Management department, the Institute of Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), and the Illini Union (one of the buildings included in the aforementioned campus building waste characterization study) about conducting follow-up campus waste audits. These discussions included interest in ascertaining: the efficacy of the newer three-bin recycling stations (which had not yet completely replaced older bins in all campus buildings); in improving recycling behavior; whether recovery of recyclables has changed over time in buildings previously audited; and current levels and types of contamination in the recycling stream. Discussions were put on hold until the hiring of a full-time zero waste coordinator for campus (Daphne Hulse), which occurred in fall 2022, to ensure availability of dedicated staff to address waste audit findings. Ms. Hulse pursued and obtained funding from the U. of I. Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) to supplement available F&S funds and cover the costs of auditing eight buildings. The SSC grant was awarded in late spring 2023, and thus plans were made to conduct the audit in fall 2023. 

 Approach: Due to the size and volume of waste and recycling generated on campus, sorting all materials was not feasible. Thus, TAP and F&S used an activity zone approach for this waste audit. This involved selecting a representative set of buildings across campus based on classification of a building according to its main function and service. Waste audit data from these representative buildings was used to formulate recommendations for waste reduction through improvements to education & outreach, infrastructure, policy, programming, purchasing, research, and collaborating with externally controlled retail outlets in campus buildings. Those recommendations for improvement can then be applied to other buildings that fall within the same activity zone categorization. For this waste audit, activity zones and their respective buildings included:  

  • Academic: Business Instructional Facility (BIF) & Campus Instructional Facility (CIF) 
  • Academic + Laboratory: Roger Adams Laboratory (RAL) & Noyes Laboratory
  • Multi-Activity: Illini Union & Activities & Recreation Center (ARC)
  • Student Living: Lincoln Avenue Residence Halls & Allen Residence Hall

TAP conducted walkthroughs of study buildings to assess current conditions and infrastructure, discuss waste and recycling challenges and successes with facility managers and other key personnel, and determine the best method for sample collection during the waste audit. Samples from trash (landfill-bound) and recycling streams were collected from the selected buildings and hand-sorted by TAP staff and volunteers into pre-determined categories defined in conjunction with F&S waste management staff. Additionally, focus group sessions (one per activity zone) were held to obtain input from campus community members (including students, faculty, and staff). Stakeholder engagement helped to gauge expectations, barriers, and sources of confusion, as well as garner suggestions for ways to reduce waste and improve collection of recyclables for the buildings included in the study. An online form was made available for submission of written feedback from those unable to attend focus group sessions and to allow session participants to submit any additional comments and suggestions.  

In addition to presenting methodologies and findings, it was decided to use the audit report to carefully document current waste and recycling management practices across campus and within the examined activity zones. This included detailed descriptions of bin liner color-coding standards and the rationale behind them, procedures at the campus Waste Transfer Station (WTS), process flow diagrams, and a list of processors and destinations for the major categories of collected recyclables. In this way the report could serve as an educational and communications tool, informing the campus community about proper procedures, combatting persistent misconceptions, raising awareness of waste reduction and management initiatives, and increasing transparency. 

Pie chart showing the breakdown by material of landfill samples collected.
Composition of landfill-bound waste (trash) across all audited buildings. Click on the image to see a full-sized version.

Results: Within all 1742.3 pounds of landfill-found trash sorted across activity zones in this audit, only 18.9 percent had no other fate than being sent to the landfill. The avoidable amount was estimated to be 34 percent. Nearly 23.1 percent of all landfill waste was paper towels, which could be composted, recycled through a special program, or replaced by electric hand dryers instead of being trashed.

Pie chart showing material breakdown of recycling samples analyzed in the study.
Composition of collected recyclables across all audited buildings. Click on the image to see a full-sized version.

Recyclable materials represented 12.9 percent of the waste stream, or 224.76 pounds of material. Another 17.1 percent might be recycled with expanded recycling programs. Finally, 17.1 percent was compostable. Within the total 1065.7 pounds of material from recycling streams across activity zones sorted in this audit, 81.4 percent was correctly recycled and 62.3 percent of the material sorted was cardboard. 18.6 percent is not currently accepted and is considered contamination. Liquids were the largest (by weight) material category contributing to contamination at 2.6 percent of materials sorted. Liquid contamination can ruin items even if they were placed in the correct recycling collection bins because paper and cardboard must be clean and dry to be eligible for baling and sale as commodities.

See the full report (linked below) for further details and results by activity zone. 

The study uncovered a lack of awareness, confusion, and/or inconsistent compliance regarding the bin-liner color-coding standard even among building service workers, suggesting that improved communication and efforts to ease supply chain barriers could result in increased capture of recyclable materials. Observations during building walkthroughs and feedback compiled from stakeholder engagement indicated that greater consistency in collection bin style and signage, along with improvements in communication of proper waste management and recycling procedures to students, faculty, and staff could result in improved collection and reduced contamination of recyclable materials. TAP made 39 recommendations for waste reduction and improved management grouped into seven themes (education & outreach, infrastructure, policy, programming, purchasing, research, and retail). For the complete list of recommendations, see the full report.  

Below are links to relevant publications, websites, and resources. 

Other projects with this client: https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign/

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Loyola University Chicago: Solid Waste Characterization and Opportunity Assessment

Image of people in protective clothing standing around a table hand-sorting waste that is spread on the table.
Photo of ISTC staff and Loyola student and staff volunteers during the waste audit.

Project Title: Loyola University Chicago: Solid Waste Characterization and Opportunity Assessment

Sectors: Higher Education, Caterers, Food Service, Retail

Location: Chicago, IL

Services: Implementation Assistance, Stakeholder Engagement, Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Waste Characterization/Reduction/Management

Background: Loyola University Chicago spans multiple campuses and hundreds of buildings in the Chicagoland area. As part of the university’s planning process towards a zero waste future, Loyola Sustainability Manager Megan Conway reached out to ISTC to plan a waste characterization study or waste audit. The data and recommendations from this study will inform Loyola’s work toward a zero-waste campus.

Approach: ISTC utilizes an “Activity Zone” approach for audits to more accurately analyze data and provide tailored solutions to each zone. At Loyola, the Activity Zones were as follows:

  • Academic: Mundelein Center, Phillip H. Corboy Law Center, Center for Translational Research & Education, Quinlan and Flanner halls
  • Multi-Use: Damen Student Center, Information Commons & Cudahy Library
  • Student Living: Fordham Hall, Mertz Hall, and de Nobili hall
  • On-The-Go: Exterior bins on the Lake Shore Campus

The ISTC team conducted walkthroughs of the planned buildings in March and the audit on April 15-19, 2024. During the week of hand-sorting and weighing trash and recycling streams from the selected buildings, the ISTC team and Loyola volunteers compiled data on waste stream composition for a total of nine spaces within four activity zones and two campuses of the Loyola University system. As per the ASTM D5231 standard for processing solid waste, 200-pound samples were targeted as the minimum representative sample weights for both landfill-bound trash and single-stream recycling.

ISTC also assessed contamination levels in 132.3 pounds of compost-bound material collected at the dining facility located in de Nobili Hall.

Over several months, the ISTC team analyzed the audit data, reviewed building walkthrough notes, and compiled a list of recommendations under the following categories. The recommendations were then classified by Activity Zone (Campus-Wide, Academic, Multi-Use, Student Living, and/or On the Go), by Cost Types (Labor, Materials, and/or Services), and by Impact (Low, Medium, or High).

  • Infrastructure & Signage: These recommendations encourage clear, standardized, and co-located waste infrastructure, from bin and bag coloring to signage.
  • Organics: These recommendations cover large- and small-scale management of organic waste, particularly food waste and compostable consumer products.
  • Purchasing: These recommendations address upstream solutions to reduce waste production in labs, food service, printing and more.
  • Research & Goal Setting: These recommendations suggest areas for further investigation, such as waste audits that cover different areas and materials not captured in the current study.
  • Programming: These recommendations engage the community with regular events and activities such as specialty recycling drop-off points, sharing systems, and reusables.
  • Education and Outreach: These recommendations provide topics and methods for teaching the campus community about waste and waste management.

Results : The final report was presented to Loyola staff in early Summer 2024. Highlights included pie charts of each Activity Zone’s trash and recycling stream, an analysis of common items and contaminants, a flowchart of the waste stream at Loyola, and an overview of current waste infrastructure and practices. The report also contained a summary of the audit procedure, data analysis by building, and a table of recommendations.

Loyola’s next steps are putting together a broader Zero Waste Plan informed by this audit data as well as feedback from stakeholders across campus.

The ISTC team is thankful for all the student and faculty volunteers who helped sort, to the grounds team for their hard work hauling waste, and to the workers and managers of Campus Operations and Facilities for their cooperation and insight on waste practices.

Other projects with this client: None at this time.