Welcoming new students with Zero Waste Orientation meals!
UofL is always excited to welcome new students to campus and we make huge strides to share with them our culture of sustainability. Offering them Zero Waste Meals is an important part of walking the talk.
During in-person Summer Orientation sessions, all incoming students are exposed to and trained in zero waste dining. Special attention is paid to ensuring that all service items distributed are compostable or recyclable and that all waste is properly sorted at clearly-signed collection stations.
During all twelve Summer Orientation 2022 sessions, for instance, there was 9090 pounds of waste produced, and we diverted 8528 pounds from the landfill (or 93.82%) through composting and recycling. At our most successful session in 2022, we achieved an incredible landfill diversion rate of 95.27%!
We were able to achieve these astounding numbers thanks to the tireless dedication of our UofL Dining and Louis Catering & Events staff (especially our UofL Dining Sustainability Manager, Lindsay Klingenschmidt 502-553-8786), student interns, our partners at WestRock Recycling, and the cooperation of our incoming students and their families. Thanks to all y'all!
In full detail, here's the breakdown:
Recycling Weight |
Compost Weight |
Landfill Weight |
Total Weight (Kg) |
Landfill Diversion |
|
Session 2 |
51.1 |
279.2 |
19.2 |
349.5 |
94.51% |
Session 3 |
54.6 |
333.7 |
19.8 |
408.1 |
95.15% |
Session 4 |
56 |
295.7 |
26.4 |
378.1 |
93.02% |
Session 5 |
65.4 |
287.3 |
31.9 |
384.6 |
91.71% |
Session 6 |
50.1 |
344.8 |
32.4 |
427.3 |
92.42% |
Session 7 |
86.2 |
326.4 |
30.9 |
443.5 |
93.03% |
Session 8 |
42.2 |
270.1 |
15.5 |
327.8 |
95.27% |
Session 9 |
37.7 |
229.9 |
14 |
281.6 |
95.03% |
Session 10 |
29.2 |
209 |
16.5 |
254.7 |
93.52% |
Session 11 |
39.6 |
355.9 |
23.5 |
419 |
94.39% |
Session 12 |
46.3 |
383.6 |
27.8 |
457.7 |
93.93% |
| TOTAL | 4131.9 |
93.82% |
NOTES:
- These weights are all in Kilograms (1lb = 2.2kg), so overall there was 9090 pounds of waste produced, and we diverted 8528 pounds from the landfill.
- We were not able to secure a scale in time for Session 1, but we did sort everything accordingly to the remainder of the sessions;
- We switched to bulk juice and condiments after the first few sessions, which was a huge win (jelly in foil packs added so much landfill weight and contamination if we didn’t catch it);
- Announcing to the guests where to put everything as they walk up to the waste stations was important, but staff also helped sort out what they could from the landfill, e.g.. napkins pulled out of the landfill bin and put into the compost);
- Supply chain issues were a challenge. Compostable utensils (mainly forks), were not available for purchase in time and the utensils and plastic packs were the majority of the landfill waste that was produced;
- This experience may help improve regular operations elsewhere on campus! Working with some of our supervisors for retail locations across campus, they were able to see more of sustainability work and why items (plastic wrap and gloves) belong in the landfill and can’t be traditionally recycled. Hopefully they’ll take this knowledge back to their locations and share it with the rest of their team.
