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School District Diversion Report 2000

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School District Diversion Report 2000

Executive Summary

Tapping the Nonresidential Sector

The nonresidential segment of the community generates approximately 60 percent of the waste in California. While residents have largely embraced the environmental ethic of recycling, participating in curbside collection and other recycling programs in large numbers, the nonresidential sector has been slower to respond. As a result, schools, hospitals, prisons, hotels, large office complexes, office/light industrial parks, State, local, and federal government agencies, and other similar institutions generate a largely untapped source of organic and other recyclable materials.

Tapping the nonresidential sector requires the development of an organized and focused approach. One of the principle objectives of the School District Diversion Project was to apply a waste assessment methodology to school districts on the assumption that school districts provide a good model for application to other institutions. For the several reasons outlined in the following section, school districts are excellent models for the institutional segment of the nonresidential sector.

School Districts as a Pilot Project

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB, Board when referring to the six-member Board of the CIWMB) determined that a pilot project to explore ways to effectively initiate and sustain waste reduction practices in institutional settings would be the best approach to test hypotheses and explore methods before attempting to implement them on a large scale. School districts provided an excellent laboratory for this exploration. Among the reasons for selecting school districts for the pilot project were:

  • School districts are distributed throughout the state.
  • School districts are under central management.
  • School districts have the same organizational components as other institutions and businesses.

In addition, the use of school districts provided secondary benefits as a pilot project. Among these were:

  • School districts are an integral part of the community they serve.
  • The majority of the State’s population is involved with schools in some way, as students, parents, professionals or volunteers.
  • School district waste management programs provide a positive role model for students and an opportunity to educate students in the methodology, value and ethic of waste reduction.
  • A partnership between school districts, local jurisdictions, and the CIWMB provides significant benefits for all three partners.
  • The CIWMB has an ongoing, statutory commitment to schools.

The School District Diversion Project, to be conducted over a 12 to 18 month period, was approved by the Board at in May 2000.

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Project Vision

The project vision was to discover how waste reduction policies and practices in the educational and institutional sectors could be institutionalized and the support to the nonresidential sector from local jurisdictions and the CIWMB strengthened.

Project Objectives

  • Secure participation of six school districts representative of the districts statewide as pilots to aid in the design of a model waste management system assessment methodology that evaluates the entire materials management and waste practices of the districts.
  • Identify factors and benefits essential to institutionalizing waste reduction programs.
  • Develop an implementation guide for school districts and institutions.
  • Develop and conduct a training program for CIWMB personnel for implementing the model developed by the pilot project statewide.
  • Develop a strategic outreach plan to educate and motivate educational professionals and elected officials (e.g., school boards) throughout the State.
  • Develop a strategy to strengthen the relationships and support provided to school districts by local jurisdictions and the CIWMB.

Project Team

A project team composed of the CIWMB’s Office of Local Assistance (OLA) staff and a team of consultants conducted the work of the project. In addition, a resource committee, consisting of personnel from other CIWMB organizational program areas and staff from the Departments of Conservation, Pesticide Regulation, Toxic Substances Control, and Education was created to provide expertise and assistance to the project team on school-related programs.

Methodology

Six pilot school districts of differing size, demographics, geographic locations, and type were selected as subjects of waste assessment analyses focusing on current practices and opportunities for waste prevention, reuse, recycling, environmentally preferable procurement practices, composting, and "green building" design.

The six pilot school districts selected to participate in the project were:

Waste assessments were conducted at each of the pilot districts by teams of Office of Local Assistance staff, the local jurisdiction recycling coordinator, consultant personnel and, in four of the six districts, the contract waste hauler. The waste assessments consisted of two parts-interviews and "walk-through" tours of school facilities. The interviews were conducted with superintendents, chief business officials, and department heads representing the various business functions of each district. The interviews were followed by walk-throughs of the selected school campuses, including food preparation areas, cafeterias, maintenance and custodial service areas, transportation facilities, food and supply warehouses, print shops, and administrative areas. Walk-throughs of the offices and grounds of each school type-high school, middle school, and elementary school-were also conducted.

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Pilot District Findings

The following pilot district findings are observations drawn from the assessment process in the six pilot school districts.

  • Although the six pilot districts have achieved substantial waste diversion, each school district has the opportunity to improve its existing waste reduction activities and to increase its diversion rates.
  • The districts engage in waste prevention and recycling practices, but the level of implementation and performance varies from facility to facility.
  • Management personnel interviewed in the districts are generally unaware of the local and State resources available to them for implementing waste prevention and recycling programs.
  • Local jurisdiction recycling coordinators need assistance "getting in the door" to develop strong working relationships and partnerships with school districts.
  • None of the pilot school districts had adopted formal waste reduction or environmentally preferable purchasing policies.
  • The majority of landscape wastes are diverted in each of the pilot school districts.
  • Food service operations generate the largest volume of waste destined for disposal in the pilot districts.
  • The vast majority of redemption value aluminum cans and plastic beverage containers are recycled in the pilot school districts.
  • Although the pilot school districts do not generate significant revenue from recycling programs, they often realize savings through avoided disposal costs.
  • The pilot school districts do not designate staff to implement or coordinate waste prevention programs.
  • The success of waste reduction programs in school districts is frequently hindered by a decentralized decision-making process.

Lessons Learned

During the course of the project, there were several important lessons learned that should guide the initiation of waste reduction programs in school districts and other institutions:

  • It is important to understand the business of schools.
  • School officials are fully challenged to perform the duties of the education mission of schools, and as such, are not focused on waste management issues.
  • School board and management policy provide the foundation for the institutionalization of waste reduction programs.
  • Once apprised of the value and benefits of a comprehensive waste and materials management program, school officials are likely to support the development of such programs.
  • Local jurisdiction assistance is fundamental to the success of waste reduction programs.
  • The CIWMB provides a wealth of waste reduction resources to school districts, other institutions, local jurisdictions, and businesses.
  • Identifying cost-effective opportunities for waste reduction and recycling does not require extensive analysis of the waste stream.
  • School district management is more likely to implement waste reduction programs that are inexpensive and convenient.
  • Waste management service providers are an important resource to school districts, institutions, and businesses.

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Recommended Strategy for Waste Reduction in School Districts Statewide

The challenge for the CIWMB is to develop a cohesive program to apply what was learned from the project to other school districts and institutions and businesses statewide.

The foundation for such a program is an organization-wide plan that provides for a clear understanding of desired outcomes, organizational coordination, focused outreach, partnerships (e.g., local jurisdictions, school related professional organizations), training, information management, and technical support. The CIWMB has identified key components that comprise a  recommended strategy for waste reduction in school districts statewide. These strategic components are inseparable. Failure to implement one of the components jeopardizes the whole of the strategy. Therefore it is recommended that the components be implemented as a program package.

Develop a Comprehensive Plan for School Districts

The CIWMB should prepare a comprehensive plan that describes clear goals and desired outcomes in school districts. The plan should address both waste reduction and educational curriculum goals and be linked to the relevant school programs internal and external to the CIWMB through the Office of Integrated Education.

Partner with Local Jurisdictions to Achieve Waste Reduction Objectives in School Districts

The CIWMB does not have the resources to work directly with all school districts. The CIWMB can extend its resources significantly by creating an effective partnership with cities and counties by providing them with resources they can use to assist school districts in increasing waste reduction and recycling program implementation. As the agencies responsible for implementing the IWMA, local jurisdictions have a vested interest in the implementation of successful waste reduction programs in their school districts along with other institutions and businesses. The waste management practices of school districts can, in smaller communities, have a significant impact on a local jurisdiction’s ability to meet these mandates.

To prepare local jurisdictions for carrying the primary responsibility of increasing waste reduction in school districts, the Office of Local Assistance should provide local jurisdictions with the training and tools necessary to do the job. The OLA should:

  • Appoint full-time staff to design and conduct training of applicable CIWMB, local jurisdiction, and school district personnel and to conduct the outreach program described in Component 3.
  • Conduct a comprehensive training program for:
  • CIWMB staff engaged in school related programs and activities.
  • Local recycling coordinators and other local jurisdiction staff engaged in waste reduction activity related to school districts.
  • School district personnel, in conjunction with local jurisdictions.
  • Continue to increase its presence in the field.
  • Develop, improve, and maintain information and technical support tools for use by local jurisdictions, CIWMB staff, other State agencies, schools, businesses, and the public.

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Conduct a Comprehensive Outreach Program to Educate School District Decision-makers

To "open the doors" of school districts to local jurisdictions, school officials should be pre-conditioned to receive the assistance local jurisdictions can offer them. The OLA should educate school boards, superintendents, principals, and other school district decision-makers about the value of waste reduction and the steps they can take to initiate programs by engaging and developing continuing relationships with educational associations and professional organizations.

Applying the School Strategy to Other Institutional Settings Statewide

The waste reduction strategy for school districts recommended in the previous section can be equally effective with other institutions and businesses statewide.

The analytical methodology employed by the project team in the pilot school districts proved successful in determining the primary and secondary opportunities for waste reduction strategies in the districts. This methodology can also be applied successfully to the other institutional and business components of the nonresidential waste stream.

The recommended strategy coupled with the model analytical methodology employed successfully in the project can be equally applicable to school districts throughout the State and in other institutional settings. See the CIWMB web site for additional information on applying the school strategy to other institutional settings.

Monitoring Implementation Progress

After securing the Board’s approval to proceed, the Office of Integrated Education and the Office of Local Assistance should initiate a program to implement the planning, training, outreach, and informational components of the strategy described herein, and the Office of Integrated Education should make a progress report to the Board annually.

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Last updated: September 18, 2008

School District Waste Reduction http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/WasteReduce/
Contact: k12edu@ciwmb.ca.gov (916) 341-6199