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This project is wholly funded by the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, with additional support from the UW-Milwaukee Office of Sustainability.

Waste Audit Report & Strategy Recommendations

HAROLD S. VINCENT HIGH SCHOOL

By UW-Milwaukee’s Office of Sustainability, Kate M. Nelson & Renee Frederick

Created for MPS’ Harold S. Vincent High School in partnership with Institute for Urban Agriculture & Nutrition and Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program , Spring 2016.

This Waste Audit Report accompanies the Harold S. Vincent High School Composting Manual.

1Harold S. Vincent High School WASTE AUDIT REPORT

Introduction

Compost Technology TransferFunded by a Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program grant, the Institute for Urban Agriculture & Nutrition (IUAN) supports several tracks around the food system throughout the City of Milwaukee to investigate the means to create systemic change. The points of interjection are identified in IUAN’s “Grow. Move. Eat. Return.” model representing the closed loop cycle in which food moves through our food system; from farmer to table to soil and back to farmer. In early 2015, the program made a pivotal decision to redirect its resources towards the urban agriculture and composting potential at Harold S. Vincent High School (VHS), a Milwaukee Public School (MPS), in order to further investigate the “Return” side of the model.

Since 2012, VHS sought to restart it agricultural program. While curriculum and school resources (financial, labor, and land) are at heart of this proposition, one critical point of understanding was the potential to complete an on-site comprehensive food system loop. This is where organic food waste becomes a finished compost product that supports growing more food.

In order to do this, IUAN built on its partnerships with the UW-Milwaukee Office of Sustainability and Elyve Organics. This new partnership would build on existing efforts at VHS, assess the waste stream, understand and prep the site for future operations, and utilize the knowledge gained to provide the school with a compost manual. These recommendations are specific to VHS’s circumstances and allow opportunities to scale up appropriately. The proposal was built around the idea to “transfer” knowledge and resources between the partners in order build something greater than the sum of its parts. Elyve Organics is a for-profit business with the experience to create and manage composting systems. UW-Milwaukee’s Office of Sustainability had designed and continues to manage a comprehensive on-site campus composting system, with laboratory results, that supports a closed loop system for managing food waste and growing food on campus from the end product.

The project set forth in early 2015. At the time, VHS was making several attempts at starting and managing compost piles. Early on-site visits revealed high contamination in the piles and a need for consistent operations in order to make a useful finished product. Understanding the waste stream at the high school became a critical first step in designing a functioning system. A new system could take into account the inputs and project the necessary involvement of students, curriculum, and any additional labor. A three-part VHS Compost Manual, an accompaniment to this report, has been created especially for the school, and further explains the strategies for scaling up an on-site composting operation, based on the varying levels of inputs and goals the school might have over time.

This report seeks to understand the school’s current waste stream and varying factors in it. These factors include kitchen and dining hall waste streams, accuracy of current source separation of recycling, amount of organic waste coming through the waste stream, and if different student classes operate differently in the lunchroom. What is the potential organic waste, ready for composting, that VHS could collect on-site? What is the state of their current recycling program that could indicate the conditions of source separation at the high school?

2 Harold S. Vincent High School WASTE AUDIT REPORT

Background InformationSIZE, POPULATION, & LOCATION

Harold S. Vincent High School is located at the far northwest boundary of the City of Milwaukee, at 7501 North Granville Road. The population of VHS is 1,237 students for the 2015-2016 school year. The high school has a unique amount of land and potential to expand agricultural practices, with 76.753 acres available.

KITCHEN ACTIVITY

The primary, easily separated food waste would be sourced directly from the kitchen. The kitchen at VHS packages meals for other MPS schools as well. Kitchen staff that are knowledgeable regarding source separation are critical to optimizing all the potential sources for on-site composting. While the kitchen strives for food orders that are right-sized, occasionally there is organic waste from food that passes its “best used by” date that is excellent for composting. Cooperation and training at all levels of kitchen staff is necessary for a successful food waste to compost operation.

LUNCHROOM ACTIVITY

The current lunchroom protocols are integral for understanding the impacts on the waste stream. There are three lunch periods at VHS. The third lunch period consists of entirely freshmen, while the first two are a mixture of sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

During the 2013-2014 school year, more than 81% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunches, nearly double the state’s average (U.S. Department of Education). As of August 2014, all students within MPS can receive free breakfast and lunch under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (Stephenson, 2014). As part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), all students must be offered five components and must take at least three of them with one of them being a ½ cup of fruits or vegetables, a provision of NSLP known as Offer versus Serve (OVS). OVS was created with the goal of reducing food waste in school meal programs by allowing students to decline foods they do not intend to eat. However, it does not mandate the students will eat the three items they must take. The five categories offered, from which three selections are made, include Meat/Meat Alternative, Grains/Breads, Milk, Fruit, and Vegetable. Portion sizes are also standardized by the NSLP.

It is noteworthy that students are required to stay seated during their lunch period. Therefore they are not directly enabled to make the decisions on all proper waste disposal. See the “Recommendations” section on page 7 below.

WASTE AUDITS- WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE

A waste audit is a systematic, replicable way to discern an institution’s waste stream. While it is typical for multiple people and stakeholders to engage in the waste audit, all categories of waste must be well understood and consistent in order to achieve worthwhile results. Typically waste audits are conducted to understand what percentage of recyclables end up in the trash. When changes are made in the collection operations or in occupant training, the results can be tracked through before and after waste audits.

3Harold S. Vincent High School WASTE AUDIT REPORT

The waste audit at VHS was conducted by all the partners on the project. The team investigated the recycling and organic waste found in the trash. The results of this study will enable a true understanding of the available organic waste to divert to composting, as well as baseline information on the current source separation and recycling activities the school already has in place.

Methodology

CollectionFour waste audits were conducted at VHS. Lunchroom waste audits took place on September 3rd and 9th, 2015. Period 2 waste was not audited on September 3rd because it was not made available to auditors. The data noted for lunchroom audits was therefore only accurate for September 9th audit and the results showcase that audit. Kitchen waste audits took place on September 10th and 18th. Access to waste in the kitchen was limited in various ways to the auditors. Therefore kitchen waste audit results were unreliable for the purpose of this report and need further investigation.

Post-consumer waste including bagged trash and bagged recycling was collected from the cafeteria after each of the three lunch periods and brought to the audit area by auditors and custodial staff. Trash and recycling bags were sorted separately. The waste was sorted into the five main categories, with two subdivisions (Table 1). Recycling consists of all materials recycled through the single-sort MPS recycling contract held by Waste Management. Organics were noted for what could be composted in an aerobic composting operation, which is typical of all non-mechanized systems. See Compost Manual for further compost technique explanation. The paper trays and boats known as “Bio Ware”, that are typical in lunch servings, were determined to be compostable and therefore kept separate from any other general paper. It became necessary to create a category for unopened food, which contained materials for multiple categories. The final category was non-recyclable/non-compostable materials there were primarily plastic films and wrappers.

The sorted material was weighed and a volume estimate* was recorded. Fluids left in soda bottle and milk cartons were poured out before weights were taken. Sealed packages of food were not included in the organics weight, but given their own category, to record how much food is taken and immediately thrown out. The Unopened food category consisted primarily of foods that would be classified as Non-compostable (mostly dry grains). The weight of the packaging in the Unopened food category is negligible, but weight of the food could be considered as part of the Non-compostable, if the school created a composting program that accepted all organic waste.

VHS staff expressed interest in isolating the freshman lunch period (P3) from the two, mixed-grade lunch periods (P1 and P2), to assess if 1) the freshman class could generate enough organic waste to start its own composting program and 2) if freshman were more or less successful at recycling. The audit was able to separately analyze the freshman waste, but the number of students in each lunch period was not made available, so per person rates of freshman vs a mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors could not be determined.

* Volume estimates are useful if the aim of the composting program is cost-saving, though given the limits of the waste audits conducted and the range of conversion standards, it is recommended that several audits are repeated before making changes for the purpose of cost savings. Cost savings from composting can be significant, if the volume diverted allows the waste generators to reduce the size or frequency of trash pick-ups. However, creating a new system can be costly and often, there is little room for error if traditional trash hauling capacity is reduced.

Volume estimations for food waste and mixed paper vary greatly, depending on the source.

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Category Sub Category Description

Recyclable (with Waste Management)

Plastic, glass, metal, paper, cardboard

Plastics #1-7 (marked), metal (not foil), paper, cardboard, and glass

Milk cartons Separated to examine effectiveness of previous campaign to get students to recycle milk cartons

TrashNon-recyclable, non-compostable

Plastic films, packaging from school lunch and single serving chips and cookies, waxed paper cups, sporks, straws

Organics

Compostable Pre-cooked fruit and vegetable waste

Non-compostable All organic waste, including grain, dairy, and meat

Bio ware Compostable paperware Paper trays and boats

Unopened foodFood in sealed package Food that was taken and remained

unopened

Table 1 Post-Consumer Waste Descriptions

ResultsThe four waste audits performed at VHS allow for a good but limited view of the school’s waste streams. The data were limited by the number of audits performed, the menus offered on audit days, and the auditors’ limited access to the waste.

The results of the lunchroom audits are shown in Table 2. All students, in all three lunch periods, generated almost 70 lbs of compostable organic waste and Bio Ware per day on average. Isolating the freshman (P3) lunch waste, the total compostable waste generated is 24 lbs, or 43.25% of their total waste. The largest percentage of trash consisted of the unopened food (26.17%), but notably, none was found in the freshmen lunch period trash.

Table 2 Post-consumer (Recycling and Trash) Totals from All Students- P1, P2, and P3 as Conducted in the Waste Audit of 9.9.15

Category Sub CategoryAll

Students (lbs)

% of Weight

Per Student

(lbs)

Volume (cubic yard)

% of Volume

Freshman (P3) (lbs)

% of Weight

RecyclablePlastic, glass, metal 8.5 3.97% .014 0.156 10.23% 4 7.21%

Milk cartons 14.5 6.78% .024 0.25 16.40% 7 12.61%

TrashNon-recyclable,

Non-compostable20 9.35% .032 0.287 18.83% 6.5 11.71%

OrganicsCompostable 42 19.63% .068 0.068 4.46% 14 25.23%

Non-compostable 45.5 21.26% .074 0.1 6.57% 14 25.23%

Bio WareCompostable

paperware27.5 12.85% .045 0.465 30.52% 10 18.02%

Un-opened food

Food in sealed package

56 26.17% .091 0.198 12.99% 0 0.00%

Total 214 100% .348 1.525 100.00% 55.5 100.00%

5Harold S. Vincent High School WASTE AUDIT REPORT

Source separation for single-sort recycling is performed at VHS. The accuracy of the recycling bins was also noted in the audit. Table 3 describes the differences between the freshmen class of Period 3 and the rest of the school’s students in Periods 1 and 2. The dramatic difference between the freshman lunch (P3) and the combined lunch periods (P1, P2) is noteworthy. The contamination rate was so high in Periods 1 and 2 of the upper class that the trash consisted of mostly recyclables. The freshmen class had a much lower rate of contamination and more standard rate of accuracy.

Total Recycling (lbs)

Recyclables in Recycling (lbs)

Recycling Accuracy Rate

Recycling Rate

(recyclable/total material)

Freshman Lunch (P3)

11 7 63.64% 12.61%

Mixed Lunches (P1, P2)

12 1 0.08% 0.63%

All Lunches (P1, P2, P3)

23 8 34.78% 3.74%

Discussion and Recommendations

Organic Waste Available for CompostingThe waste audits completed for this report give the clearest picture of the available organic compostable waste from the lunchrooms. When every available pre-cooked fruit and vegetable was pulled out, along with the compostable Bio Ware (paper trays and boats), the total for all three lunch periods equaled about 69 lbs per day. This is less than two 5-gallon buckets of waste. Collecting such compostable waste from students or those who dispose of it for them, would likely equal even less.

These data suggest that currently there is not enough food waste available for aerobic, on-site composting at VHS, such as the “three-bin” system or with multiple piles in a hoop house, as Figure 1 indicates. See accompanying Compost Manual for system description. If a mechanized system, known as an “in-vessel” composter, was considered, non-compostable organics such as meat and dairy, as well as unopened food could be considered for the weight. However, as seen in Table 2, the present results do not indicate enough from the waste stream to provide a return on investment for such a system.

It is possible that there is enough kitchen waste, including post-cooked and even pre-cooked foods, which would significantly increase the composting capacity at VHS. To determine this, it is recommended that the kitchen waste audits be repeated with special attention to ensuring the auditors have full access to waste.

Table 3 Post-consumer recycling by Lunch Period

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Waste Audit: Harold S. Vincent High School, Fall 2015

Summary of Results and Conclusions ORGANIC WASTE OVERALL

RECYCLING RATES OVERALL

Figure 1 Results Summary from Waste Audits at Vincent High School

Our recommendation at this time is to start small with a new composting operation. The amount of waste available is appropriate for an in-classroom demonstration project. Indoor composting on a small scale can be done with worms (vermiculture) to help breakdown the material. This would also be a good starting point to get curriculum connected to the operation. As the curriculum builds, it would be appropriate to once again consider an outdoor operation. Also, additional food waste could be collected from the community if or when the school has the appropriate means to collect it.

7Harold S. Vincent High School WASTE AUDIT REPORT

WHO PUTS WHAT WHERE?

The collection system for either composting or recycling needs to consider who puts what where. Currently the students are not permitted to move around the lunchroom to dispose of their own trash. Would a new collection initiative empower students to make their own choices? How should this be handled?

Any food waste and Bio Ware collection for composting, from the lunchroom or kitchen, requires good training, communication, and consistency. All members of the VHS community must be included in this, including custodial staff, kitchen staff, teachers, administrators, and students. First, all must have a solid understanding of what is collected for each use. Second, bins must be placed and labeled in the appropriate areas. And finally, it must be built into the culture and curriculum of VHS in order to be successful. This will require a long term strategic communications and training plan.

STATUS AND POTENTIAL FOR RECYCLING

Before starting a composting program, it is important to look at the current state of the recycling program. Berger (1997) suggests that “recycling may operate as a first step toward the adoption of other behaviors.” Unlike creating a new composting system, recycling systems are already in place at VHS and can have significant fiscal savings without investing in new technologies or practices. The post-consumer recycling data (Table 3) suggest this is an area with great potential for improvement. According to the MPS District contracts, pick up for the recycling dumpster costs less than half the cost of the landfill waste dumpster hauling. If pick-ups were reduced, the school would see significant savings. It is recommended that this aspect of waste be further explored.

Just like the food waste and Bio Ware collection, VHS recycling also needs improvements in occupant training, communication, and consistency for the best collection. All recommendations for a recycling program must engage the students, in and outside of the classroom. The classroom curriculum needs to be incorporated holistically, taking advantage of opportunities to offer integrated experiences in mathematics, business, art, economics, statistics, and communications, just to name a few. Composting offers the space for experiential learning, and therapeutic hands in the dirt, on any level.

CONCLUSION A successful, full scale composting operation will be critical to future build out of Harold S. Vincent High School as a choice for urban agriculture. The organic food waste profile of the school is important for the first step in on-site composting. VHS’s current recycling source separation is key indicator of necessary communication and training. The freshmen currently perform better and it is worth researching the cause. While at this time, VHS does not have enough organic food waste to start a full scale composting operation, they do still have enough to incorporate it into the class curriculum on a small scale. Next steps include designing the training and communications necessary for organic food waste separation and buy-in from critical stakeholders, such as teachers, staff, and students to make it a success.

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ReferencesBerger, Ida E. “The demographics of recycling and the structure of environmental

behavior.” Environment and behavior 29.4 (1997): 515-531.

NSPL. “In a “Nutshell” Nutrition Standards & Meal Pattern Requirements For the National School Lunch Program, School Year 2014-2015”, February 15, 2016. Retrieved from https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/school-nutrition/pdf/nslp_ian_1415.pdf.

Stephenson, C. (2014, August). All students at MPS now eligible for free meals. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved from http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/milwaukee-schools-to-offer-free-meals-to-all-students-b99332678z1-271657681.html

U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics, February 15, 2016. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=550960002272&ID=550960002272

For more information about this and other projects,

please contact IUAN Research Project Director Bonnie Halvorsen

at halvors3@uwm.edu or visit IUANmilwaukee.org