Take time before the competition to determine what weight data you will need to report, who has this information and how and when they will provide it.
While every school is different, it’s usually best to start with the facilities or physical plant department. If they aren’t directly managing the collection of trash, recyclables and food waste, they likely either manage the contracted private haulers or know who does. In some cases, there may be multiple departments such as housing, dining or athletics that coordinate service for different areas of campus.
The next question is how (and in some cases, if) waste items are weighed when collected. If so, how often is the information made available. In some cases it might be every day as collection routes are done, or just once a month when service invoices are mailed. Because the traditional 8 week RecycleMania categories display updated results every week, you may need to set a special arrangement to get weights if they’re otherwise normally provided once a month or less often.
You may find there is no system in place to track recycling or trash. A private hauler may mix campus waste with materials collected off-campus, or simply not have a scale to weigh at all. In these cases talk to whoever manages the collection activity to see if they will assist with a temporary tracking arrangement. Are they willing to collect and weigh campus waste separately during the competition period?
If it is not possible to get actual weights from your campus hauler (company/vendor that picks up your trash, recyclables, etc.), you may still be able to generate reasonably accurate numbers by doing volume-to-weight conversions.
Definition > A volume to weight conversion involves obtaining the total volume of waste generated on campus and applying an industry standard weight per unit volume to estimate the total weight.
While the waste weights will be an estimate using this strategy, the total volume of waste cannot be an estimate. Total volume can be determined using the following data points: The number of bins emptied, the total capacity of the bin, and the volume of the bin."
For smaller carts you can pop the lids on a few and get a feel for how full they are on average and use this to multiply across all carts. For larger dumpsters, perform a visual inspection and note the approximate dumpster "fullness" (i.e. 1/4 full, 1/2 full, 3/4 full, or completely full.) Use the dumpster capacity to determine total volume of waste. Ex: if an 8 yard dumpster is roughly half full when emptied, 4 yards should be used to calculate the weight."
Once you have determined the total volume capacity, you will need an average “per yard” or “per gallon” weight to use as a multiplier to estimate weight.
- The first and best option is to weigh sample bins to get an average weight per unit volume (a "multiplier") for your campus and apply it to all waste during the competition. Collection haulers not willing to weigh every week may nonetheless be willing to do a dedicated campus route on one or two occasions to create these multipliers. If so, be sure to arrange to ride along with your hauler to learn how to determine how many dumpsters are emptied on that route and how full they are so you can assign the number of gallons or yards to the weight.
- Second option > If recyclable materials are collected in bags, weigh 20 or 30 bags to get an average weight and then track the number of bags taken out each week going forward. If haulers are unable to provide the use of their scales, scales might be available on campus within academic departments such as Sciences, Dining services or at sports facilities.
- Third option > If you are not able to generate your own campus-specific sample weights as the basis for creating multipliers, use the US EPA has generic volume-to-weight formulas as a backup. Note: because the weight of recyclables and organics or trash can vary significantly from one location to the next, these EPA multipliers may not accurately reflect the actual weight of materials on a particular campus. Coordinators should use their judgment in deciding whether their actual materials are likely lighter or heavier and make adjustments as necessary. RecycleMania rules require schools to use a good faith best judgment in reporting all numbers even when relying on EPA, waste hauler or other 3rd party multipliers. If you have questions about this, contact the Campus Race to Zero Waste team for advice.
Many haulers are flexible to help schools determine weights, but be mindful this may require additional work on their part. Always coordinate any requests to the company through the college official who manages the contract. Let them know why it is important to get this information for the competition and how it will support the school’s recycling effort. If a hauler is willing to help with a special collection or reporting arrangement, consider offering them recognition as a sponsor on promotional posters, etc. Also, make a point to thank them and recognize their contribution in newspaper stories, etc.
If you are finding the logistics of gathering data is simply too difficult or time consuming, this should not be a barrier to still participating in the Campus Race to Zero Waste. You can still submit loose “guesstimates” numbers and informally compare yourself against your peer campuses outside of the formal competition. To pursue this option, simply indicate this on the Profile Information Survey when registering. If you need to change this after registering, please contact the Campus Race to Zero Waste team for assistance.
If you’ve hit a wall trying to collect the campus’s data, contact the Campus Race to Zero Waste team. We’re happy to consult to see if there is a solution that still allows you to participate in some form.