Consolidated Material Recovery Facility and Compost Feasibility Study
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CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY AND COMPOST FEASIBILITY STUDY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................................1 II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................3 III. BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW .................................................................................7 • Overview • Campus Sustainability Goals • Study Scope and Purpose • Project Goals and Objectives • Methodology IV. WASTE SYSTEM ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................13 • Current Waste Diversion Services • Campus Objectives • Waste System Alternatives • Evaluation of Alternatives V. COMPOST PROGRAM ANALYSIS ................................................................................25 • Campus-Generated Compostable Material • Off-Campus Composting Options • On-Campus Opportunities and Constraints • Composting Technology Options • Academic Calendar Note • Associated Costs for Composting Alternatives • Finding • Cost and Revenue Tables, prepared by Clements Environmental VI. CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY .....................................................43 • Description of a Consolidated Material Recovery Facility • Permit Requirements VII. SITE ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION ..................................................................51 • Site Option 1: The Bowl • Site Option 2: North Remote • Site Selection Recommendation VIII. RECOMMENDED SITE: THE BOWL ............................................................................67 • Site Diagram Narrative • Site Diagram • Precedent Design Images • Cost Estimate IX. APPENDICES ................................................................................................................79 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY AND COMPOST FEASIBILITY STUDY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PARTICIPANTS The Consolidated Material Recovery Facility and Compost Feasibility Study was prepared in 2013-2014 and completed with the insight, understanding, and assistance of University of California Santa Cruz staff and a team of specialized consultants. Staff and consultants include: UCSC Physical Planning and Construction John Barnes – Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Architect Dean Fitch – Senior Planner Eli Mowbray, P.E. – Senior Civil Engineer, Project Manager Alisa Klaus - Senior Environmental Planner Courtney Trask - Storm Water Manager Steve Paul - Campus Engineer UCSC Capital Planning and Space Management David A. Lane - Senior Educational Facilities Planner Erin Fitzgibbons - Educational Facilities Planner UCSC Physical Plant Henry Salameh - Director of Physical Plant Roger Edberg - Senior Superintendent of Grounds Services Bradley Angell - Administrative Analyst for Grounds Operations UCSC Environmental Health & Safety Dan Blunk - Environmental Programs Manager UCSC Office of Sustainability Elida Erickson - Sustainability Programs Manager Chris Kane - Student Representative ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS UCSC Housing and Dining Facilities Silas Snyder - Safety, Training, and Resource Conservation Coordinator UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Daniel Press - Executive Director Liz Milazzo - Field Production Manager CONSULTANT TEAM Landscape Architect: Joni L. Janecki and Associates, Inc. Joni L. Janecki, ASLA – President Nicole Steel, RLA – Senior Associate, Project Manager Waste Management Consultant: Clements Environmental Chip Clements, P.E. – President Civil Engineer: Bowman & Williams Jeff Naess, P.E. – President Geotechnical Engineer: Pacific Crest Engineering, Inc. Elizabeth Mitchell, P.E. – Principal Cost Estimator: AECOM (Davis Langdon) David Cobb – Senior Associate UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 1 CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY AND COMPOST FEASIBILITY STUDY 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW WASTE SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPOST PROGRAM ANALYSIS CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY SITE ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION RECOMMENDED SITE: THE BOWL APPENDICES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 3 CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY AND COMPOST FEASIBILITY STUDY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The University of California, Santa Cruz is a leader effective, improve operating efficiencies, enhance in sustainability and environmental stewardship, land use, and maximize educational opportunities as demonstrated by the Campus' inclusion in reveals that centralization of all operations in one Princeton Review's 2014 "Green College Honor Roll' consolidated material recovery facility is the best with a perfect score for sustainability and by the option for the Campus to pursue. UCSC Grounds Services Department receiving the prestigious Sustainability Best Practice Award for The study also provides detailed analysis of the two Innovative Waste Reduction at the 2014 California pre-selected sites, known as the Bowl and North Higher Education Sustainability Conference. This Remote, as potential homes for a consolidated tradition of sustainability goes back to UCSC's material recovery facility. Although no site is without establishment in 1965, when its founders placed its challenges, the Bowl offers adequate space environmental stewardship as the cornerstone of to accommodate all of UCSC's current and future the new university's philosophy and approach to waste diversion efforts, is large enough to house planning. This stewardship continues today and is stormwater management features, encourages demonstrated not only by the accolades of other potential partnering with neighboring Center for environmentally minded groups, but by UCSC's Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), ongoing commitment to responsibly diverting 95% of is accessible to the larger campus, and has minimal campus waste from the landfill to resource recovery. impact on existing parking. The Bowl has been The Campus' current excellence in waste stream selected as the preferred site for future material diversion places it in an ideal position to meet the recovery efforts. University of California Regents challenge to achieve Zero Waste by 2020. UCSC's commitment to producing zero waste by the year 2020 is being complicated by changing trends To further the success of current practices and meet in what types of material landfill operations accept. the Zero Waste challenge, UCSC commissioned While organic material, including food scraps, paper a team of consultants versed in campus planning towels, and compostable ware, currently makes up and resource recovery to assess the feasibility of 48% (by weight) of campus solid waste (see chart establishing an on-campus consolidated material below), regional landfills have changed their policies recovery facility. The team was charged with and will no longer accept such organic material. This evaluating two pre-vetted sites on the campus in terms of each site's economic and environmental WASTE STREAM BY WEIGHT viability to serve UCSC's current and future Food scraps & compostable resource recovery and composting needs. The site paper 48% Trash 32% assessment and evaluation is described in detail in the following Consolidated Material Recovery Mixed recyclable paper 14% Facility and Compost Feasibility Study. The study Glass bottles & jars 2% outlines UCSC's various waste streams and its Uncoated corrugated cardboard 1% current processing systems, then evaluates six waste Plastic containers 1% diversion alternatives. Qualitative analysis of each Expanded polystyrene 1% option's potential to meet UCSC's goals, remain cost 4 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ CONSOLIDATED MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITY AND COMPOST FEASIBILITY STUDY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY leaves the Campus with no options for off-campus Developed in close partnership with UCSC disposal that will still enable it to achieve Zero Waste. stakeholders and representatives, this study's To respond to this constraint, the study evaluates the recommendations are in balance with human and feasibility of establishing an on-campus composting environmental resources, with campus education facility. Based on environmental impacts, costs, and and stewardship, as well as with long-range physical permitting requirements, the study recommends an planning objectives for campus lands. The key in-vessel composting system. findings are: • Consolidate all material recovery operations in The team was also charged with developing a one facility. conceptual layout for the consolidated resource • Locate the consolidated material recovery recovery facility at the Bowl which includes all facility at the Bowl site. current and future program elements. An early • Incorporate an in-vessel composting system programmatic cost estimate prepared in December to process organic material. 2013, included in the appendices, estimated that the • Implementation to be phased, with Phase 1 full construction of the facility and site would cost construction scheduled for Summer 2015. approximately $3.5 million. Since implementation • Great Meadow Bike Path improvements of the full program is not possible within the planned and to be funded by TAPS grant. budget currently allocated to this project, the study recommend that the initial phase of work, to be constructed in Summer 2015 with a budget of $671,000, include the following: • Bring utilities to the site for future build-out; Disclaimer: