Spotlight on Sustainability: Arwen Buchholz

Arwen Buchholz became the Recycling Coordinator of Duke Recycles in 2007. A native of Boone, NC, she graduated from Berea College with a degree in Philosophy, then completed Masters programs in Appropriate Technology and Building Science at Appalachian State University. She is currently working on several new pilot programs to reduce waste, including post-consumer composting, office min-bins, and single stream recycling. Sarah Ludwig (SL): First, could you tell me a little bit about your background and what your position entails?Arwen Buchholz (AB): Short story, my father is a commercial composter, my mom is an herbalist, so I've been in this natural, reusing world my whole life. When I finished my Masters, I worked at Advance Energy, a nonprofit energy consulting firm in Raleigh, NC, for about three years. Then I saw this job opening at Duke University for Recycling Coordinator and decided I would like to transition back to environmental technologies from the building science field, so I took this position. Over the past six and a half years my position as Recycling Coordinator has evolved to be more of a Program Manager position. So I'm not just responsible for managing an operations crew, but also education and outreach, research, program development, and cross-departmental collaboration. SL: What were the first steps in the process that brought your team to pilot the new initiatives for waste reduction?AB: Early last academic year, the Campus Sustainability Committee decided that they would be focusing on materials management, from both the procurement side and the waste removal/diversion side. One of the challenges the Materials Management Subcommittee realized is that there is no standard in the country for recycling rates. Duke reports a recycling rate which includes x, y, z; Harvard reports a recycling rate that includes a, b, c. However, recycling rates are compared to one another as if they are apples to apples; but there is no standard. We needed to figure out what we, as Duke, were going to include in our recycling and diversion rates and we also needed to figure out  whether or not to include the  hospital and medical center. So we worked with the Materials Management Subcommittee, Tavey Capps, and John Shepard, an MEM student, to create a survey that went out to institutions across the country, a number of which were identified peer institutions, others that we knew had strong environmental programs. Out of 52 schools, we got back 49 responses, and based on these responses we were able to identify the materials most commonly included recycling and diversion rates. The survey feedback helped us decide to include the hospital and medical center in our reporting efforts. The survey also asked other schools about single stream recycling; if they do it, and if they don't do it, if they are thinking about going that way, and why. What we found is that most schools who are inside communities that have single stream recycling, want to switch, have switched, or are switching to single stream recycling, which supported what Duke Sanitation and Recycling thought would make sense for Duke. At the same time, we, Duke Sanitation and Recycling,  Sustainability Fellows and SSL started doing waste audits, primarily based in the Campus Sustainability Fellow buildings (Fuqua, Sanford, School of Nursing, French/Biology). We found through these audits that 45 percent of what was in the trash could have been recycled. An additional 43 percent could have been composted, which left a whopping 12 percent that was actually trash. We presented this information to the Campus Sustainability Council and the feedback was to start a pilot program for waste diversion. SL: So what are the components of this pilot?AB: We’ve been piloting three waste diversion programs as well as testing out a new style of bin. The first program is the office mini-bins, trying to target office waste reduction. Duke has more than 30,000 employees and about 14,000 students. The students are a transient body, they're not here very long, but the employees are. They are the largest percentage of people on this campus, so how do we approach them to be our permanent waste diversion participants? In the mini-bin program, every individual was given a mini trash can that attaches to a desk-side recycling bin. Their regular trash can was removed, and housekeeping was instructed to stop emptying  the trash can at their desk. Participants were asked to take both bins to a centralized collection area for emptying. Second is post-consumer composting, in Sanford, Wilson, Facilities Management, and Brodie. Participants in these buildings are able to dispose of compostable materials (paper products and food) for composting at a local facility. Single stream recycling is the third program. Right now all three of these pilots are closely connected  to each other and are influencing the type and style of bin used for collection. Duke Sanitation and Recycling is working to standardize all of our bins and signage to promote a more cohesive program. SL: What lessons have you gleaned so far in the project?AB: We've learned a lot of things! We've found that when we pair a mini-bin program, which increases recycling volume by about 10 percent, with a single stream recycling program, which increases it anywhere from 25-40 percent, you end up with a significant increase in the volume of recycling you're collecting. So you have to increase your collection days to two times a week. Looking forward, we will test single-stream collection in 3 dorms on east campus and hope to expand the other programs to include a couple more academic buildings. We want to make sure that as we roll any program out, we are able to maintain the same level or better of service.SL: Are there any major roadblocks that you foresee or are experiencing right now?    AB: The biggest one is just making sure that we expand these programs in such a way that our current level of service is not compromised.  Another challenge is the design and cost of the new bins. As the pilot projects have progressed we’ve made some adjustments to the design of the bin to make it easier to use and I imagine this process will continue for a while as we get more participant feedback. Though the new bins are competitively priced with similar units on the market, they are more than what people expect to pay. Additionally, setting up the composting program and expanding it in a way that makes sense from a cost perspective is a challenge. When considering programs like these we don't just want to set it up because we want it, we want to make it work. We have to ask ourselves, “How do we make it work in a way that makes sense both operationally and financially?” SL: How can the Duke community be involved?AB: Feedback, any feedback anybody has, good and bad, we want to hear it. A major component to the pilot programs is informal and formal survey research. We really do want to know why participants love or hate the program. Any information we get helps us to improve for the next phase.  SL: Do you think this is the right move? Is Duke headed in the right direction?AB: Yes! I think so, and you can see it in other institutions and municipalities around the country. Considering only composting, it is important to divert this material from an anaerobic situation where it breaks down very slowly in landfills, to a situation where we are returning it to much needed topsoil. We're removing topsoil at an incredible rate for construction, and we are using a lot of our energy and resources to make materials. It is clear that we can’t keep making virgin products or stripping our lands of topsoil that we will have to think more creatively and responsibly about creating and disposing of our products.  This interview is part of the Spotlight on Sustainability series put on by Students for Sustainable Living. For more information about sustainability at Duke, please visit www.sustainability.duke.edu.