Logistics manager has helped to divert tons of IT equipment, furniture, and other items from the trash stream while at UMB.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Office of Sustainability would like to recognize Melvin Tuck as a Sustainability Champion! Tuck is the logistics manager in Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Services (SSAS) and has been at UMB for over three years. In this role, Tuck oversees Mail Services, Warehouse Services, Fleet Services, and Surplus Property. His team consists of 12 dedicated employees who support UMB’s seven schools as well as central administration.
During his time at UMB, Tuck, along with his team, have made significant contributions to diverting materials from the trash stream by reselling, donating, and recycling old furniture, equipment, and other surplus property. Tuck and his team have generated $190,000 in revenue for the University from equipment sales over the last three years. As a result of these sales, more than 105 tons of equipment were diverted from the trash and found new homes. Since 2019, through UMB’s partnerships with CircleIT and A Better Way Recycling, Tuck and his team have been able to divert over 71 tons of old IT equipment from entering the trash stream; the avoided greenhouse gas emissions from this waste diversion are equivalent to taking 66 gas-powered vehicles off the road for one year.
Tuck’s team also recently partnered with the Fire Marshal, Environmental Services, and the Office of Sustainability on a project to clean out surplus property from the 10th floor of the Lexington Street Garage. The team’s efforts in this one space alone were able to generate $10,785 in revenue for the University and divert 16 tons of materials from the trash stream.
With assistance from the Office of Sustainability and under Tuck's leadership, SSAS also recently transitioned the excess property declaration form to DocuSign. By transitioning this formerly paper-heavy process to occur digitally, the initiative has greatly reduced the amount of paper and toner/ink cartridges that need to be used when disposing of surplus property at UMB.
One thing Tuck thinks that students, staff, and faculty at UMB can do to contribute to campus sustainability efforts is to "commit to doing their part to protect the environment at home and in the workplace to ensure the safety of our planet for future generations." Tuck is certainly doing his part — are you doing yours?
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