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This waste-collection initiative is underway with 14 buildings completed to date.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore's (UMB) Office of Sustainability and Environmental Services (EVS) have begun rolling out a self-service waste initiative across campus. Under this new system for waste collection, individual desk-side bins are removed, and faculty and staff are responsible for bringing their waste to centrally located receptacles. In office spaces, these stations will consist of three bins — trash; cardboard and paper recycling; and mixed plastics, metal, and glass recycling. In applicable lab and clinical spaces, these stations will consist of two bins — trash and mixed recycling.
As of March 27, 2023, 14 campus buildings have been completed, with an additional four buildings slated to be converted before the end of Fiscal Year 2023. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2024, School of Medicine buildings will undergo conversion to the self-service waste model.
Why is UMB implementing this program? Research has shown that centralized waste stations decrease waste stream contamination by encouraging people to use clearly labeled, centralized bins. All material disposed of as trash at UMB is sent to the Wheelabrator incinerator just down the road from our campus; this means that about 3 million pounds of waste produced at UMB are incinerated each year. By sorting our waste properly, we have the opportunity to ensure more material is recycled and diverted from the incinerator, thus decreasing the amount of pollutants released into the air we breathe.
It has also been estimated that our custodial staff members spend over a quarter of their time removing waste from individual offices. To increase the amount of time EVS staff can dedicate to cleaning and sanitizing common spaces, and also to eliminate potential waste sorting errors, staff are asked to manage their own desk-side waste. Furthermore, the reduction in overall number of bins enables safer occupational health for EVS staff who need to bend less frequently to collect material from desk-side bins. Even better, think of walking to throw away your trash or recycling as a chance to take a quick break from screen time and get a few steps in!
A reduction in purchasing plastic trash liners provides great savings across campus. The School of Nursing rolled out the self-service waste initiative several years ago, and their one building saves an estimated 445,005 plastic liners from being purchased and incinerated each year. To date, over 1,000 personal trash bins have been removed from 14 campus buildings, saving an estimated 1.4 million liners from being purchased, used, and incinerated.
The self-service waste model is in alignment with all four sets of UMB’s core values:
Respect and Integrity
We value each other and hold ourselves accountable for acting ethically and transparently using compassion and empathy.
- Respecting all of our UMB staff members and their time.
- Holding ourselves accountable for the waste we generate on campus — the more awareness around the trash individuals generate, the more likely we will look for opportunities to reduce that waste through thoughtful procurement practices and habit changes.
Well-Being and Sustainability
We care about the welfare of our people, planet, communities, and University.
- Protecting the health of our custodial staff and office staff by reducing the number of touch points EVS staff encounter.
- Encouraging healthy habits by having occupants take a quick break to stand and walk to a central location from their office to dispose of waste.
- Reducing pest issues — fewer locations create fewer hot spots for rodents, fruit flies, ants, and other pests.
- Reducing our waste — fewer liners for individual trash bins mean less nonrecyclable plastic film waste sent to the incinerator.
Equity and Justice
We embrace and are committed to diversity, and we value inclusive and just communities. We oppose racism and oppression in all their forms.
- Understanding we have a role in how our waste gets disposed of — this is everyone's job.
- Reducing the amount of trash we send to the incinerator, which is an environmental justice concern — incineration is attributed to air pollution and other public health concerns that disproportionately affect lower-income Baltimore City communities.
Innovation and Discovery
We imagine and explore new and improved ways to accomplish our mission of education, research, clinical care, and service.
- Committing above and beyond our waste reduction efforts on campus by looking at waste in a holistic way.
- Creating efficiencies in our waste disposal methods to ensure our buildings are run smoothly and UMB custodial staff can use their time effectively.
More information on the self-service waste initiative, including copies of the new standard waste signage, can be found on the Environmental Services website. For a short educational video about the initiative, visit the UMB Office of Sustainability Instagram. We thank you for your participation as we put UMB’s core values into action.