Sustainability Action Plan 2022

The district should develop goals to reduce the waste stream and increase the waste diversion of readily recyclable and compostable materials. The goals should be based on the BOG Framework recommendation to progress toward zero waste in the landfill and reduce total material consumption by 10% by 2030. While these goals are very challenging, the district should strive to achieve them by implementing aggressive plans to minimize waste.

As previously described, while Recology offers a three-bin service to its customers, it has not been implemented at Foothill or De Anza. Based on discussions with the City of Santa Clara, it does not appear that Specialty offers this program. The district should schedule meetings with its waste haulers to explore how the waste management, recycling and composting programs can be improved so that a source-separated program can be implemented.

There are many strategies that the district should evaluate to reduce the waste stream to the landfill, including the following:

• As recommended in the BOG Framework, conduct a Material Circularity Analysis and implement end-of- life management strategies for
• Raise awareness of waste reduction and the proper disposal of
• Minimize unnecessary waste, such as reducing junk mail and faxes, eliminating printed documents when electronic documents will suffice, avoiding purchase of products with unnecessary packaging, and avoiding use of new edition textbooks in courses where the textbook content has changed very little.
• Reduce paper use by setting printers to print double-sided, sending electronic publications and announcements rather than printing paper copies, limiting class handouts by distributing handouts online, and encouraging the use of electronic and used textbooks as well as online homework and electronic
• Minimize disposable items by encouraging the use of reusable items through incentives such as discounts for those who use reusable bags and coffee mugs and by discouraging the use of bottled water by providing adequate public drinking fountains and “hydration stations” with filtered water.
• Use recycled and locally sourced and manufactured
• Implement source reduction programs in custodial
• Purchase 100% recycled garbage bags for custodial and landscaping

Education is key to improvement of waste reduction and successful recycling. The best programs will have limited results if people do not understand how to use them or are not motivated to comply.

The district should evaluate different strategies to improve recycling, as follows:

• Implement a source-separated program to reduce contamination of recyclables and compostables to increase waste diversion
• Employ the educational, training and signage resources from Recology and agencies such as stopwaste.org to help raise awareness and to educate students, faculty and staff on proper disposal practices.
• Consider sorting recyclables on-site to improve recycling
• Encourage faculty, administration, staff and facilities operations to lead by example by properly disposing of trash, recyclables, organics, electronic waste and hazardous
• Perform annual waste audits to track compliance and contamination and adjust programs for improved
• Evaluate the number and placement of bins on campus, both indoor and outdoor, to maximize
• Educate students and staff by including information on the climate and health impacts of bottled water versus tap water.
• Address the behavioral issues associated with poor recycling practices to avoid contamination and placement of materials into the incorrect The district should focus on this crucial human component and continue aggressively pursuing waste reduction and recycling efforts in all aspects of campus operations. The need to educate users on waste separation should be ongoing. A successful program may require modifications to waste containers and more informative signage to increase participation and reduce contamination.

Recyclable material can be a source of revenue for the district. The sale of recyclable material can be used to fund other sustainability programs on campus. The district should explore options to implement flea markets or thrift shops selling recyclable items such as furniture, classroom projectors or computers. Other resources for donating recyclables should also be explored.

Landfilling food and yard waste results in methane gas releases exacerbating climate change. The California Legislature passed SB 1386, the Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) Organic Waste Reductions program to implement statewide organic waste composting and surplus food recovery. This legislation became effective on January 1, 2022, and the district must comply with the program. Contract waste haulers are required to offer these services to their customers. The district should work to ensure that the SB 1383 requirements are fully met for all three campus sites.

Construction and demolition (C&D) recycling is mandatory by state law and is managed by the municipality where each campus is located. Common C&D materials include lumber, drywall, metals, masonry (brick, concrete, etc.), carpet, plastic, pipe, rocks, dirt, paper, cardboard or green waste related to land development.

Many of these materials can be reused or recycled, thus prolonging the supply of natural resources, and potentially saving money in the process. Of these, metals are the most recycled material, while lumber makes up most debris that still goes to a landfill.

According to the 2014 Disposal-Facility-Based Characterization of Solid Waste in California, construction and demolition materials account for between 21.7% to 25.5% of the disposal waste stream. Previous study estimates have ranged from 29% in 2008 to 24% in 2004. Construction contractors for new building and major renovation projects implement C&D recycling based on contract requirements by the district and ensure that debris is collected on-site and delivered to an approved C&D recycling facility.

The district should continue this practice to reduce sending as much construction debris to the landfill as possible.

As recommended by the BOG Framework, the district should conduct an annual waste category assessment to determine what makes up the waste stream for each college. Records examinations, facility walk-throughs and waste sorting are three common approaches to conducting a waste assessment. Benchmarking the actual waste stream provides a starting point for improvement.