McKinstry – Technical Assistance Program

Photo by fizkes for Adobe Stock Images (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign).

Project Title: Net Zero as Emissions Reduction at Wisconsin School District

Sector: K-12 School District, K-12 Schools

Location: Wisconsin

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Climate Resiliency, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management

Background: The ISTC Zero Waste team was made aware of the opportunity to assist with this project due to past partnership with McKinstry. McKinstry’s mission is to “make the built environment healthier, more efficient and safer through our engineering expertise, construction excellence and innovative facility operations.” The ISTC Zero Waste team was brought on as a consultant for the solid waste, recycling, and compost portion of a larger emissions reduction plan.

Approach: ISTC compiled available information on waste hauling data including dumpster or bin sizes and pickup frequency at 50+ district buildings.

ISTC contacted staff in grounds, cafeteria, waste management, and other high-generation areas to understand current practices and diversion efforts across the district. ISTC also spoke to local government, business, and nonprofit agencies to gain greater understanding of the local area’s waste resources and assess potential partnership opportunities. Through these conversations, ISTC developed strategies and recommendations that complemented and built on existing waste reduction and management work, as well as first steps toward unaddressed “low-hanging fruit” solutions.

Finally, ISTC compiled a list of case studies, best practices, peer institutions, and assistance organizations to provide inspiration and aid for implementing waste reduction strategies. These were documented in a report and submitted to both the district and McKinstry.

Hauling data, stakeholder feedback, and additional resources were presented at an educational workshop. ISTC staff presented in person and answered questions from workshop attendees.

Results: Information, recommendations, and resources compiled and shared by ISTC can be used by the school district to address waste reduction, data collection, and diversion. Attendees of ISTC’s presentation will be able to advocate for waste reduction and management as important pieces of a carbon neutrality plan.

Other Projects with this Client (McKinstry): https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/mckinstry/

Photo by WavebreakMediaMicro for Adobe Stock Images (Education license, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Project Title: Florida School District Solid Waste Analysis and Reduction Planning

Sector: K-12 School District, K-12 Schools

Location: Florida

Services: Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainability Planning, Waste Reduction/Management

Background: The ISTC Zero Waste team was made aware of the opportunity to assist with this project due to past partnership with McKinstry. McKinstry’s mission is to “make the built environment healthier, more efficient and safer through our engineering expertise, construction excellence, and innovative facility operations.” The goal for this specific project was to develop carbon reduction goals with a focus on six key areas: energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, on- & off-site renewables, energy purchasing, fleet operations, and solid waste. The ISTC Zero Waste team was brought on to assist with the solid waste and recycling portion of this plan which analyzed existing data and practices, engaged stakeholders, and provided recommendations on ways to reduce waste across the district.

Approach: The tasks set out for the ISTC team involved evaluating existing data streams, engaging with key stakeholders across the district, conducting an educational session on waste reduction and diversion, developing strategies and recommendations to reduce waste generation and the associated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions, and developing the solid waste section of the final plan. Evaluating existing data involved obtaining bills and records from waste and recycling disposal efforts and analyzing how those values differed across types of district buildings as well as the associated greenhouse gas emissions. ISTC also analyzed other waste streams including tires, construction and demolition waste, scrap metal, and landscape waste. As part of the engagement process, working groups from different priority areas were engaged to discern current conditions and existing practices within the district. Meetings were held with the custodial team, grant writing team, Green Team leaders, purchasing team, student nutrition services, as well as key stakeholders from the county recycling team. These meetings helped ISTC uncover what programs existed, what was going well, where gaps existed, and what opportunities there were across the district for improvement. The education session targeted Green Team members across the school district and focused on why waste reduction is important and relevant to the school district. This presentation also included ideas for engaging with students on the topic of waste, such as conducting waste bin audits in their classrooms. The ISTC team summarized their findings and presented recommendations for waste diversion and reduction in the final plan.

Results: The result of this project was the final carbon reduction plan of which ISTC contributed to the Solid Waste section. Recommendations were presented as “good,” “better,” or “best” which reflected cost, difficulty, and overall impact to allow the district to choose an approach in line with their financial and labor capabilities. This process not only collected valuable information which aided in creating a tailored pathway to reduction but also fostered connections and collaboration within the district by allowing the spread of knowledge about existing projects, partnerships, and ideas.

Other Projects with this Client (McKinstry): https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/category/mckinstry/