AJJK

The University of Delaware has informed us that they plan to focus on sustainability. One of the problems they face is that many of the students and faculty do not recycle. They have asked if we could help them solve this issue. We plan to compile a survey about the current recycling habits of individuals on campus, and what they would like to see done to better the situation. After we conduct the surveys, we plan to further research different recycling methods and successful recycling programs at other universities. We will take into consideration the cost-benefit ratio of various solutions. After this research we will find what will best suit the University of Delaware, as well as the environment. We will recommend this information in a report that we will present to UD.

Sincerely, Katherine Conroy, Jennie Silver, Aaron Reynolds, Jon Flook

=Proposal=

AJJK, Co. 123 House Street New Castle, DE 19710 302-555-9876 www.AJJK.org

April 19, 2009 Mr. Mark Smith Office of Campus Development University of Delaware 456 Lovett Avenue Newark, DE 19717

Dear Mr. Smith:

We are responding to your request for proposals concerning the lack of participation from both students and faculty members. I have enclosed some information regarding how AJJK can increase the recycling participation around campus to increase the University's decision to "go green".

The included proposal discusses our company's objectives for the project. Our company has a long history of providing consultation services. We have experience in working with sustainability and we can provide research and advice for your organization. We have outlined a schedule for our services, as well as a budget, provided should you be interested.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the proposal. I look forward to working with you. Thank you for your time.  Sincerely,

Jennie Silver

Jennie Silver Director of Client Relations  Enclosed: Proposal

Introduction
The University of Delaware has issued a request for proposals (RFP). As part of the new efforts to "go green," the University is looking for ways to encourage more campus participation in recycling.

Statement of Problem
The University is not satisfied with its voluntary recycling program. Faculty and students have been slow to utilize recycling bins. As a result, the percentage of solid waste recycled is only approximately 24%, below the University's stated goal.

Objective

 * Identify factors contributing to low recycling volume
 * Increase volume of recycled material by 50% over 4 years
 * Decrease volume of trash sent to landfills by University Facilities by 10%

Procedure

 * 1) Survey a sample size of 100 people from the university to see the recycling habits of the faculty and students. We will choose the group at random, by asking those in public places to fill out a very short survey. Some of the questions we will be analyzing are listed below.
 * Do they recycle?
 * What do they recycle?
 * How often do they recycle?
 * 1) Analyze the results of the survey and see what areas need to be improved
 * 2) Research ways other schools have fixed recycling problems. The University of Oregon and Colorado University have intense recycling programs that we will review. Many of their programs decreased their waste by increasing student awareness.
 * 3) Look over the University's budget and compare with the expenses for recycling methods.
 * Cost vs. the Benefit
 * 1) Determine the implementation time of feasible methods
 * 2) Present our final plan.

Record of Service
AJJK, Co. is a consultation company in New Castle Delaware that was established in 2000. It has a six sigma certification, and has recently been helping organizations implement sustainability projects into their companies. Our website, www.AJJK.org, lists in detail which organizations we worked with, and what changes we made.

**Costs to the University of Delaware**
Consulting fees to be charged by AJJK are totaled at approximately forty thousand dollars. All costs associated with marketing a new recycling plan, and buying new equipment for recycling, will also be incurred by the University. The estimates are as follows:
 * Marketing - $4000
 * New recycling receptacles - $2000

Schedule
Week of April 26th: Week of May 2nd: Week of May 9th:
 * Conduct on campus survey
 * Conduct research on effective recycling programs enacted by other universities and organizations
 * Analysis of survey and research
 * Meeting with University staff to discuss budget estimate
 * Meeting with University staff to discuss findings and suggestions
 * Presentation of possible new recycling program to the University of Delaware

Marketing__motivation--Aaron__ __Implementations___schools--Jon, Jennie
 * Research**
 * [|Recycle Mania - College competition]
 * [|Recycling Promotion tips from U of Oregon]
 * http://www.facilities.colostate.edu/
 * http://www.facilities.udel.edu/academiclocations.aspx
 * these are the only locations on campus where there are recycling locations/details- where we can improve and make recycling more convenient for students and faculty
 * http://www.facilities.udel.edu/recyclingaroundcampus.aspx
 * http://www.recyclemania.org/
 * the university participates in this program, yet has not ranked high in any of the competitions- we need to inform students that we are participating in this to spread the word and increase motivation to recycle (advertise more)
 * http://web.grinnell.edu/sandb/archive_new/volume_124/19/news/v124i19-news-7.html
 * this is a program that another school has implemented that we could use as a model for UD
 * http://www.gettysburg.edu/about/sustainability/commitment_planning/trash_cans_increase_recycling.dot
 * more evidence to support making recycling more convenient for UD population by adding more trashcans/bins, etc.
 * http://flathatnews.com/content/70856/college-it’s-not-always-easy-being-green
 * explains the other side of recycling and why it is difficult and costly- we need to use this to gather all evidence to make valid suggestions and this will help us figure out costs,etc.
 * http://www.nbc.com/Green/
 * __ http://proxy.nss.udel.edu:2104/itx/infomark.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&docType=IAC&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=ITOF&docId=A161501777&userGroupName=udel_main&version=1.0&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&source=gale sdsd __
 * Article about recycling at special events (sports games etc)
 * http://www.udel.edu/facsen/RecyclingAdhoc/recycling%20final.htm
 * A committee on recycling and increasing recycling efforts at UD
 * http://www.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/ and http://www.aashe.org/resources/peer2peer.php
 * A program at a number of Universities in which so-called "Eco-reps", spread awareness of green practices, including recycling, to other students
 * http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2141
 * //Using Peer Pressure as a Tool to Promote Greener Choices//

__Other__
 * https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/5883
 * A similar report to our own from Ohio State University. Includes survey and focus group info about recycling at that university.


 * Actual Survey that was distributed in Trabant/Dorms/Dining Halls**
 * 1) Circle that which pertains to you: Freshman, Sophmore, Junior, Senior
 * 2) Where do you live: On Campus, Off campus
 * 3) Do you believe that there are enough recycling bins on campus: Yes, No
 * 4) If no,where would they benefit the most: Dorms, Campus Buildings, Dining Halls, Other
 * 5) Do you recycle? Yes, No
 * 6) If yes, which do you recycle? paper, plastic, cans, other

-70% of freshman surveyed recycled. The numbers gradually decreased as we moved up the classes >going along with this point, the majority of those on campus recycled (60%), while those of campus did not (30%) -Most people believed that there were not enough recycling bins on campus. They would benefit most by campus buildings. -What was being recycled, did not show any useful data. Many of the individuals that recycled, recycled everything.
 * Survey Results**

= = =** Front Matter **=

Cover Letter
AJJK, Co. 123 House Street New Castle, DE 19710 302-555-9876 www.AJJK.org

May 10, 2008 Mr. Mark Smith Office of Campus Development University of Delaware 456 Lovett Avenue Newark, DE 19717

Dear Mr. Smith:

Enclosed is a report that analyzes the recycling habits of the student body at the University of Delaware. It contains recommendations to increase awareness and convenience on recycling for members of the Delaware community.

The recommendations we have provided were chosen keeping in mind the University's budget. They include marketing strategies as well as simple, but effective implementations.

We hope that our suggestions will bring you one step forward in the movement towards sustainability. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Jennie Silver

Jennie Silver Director of Client Relations

**Title Page**
The University of Delaware's Recycling Plan

Executive Summary
This report analyzes student participation in the recycling program at the University of Delaware. Its goal is to make recommendations to increase participation rates and, as a result, the amount of waste material recycled at the University. Two research paths were pursued:

Firstly, surveys were given to students to gauge their opinions of the University's current program. Of the 160 students surveyed, 50% claimed to recycle to some degree. Of these the majority (56%) were Freshmen and Sophomores. Most respondents that did not recycle claimed that lack of convenience was the primary deterrent to recycling. From this we concluded that additional bins in more locations would be helpful in improving recycling rates of students.

Secondly, we analyzed the recycling programs from other Universities with higher recycling rates, in order to determine methods that these organizations used that could be applied to the University of Delaware. A number of the programs we looked at participated in an annual competition called Recyclemania. The competition provided a large short term boost of recycling in most Universities involved, and also served to promote awareness of recycling programs in the long term. While the University of Delaware nominally participates as well, student turnout was relatively lower than that of other institutions. Further promotion of this event would improve student awareness of recycling in general.

Our recommendations vary in budget, and the University can choose accordingly. On the low expense side, they should market not just recycling to students, but also the competition by using the free resources available to them on the Recyclemania website. They could also add recycling bins into each dormitory to ensure that all on-campus students recycle. If the University feels they have enough in their budget to implement larger and more effective plans, they could add another large recycling depository in the North Campus area, and transition into single-streamed recycling.

In conjunction with the University's current recycling efforts, we believe that our recommendations will greatly increase the rate of recycling in order to act more sustainably. To summarize, we are recommending to increase the marketing tools that the University is using to promote recycling and sustainability. We are also recommending that the university help make recycling more convenient for students by adding more bins and increasing the number of large recycling depositories. We believe our recommendations will be very effective and hope to see significant changes in the rate of recycling at the University of Delaware.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2. Procedure 3. Results 4. Recommendations 5. Conclusion 6. References 7. Appendix

= The Report =

Introduction
With the threat of global warming becoming a real concern for people across the world, the University of Delaware has joined the movement towards sustainability. The University has implemented practices with the goal of decreasing wasteful energy use. Some of these include turning the lights out in vending machines and adopting hydrogen powered buses. In order to effectively "go green," the University of Delaware needs its student body to contribute to this effort. One of the primary means in which students can participate is by recycling. Recycling is a large part of sustainability, but simply making such a program available is not enough to motivate students. The idea must be made to appeal to students, whether by introducing a marketing campaign, or by making recycling facilities on campus more accessible to students and faculty.

The University realized that something must be done in order to increase the recycling habits of their students. There are twenty-one areas to recycle on campus, however many of them are in buildings rarely used by students. Another problem is that most of the areas available to recycle are located inside buildings. There was only one area located on campus that could be used to drop off large amounts of recyclables. It can be found behind a lab off of Academy street. The bins are almost hidden. By implementing a program that makes recycling more appealing, as well as more accessible, the University of Delaware will be one step closer to becoming a "green" college and significantly reducing their carbon footprint.

The purpose of this report was to design methods that the University of Delaware could implement to increase the percentage of items recycled. It focused on the student body, with an emphasis on their year, and where they reside on-campus. Our focus was on two areas. The first was on a marketing campaign to help students realize the importance of recycling, and why they should do it. Our next focus was on making it convenient for all students.

Procedure
Our main focus for research has been the implementation of recycling programs on other college campuses similar to the University of Delaware. During our research, we looked into two main aspects: marketing of a recycling program (motivating people to participate), and implementation of a recycling program.

Due to the relatively new and often innovative nature of large recycling programs, we primarily conducted our research through internet sites and e-journals. We utilized the University of Delaware's library website in our search of articles published in periodicals. We then used these sites to see how other colleges dealt with problems similar to those that the University of Delaware faces with its recycling program. We found that many of these colleges participated in competitions to promote sustainability. We also found that the University of Delaware was part of one such competition as well, but it was not widely publicized around campus. The University's website was also helpful in finding out information about the campus' current recycling program, as well as information about their participation in the competition, Recyclemania.

In order to better understand the current state of recycling at the University of Delaware, we conducted a survey of students of various grade levels. The goal was to identify subsets of the student population that were not recycling and those that were. This would allow us to identify factors influencing recycling participation. The survey was distributed in the Trabant Student Center, dorms, and dining halls. One hundred and sixty students were given this survey. There were 38 freshman, 40 sophomores, 42 juniors, and 40 seniors. We wanted to sample an equal amount of students from all grade levels, as well as enough students to gather significant evidence.

We compiled the results of the survey in Excel and formulated graphs. Using the graphs, we analyzed the data to see if there were any patterns in how students recycled. We spent a lot of time comparing the survey results between a student's year as well as where they live, whether it is on or off campus. By having these demographics, we could better formulate recommendations that were based towards certain groups instead of the general community.

Results
We started our research with an investigation into current recycling practices at the University of Delaware. The University of Delaware's main campus encompasses a huge area. According to the UD Facilities website, out of 172 academic buildings on Newark campus, there are only 21 with recycling bins, roughly 12%. Many of these only offer one or two types of materials to be recycled ("UD Facilities", 2009). For example, in Purnell Hall, the large and often busy classroom building, one can only recycle aluminum cans. On the other hand, in MBNA Hall only plastic bottles can be recycled. All dining halls and residence buildings do have recycling bins for all common materials except brown glass. By having such a disparity between the recycling facilities of each building, pressure is put on would-be recyclers to identify which locations handle a given material. Another problem we found was the location of the recycling bins. There is only one large dumping area located outside. By only having one location for off-campus students to dump their recyclables, it makes the process very inconvenient. Also shown on the Facilities website, during the fiscal year of 2008, out of 3,642 tons of waste produced, 705 tons were recycled. This left 2,937 tons in the landfill, or 76% of the waste produced at the University ("UD Facilities", 2009).

RecycleMania is a friendly competition for universities to see how much they can recycle in comparison to other schools. It is a way for schools to popularize recycling on campus, and eliminate the amount of waste products they have each year. The competition is ten weeks long, and there are four different categories a school can compete in: largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest total amount of recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, and the highest recycling rate. Delaware participates in the RecycleMania national collegiate competition, but the school has not been competitive enough to place yet. The competition offers participating universities marketing tools online at no cost. All of the resources can be downloaded off of a PDF file; however, Delaware has not taken advantage of the free posters that the website offers.("RecycleMania!", 2009)

Colorado State University attained a 2008 recycling rate of 51%, a number that helped them place 2nd in the RecycleMania competition for that year. CSU's website credits this success with several changes they have made over the years ("Recycling at CSU", 2009). In 1995 the program, called Recycle Colorado State (RCS), bought it's first automated recycling truck - a collection vehicle that uses a mechanical arm to dump recycling bins into the hopper. These trucks helped reduce collection costs. That same year, RCS cut the number of dumpsters on campus in half. In 2007, the program made that transition from multi-stream to single-stream recycling. This means that instead of having to sort recyclables and put them in a specific receptacle, one simply has to ensure that everything he or she is putting in a general bin is in fact a recyclable. This is a much more convenient method and saves space.

Another school we looked into was Iowa's Grinnell College. An article on the school newspaper's website documents how they have begun experimenting with placing recycling bins in every dorm room on campus (Sargent 2007). Students are expected to take their recycling bins to a common receptacle area and empty them into the proper receptacles. Each dorm has also been assigned a Dorm Environmental Coordinator - someone to help oversee and encourage the use of the new bins. So far the program has seen some success, but still a fair amount of recyclables are put in garbage cans.

We conducted our survey with a sample size of 160 students, with each class having around 40 responses. The graph below (Figure 1-A) is a representation of the results listed in percentage form. We did this in order to see which community in Delaware we should focus our recycling efforts towards. Just from looking at the responses we can see that the number of students that recycle decline as the students advance through their college careers. . Another pattern we found was that those individuals that lived on campus seemed to recycle more often then those off. This may be due to the fact that there are recycling bins located near all of the dorm rooms, however they are out of the way for students that do not live in the dormitories. Thirty-six percent of the students surveyed believed that there were not enough recycling bins located around the campus.
 * Figure 1-A[[image:file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg]] **

The results in Figure1-B reflect the percentages of underclassmen versus upperclassmen who answered the surveys. The results show that the majority of underclassmen at the University of Delaware recycle, and that they believe the University has a sufficient number of recycling bins. The opposite is true for those upperclassmen surveyed. We believe this reflects two important points. The first is that most of the freshmen and sophomores questioned lived on-campus, while the juniors and seniors lived off campus. The second point is that many of the large depositories for recyclables are located next to dormitories. It is more convenient for those living in dorms to recycle their material than it is for those living off campus. Figure 1-B **

We also questioned students on the types of things that they recycled; however, we could not find any useful pattern. Those students that recycled, recycled almost everything.

Recommendations
After analyzing the data, AJJK has come up with the following recommendations for the University of Delaware.

__**Marketing Recycling to the Student Body**__ As mentioned before, the University of Delaware participates in a recycling competition known as Recyclemania. We believe that they should call more attention to this program. The only places that advertised this program were dining halls, however many upperclassmen do not eat in these areas. The University should also place ads in Trabant, Perkins and the Library. That way the message can be reached to a wider variety of individuals. They should also put signs on the recycling bins. Competitions are known to increase participation.

There are many different ways to get the message out that we are involved in Recyclemania. One way that is completely free is to send out email reminders to the student body, both explaining the competition, and informing students where the recycling bins are located around campus. Another way is by getting student organizations involved in the movement. Sports teams, greek life, and other organizations are always looking for different opportunities to participate in community service. The University should ask those organizations to help promote the competition. The organizations could then hold recyclable collection drives on campus, or just collect within the group. By promoting it to these organizations, it will then spread throughout campus by "word of mouth."

__**Increasing the number of large recycling depositories**__ Having only one large recyclable depository in the center of campus makes it difficult for those living off campus to recycle what they have in their homes. The location on Academy Street is central to the areas of east campus. Apartment complexes such as the Univeristy Courtyards, Continental Court, the Commons, and homes located in and around that region are close enough to bring their recyclables to that location, or recycling bin around the Harrington dormitories. Two areas that lack the proximity to a bin are those off living in homes by south campus, and north campus. It may be well worth the money to add a larger recycling area to either one of these spots. Because North Campus is farther from Academy than south campus, it may make more sence to put one by the Carpenter Sports Building. It is a high traffic area for students and faculty, which may make the area more convenient to "stop and drop" one's recyclables. Having two large depositories that are not located by dorms will make recycling more convenient for off-campus students.

__**Putting Recycling bins in every dorm room**__ By putting a clearly marked recycling bin in each dorm room on campus, the University would provide students with no excuse to not recycle. This bin would act as a companion to garbage cans, and students would be able to empty it in a collection bin stationed near each building's dumpsters. At approximately $10 or less per dorm room, this is a low cost but highly effective means for increasing recycling.

__**Transitioning To Single-Stream Recycling**__ The new trend in recycling is single-stream collection. Single-stream recycling would greatly reduce hassle for students, thereby increasing participation. Although single-stream recycling costs approximately 70% more for processing than multi-stream, this transition would convey the University of Delaware's commitment to going green (Crist 2009).

Conclusion
The University has begun implementing Sustainability, however it is only in the begining fases. The reccomendations AJJK has offered will move the University one step forward in their journey to "green." Some are more expensive than others, so if the University's budget fluctuates from high to low, they can choose the appropriate method at that time. The marketing campaign, and the idea of putting recycling bins in dorm rooms will be relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, buying another large depository, and transistioning to single-stream recycling will be more costly, however probably more expensive. Depending on the University's budget, they can choose the right method for their campaign to a greener campus.

Appendix
The survey that was distributed to the 150 students:


 * 1) Circle that which pertains to you: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
 * 2) Where do you live? On Campus, Off Campus
 * 3) Do you believe that there are enough recycling bins on campus? Yes, No
 * 4) If no, where would they benefit the most? Dorms, Campus Buildings, Dining Halls, Other
 * 5) Do you recycle? Yes, No
 * 6) If yes, which do you recycle? Paper, Plastic, Cans, Other

Results of the Survey:


 *  Figure 1-A **
 * || On Campus || Off Campus ||
 * Freshmen || 36 || 2 ||
 * Sophomores || 35 || 5 ||
 * Juniors || 23 || 19 ||
 * Seniors || 15 || 25 ||
 * || Yes, We recycle || No, We do not recycle ||
 * Freshmen || 22 || 16 ||
 * Sophomores || 23 || 17 ||
 * Juniors || 17 || 25 ||
 * Seniors || 18 || 22 ||
 * || Sufficient Recycling bins || Insufficient Recycling bins ||
 * Freshmen || 31 || 7 ||
 * Sophomores || 30 || 10 ||
 * Juniors || 24 || 18 ||
 * Seniors || 16 || 24 ||

Memo for meeting with Prof Penna
DATE: 4 May, 2009 TO: Professor Penna FROM: AJJK Consultants RE: Proposal and Report progress

We are writing to discuss the progress we have made so far in our proposal and report. Our topic is on-campus recycling and how participation in it can be improved.

Most of what we have accomplished so far is research. We have found some interesting and valuable information. For example, the University participates in a national recycling competition, but neglects to advertise that to students or attempt to encourage participation. This is exactly the kind of thing we are looking for that UD could easily improve upon. We have also looked into how convenient it is for students to recycle on campus, and found that there are only a limited number of locations at UD with recycling bins. This inconsistency works against getting students into the habit of recycling.

To further our research, AJJK has also performed a survey on a cross-section of UD students. This survey focused on the placement of recycling bins on campus and how many students actually use them. We performed the survey in the Trabant center, a sampling of dorms, and dining halls. The data showed that those living on campus seem to recycle more than those off campus. It also shows that underclassmen recycle more than upperclassmen which may be consistent with where they live. Finally, the survey showed that students feel that recycling bins should be scattered more around the center of campus, where all of the classes are located. This includes areas such as the Green, and the Kirkbride circle.

Our next step is to finish putting together the information we researched, and begin writing the actual report.