Introduction
The Minibin System was implemented in Dutton Hall during the months of November and December 1999. The system consists of adding a small, 8 1/2in. X 8in trashcan, which clips on to the existing trash receptacle. The existing trash receptacle is the mixed paper bin and the minibin is the trashcan. The purpose of this new system is to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfills, reduce the amount of recyclable materials (especially paper) going to the landfills, and to educate the staff about the importance of reducing waste and recycling more. The following departments are participating in the Minibin System: Financial Aid/Student Employment, Cashier’s Office, Upward Bound, Educational and Academic Outreach Program, Student Judicial Affairs, and Learning Skills Center. Student Aid Accounting chose not to participate in the Minibin System. The participating departments purchased a minibin for each desk in their department at a cost of $2.92 each ($2.75 for the minibin/ $0.17 for the label).

With the exception of Financial Aid/Student Employment, every department was given a half-hour presentation a few days before or the day of the implementation of the Minibin System. Because of scheduling difficulties, Financial Aid/Student Employment received their presentation one-month after the Minibin System was implemented in their department. The presentation included information about what tenants can and cannot recycle at UC Davis and an explanation of why it is important to use reusable materials and to recycle to reduce waste. In addition, each participant was given a reusable mug to assist them with the Minibin System.

Before the Minibin System
To measure the effectiveness of the Minibin System at Dutton Hall, a waste audit was conducted before the minibins were implemented. On August 27th, 1999, the staff of the R4 Recycling Program conducted a waste audit of all departments in Dutton Hall, regardless of whether or not they were participating in the Minibin System. The waste collected from each department was calculated separately. Those numbers were then combined to calculate the total waste from Dutton Hall. The waste collected did not include the waste from the kitchen, bathroom, or lobby areas. There was a total of 114 pounds collected from Dutton Hall for the August 27th, 1999 waste audit. The waste in Dutton Hall is collected every three days. The breakdown of the waste stream from Dutton Hall during the August 1999 waste audit was as follows: 12% Glass/Cans/Bottles, 50% Mixed Paper, 38% Trash (graph 1). Therefore, before the Minibin System, approximately 62% of the waste from Dutton was in fact recyclable, but was landfilled instead.



After the Minibin System
The implementation of the Minibin System in Dutton Hall was completed in December 1999. In addition to the educational presentations conducted to each department, signs were placed in the lobby of the first floor, which displayed some basic instructions on the Minibin System and offered flyers about what is and is not recyclable on campus. A second waste audit was completed approximately two months after the minibins were placed at each desk side. The results overwhelmingly support the goal of the minibins: to reduce waste and to reduce the amount of recyclables going to the landfill. The total amount of waste collected from the February 23rd, 2000 waste audit was 53 pounds. The breakdown of the waste stream from Dutton Hall during the February 23, 2000 waste audit was as follows: 11% Glass/Cans/Bottles, 17% Mixed Paper, 72% Trash. Therefore, after the Minibin System, approximately 28% of the waste from Dutton Hall was recyclable. There was a reduction of 34% of recyclables in the waste stream (graph 2) and a reduction of 61 pounds in total waste (Table 1).





On March 3rd and 9th, 2000 waste audits were conducted to determine the decline of recyclable materials in the waste stream of each department in Dutton Hall from the waste audit completed before the minibin system. During the March 3rd and 9th, 2000 waste audits, all participating departments and Student Aid Accounting (a non-participant) were evaluated (Tables 2-7). All participating departments show a significant decrease in the amount of recyclables thrown away. This is especially true for Financial Aid, EAOP, and the Cashier’s Office.


38% decrease in the amount of recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill


61% decrease in the amount og recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill


32% decrease in the amount of recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill


23% decrease in the amount of recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill


47% decrease in the amount of recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill

Student Aid Accounting (the only department that did not participate in the Minibin System) showed very little decrease in the amount of mixed paper being landfilled (Table 7). However, they did show a decrease in beverage containers being landfilled. It is suspected that this is because they have been using the lobby recycling bins because of pest problems in their department.


15% decrease in the amount of recyclables in waste stream going to the landfill

Conclusion
The Minibin System has been successful in many ways. Dutton Hall tenants have reduced the amount of trash they throw away and recycle more paper than ever. Before the Minibin System was implemented at Dutton Hall, approximately 62% if the waste stream was actually composed of recyclable paper and cans, bottles, and glass. However, since the Minibin System has been implemented at Dutton Hall, there has been a decrease in the amount of recyclable going to the landfill. Of the total waste stream, now only 28% of the materials being landfilled are recyclables. Therefore, there was a reduction of 34% in the percentage of the waste stream being composed of recyclables. In addition, Minibin System educational presentations and flyers have enabled the R4 Recycle Program to promote reducing and recycling throughout campus, not just in Dutton Hall. Each participant was given a reusable mug to use throughout campus and our community, a list of items that are recyclable in Davis, and are sent reminders via e-mails of ways to reduce waste and keep their minibin from overflowing. Many of the Dutton Hall participants feel that the minibin acts as a constant of how important it is to reduce waste and recycle.

The educational presentations, in conjunction with e-mails and impromptu visits from R4 Recycling Program staff, has been extremely helpful and has been an important part of the program’s success. However, without the cooperation of all of the participating Dutton Hall tenants, this new recycling system would never have been so successful. The R4 Recycling Program was able to successfully change the habits of dozens of employees to a more environmentally conscious one. Although there was some ambivalence at first, the Dutton Hall tenants have become some of the most dedicated recyclers at UC Davis. The Minibin System not only reduce the amount of recyclables going to our landfill, but has also changed the lives of many UC Davis employees in a very positive and environmental way.