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THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Department of Applied Science
APSC 262- Technology and Society
SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT REPORT

AN INVESTIGATION INTO IMPLEMENTING A CAMPUS-WIDE
STYROFOAM RECYCLING PROGRAM
Prepared by:
Jennie Bharaj (13761077)
Alim Jiwa (66380064)
Sanduni Patikiriarachchi (82726043)

Submitted to: Pat Cramond

April 06, 2010

ABSTRACT
“An Investigation into Implementing a Campus-Wide Styrofoam Recycling Program”
By Jennie Bharaj, Alim Jiwa, Sanduni Patikiriarachchi
This report examines options available to launch a campus-wide Styrofoam recycling program at UBC. A pilot project on Styrofoam (a.k.a. expanded polystyrene foam) recycling has been running at the Brain Research Lab (BRC) located in the UBC Hospital. The pilot program has lasted for four months in nine of their labs. This pilot program uses services provided by a recycling material transporting company named Pacific Mobile Depots (PMD) to transport the
Styrofoam to a recycling plant by the name of AquaPak situated in Surrey, BC. As part of the
UBC Waste Management target of 55% per capita waste reduction for 2015, UBC is in need of a campus-wide Styrofoam recycling program to completely remove Styrofoam from going to landfills. The goal of this report is to closely examine options available for initiating and continuing a Styrofoam recycling program throughout the whole campus. The scope of this report extends only to the logistics of the recycling program, which consists of three main categories: the Recyclable Materials, Collection and Storage, and Pick-up and Drop-off of
Styrofoam. A sister report for this project is being written by another group, to analyze the recycling process itself.
Each section was evaluated using a triple-bottom-line analysis to recommend the best available solutions for each category. Research on all options was limited to available resources around campus and surrounding cities. The report‟s economic analysis is limited


References: Ho, Alex (2010, August 7). Paper vs. Styrofoam vs. Plastic Cups [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.genexe.com/environment/paper-vs-styrofoam-vs-plastic-cups/ American Chemistry Council (2010) UBC Waste Management (2004). 2003/2004 Annual Report. Retrieved from http://www.recycle.ubc.ca/aboutus.htm UBC Recycling (2007). Other Special Items that can be Recycled. Retrieved from http://www.recycle.ubc.ca/recycling.htm. Bertrand, Melanie (2009). Green Research – Nov. 2009. Retrieved from http://www.hse.ubc.ca/environment/greenresearch/greenresearchnov09.html. Pacific Mobile Depots (2007). Pick Up Frequencies, Pick Up Fees. Retrieved from http://www.pacificmobiledepots.com/prices.php. Davies, Tom (2009). Calculation of CO2 emissions from fuels. Retrieved from http://people.exeter.ac.uk/TWDavies/energy_conversion/Calculation%20of%20CO2%20emi ssions%20from%20fuels.htm Canadian Driver (2006, November 1st) http://www.canadiandriver.com/2006/11/01/fuel-consumption.htm Australian Capital Territory Government (2010) The Planning Report (2006). Styrofoam Food Packaging Waste Stream Legislation Oversimplifies Issues, Recycling Options
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