{"635416":{"#nid":"635416","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Packing Foam Recycling Team Collects Campus Staff Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has systems in place to collect and recycle everything from cardboard and office paper, to plastic and glass. But until last year, there was no established process for recycling expanded polystyrene foam (EPS).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsed widely in take-out containers, coffee cups, packing blocks and \u0026quot;peanuts\u0026quot; to cushion fragile deliveries, EPS foam is perhaps better known by the recycling code stamped onto it \u0026mdash; #6 PS \u0026mdash; and often trades on the name of its extruded polystyrene cousin: Styrofoam.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELightweight and bulky, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/blogs.ei.columbia.edu\/2015\/03\/11\/say-goodbye-to-styrofoam\/\u0022\u003Eubiquitous fossil-fuel foam\u003C\/a\u003E is hard to recycle, takes up significant space in landfills, and does not biodegrade. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doee.dc.gov\/foodserviceware\u0022\u003EIt can be easily carried by wind and rain from storm drains to waterways\u003C\/a\u003E, where it breaks into small pieces, can be mistaken for food by marine animals, and releases chemicals that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1021\/acs.est.5b05485\u0022\u003Ebioaccumulate in the food chain\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe call for expanded polystyrene foam recycling prompted a wide-ranging group of campus staff members, facilities administrators, laboratory professionals, and others to form a #6 PS collection and recycling process from the ground up. The result diverted nearly a half-ton of it away from landfills over a six-month period, and that helped win the Styrofoam Recycling Pilot Team a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hr.gatech.edu\/staff-awards\u0022\u003E2020 Georgia Tech Staff Award\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Process Improvement Excellence Award was presented by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hr.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Human Resources\u003C\/a\u003E to College of Sciences Director of Facilities and Capital Planning \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/leadership\u0022\u003EJuan Archila\u003C\/a\u003E, along with Ford ES\u0026amp;T Facilities Manager II \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/todd-clarkson\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETodd Clarkson\u003C\/a\u003E and 12 other members of the team. Archila was nominated by team member \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/michelle-wong\u0022\u003EMichelle Wong\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant director at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Archila gives Wong credit for designing the plan.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d like to give a huge \u0026lsquo;thank you\u0026rsquo; to Michelle for the vision and the ability to get the right people in the room to make this initiative a reality,\u0026rdquo; Archila says. \u0026ldquo;This program embodies Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s aspirations of breaking down invisible barriers between various departments across campus and goes to show that with a common goal and with buy-in from the start, we can begin to make transformational change despite budget challenges or the burden of \u0026lsquo;how we\u0026rsquo;ve always done things.\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s labs are a major source of expanded polystyrene foam waste, since a majority of their deliveries, such as glassware, come packed in the material. Yet it is difficult to recycle for several reasons: it\u0026rsquo;s bulky and hard to collect, clean, and process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of an overall green initiative for IBB, Wong convened a diverse group of stakeholders throughout campus with a history of sustainable practices to start a new recycling program\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EThe pilot team includes members of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Campus Sustainability\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ehs.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnvironmental Health and Safety\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.recycle.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EOffice of Solid Waste Management and Recycling\u003C\/a\u003E. They partnered with the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/livethrive.org\/charm\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM)\u003C\/a\u003E and chose to begin the recycling pilot program with two buildings: IBB and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ebb.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKrone Engineered Biosystems Building (Krone EBB)\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Early concerns included communication to stakeholders in the buildings about the process and space for bins\/areas for the Styrofoam to be placed.\u0026nbsp;Together we implemented plans to address these concerns,\u0026rdquo; Archila says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe members of the Styrofoam Recycling Pilot Team:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EWilhemenia Andrews\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EBlake Baklini\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEmma Brodzik\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EJoyce Gresham\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EAlejuandro Hunt\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EShawn Dunham\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERyan Lisk\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ETodd Clarkson\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESusanne Gibboney\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELogan Clausnitzer\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EJason Dunn\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMichelle Wong\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EShweta Biliya\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESarah Neville\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I was super-excited to find out that we won the award,\u0026rdquo; says \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.recycle.gatech.edu\/staff\u0022\u003EBrodzik\u003C\/a\u003E, Campus Recycling Coordinator in the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling. \u0026ldquo;This project started as a small pilot that we never stopped. It has grown and we learned how to increase our capacity. I am encouraged by the momentum this will create to expand the project to collect Styrofoam at more labs in other buildings. I look forward to more in the future to divert our hard-to-recycle materials on campus.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The Office of Campus Sustainability is thrilled by the recognition of this group, a grassroots effort to address a problem that while not unique is uniquely problematic at Georgia Tech due to the large number of labs on campus,\u0026rdquo; adds \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sustain.gatech.edu\/about\u0022\u003ENeville\u003C\/a\u003E, Campus Sustainability Project Manager. \u0026ldquo;Our success with the Styrofoam Recycling Pilot highlights the passion of the Georgia Tech community for sustainability and the ability of individuals to come together to bring about real change.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Georgia Tech Staff Award was not the only honor for environmentally friendly efforts this year. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/livingbuilding.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EKendeda Building\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026rsquo;s sustainable construction and recycling efforts won Georgia Tech the top ranking in the Race to Zero Waste section of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/recyclemania.org\/scoreboard\/current-results\/\u0022\u003E2020 RecycleMania Tournament\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, sponsored annually by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rubicon.com\/\u0022\u003ERubicon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, a waste management company based in Atlanta. 300 U.S. and Canadian campuses took part in that competition.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Juan Archila, Todd Clarkson and team diverted half a ton of expanded polystyrene foam from landfills, winning a 2020 Process Improvement Excellence Award"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJuan Archila, Todd Clarkson and team diverted half a ton of expanded polystyrene foam from landfills, winning a 2020 Process Improvement Excellence Award\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Juan Archila, Todd Clarkson and team diverted half a ton of expanded polystyrene foam from landfills, winning a 2020 Process Improvement Excellence Award"}],"uid":"34528","created_gmt":"2020-05-18 02:56:18","changed_gmt":"2020-05-18 03:09:12","author":"jhunt7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635417":{"id":"635417","type":"image","title":"Graduate student Hannah Viola using the Gaylord collection box in Krone EBB","body":null,"created":"1589770686","gmt_created":"2020-05-18 02:58:06","changed":"1589770686","gmt_changed":"2020-05-18 02:58:06","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241795","name":"Graduate student Hannah Viola using the Gaylord collection box in Krone EBB.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Graduate%20student%20Hannah%20Viola%20using%20the%20Gaylord%20collection%20box%20in%20Krone%20EBB.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Graduate%20student%20Hannah%20Viola%20using%20the%20Gaylord%20collection%20box%20in%20Krone%20EBB.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":254625,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Graduate%20student%20Hannah%20Viola%20using%20the%20Gaylord%20collection%20box%20in%20Krone%20EBB.jpg?itok=0Azb6RiZ"}},"635418":{"id":"635418","type":"image","title":"Collected Styrofoam during the pilot in the Office of Solid Waste Management \u0026 Recycling\u2019s storeroom","body":null,"created":"1589770859","gmt_created":"2020-05-18 03:00:59","changed":"1589770859","gmt_changed":"2020-05-18 03:00:59","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241796","name":"Collected Styrofoam during the pilot in the Office of Solid Waste Management \u0026 Recycling\u2019s storeroom.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Collected%20Styrofoam%20during%20the%20pilot%20in%20the%20Office%20of%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20%26%20Recycling%E2%80%99s%20storeroom.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Collected%20Styrofoam%20during%20the%20pilot%20in%20the%20Office%20of%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20%26%20Recycling%E2%80%99s%20storeroom.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":74456,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Collected%20Styrofoam%20during%20the%20pilot%20in%20the%20Office%20of%20Solid%20Waste%20Management%20%26%20Recycling%E2%80%99s%20storeroom.jpg?itok=Hzu9kvqB"}},"598081":{"id":"598081","type":"image","title":"Juan Archila","body":null,"created":"1509383633","gmt_created":"2017-10-30 17:13:53","changed":"1509383633","gmt_changed":"2017-10-30 17:13:53","alt":"","file":{"fid":"228008","name":"juanarchila (1).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/juanarchila%20%281%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/juanarchila%20%281%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":9789,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/juanarchila%20%281%29.jpg?itok=8fdY36X9"}},"635419":{"id":"635419","type":"image","title":"Todd Clarkson, Ford ES\u0026T Facilities Manager II","body":null,"created":"1589771336","gmt_created":"2020-05-18 03:08:56","changed":"1589771336","gmt_changed":"2020-05-18 03:08:56","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241797","name":"clarkson.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/clarkson.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/clarkson.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":71812,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/clarkson.jpg?itok=hJB7baNw"}}},"media_ids":["635417","635418","598081","635419"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/sustain.gatech.edu\/blog\/work-green-styrofoam-recycling-pilot-krone-engineered-biosystems-and-petit-biotechnology","title":"Work Green: Styrofoam Recycling Pilot at Krone Engineered Biosystems and Petit Biotechnology Buildings"},{"url":"https:\/\/hr.gatech.edu\/staff-awards","title":"2020 Georgia Tech Staff Award Winners"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.recycle.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of Solid Waste Management \u0026 Recycling"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/renovated-science-labs-boggs","title":"Renovated Science Labs in Boggs"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1153","name":"recycling"},{"id":"276","name":"Awards"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"166890","name":"sustainability"},{"id":"184822","name":"styrofoam"},{"id":"184823","name":"expanded polystyrene foam"},{"id":"423","name":"recycle"},{"id":"184824","name":"Office of Solid Waste Management \u0026 Recycling"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:renay.san@cos.gatech.edu\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}