Waste at West Range Cafe
The West Range waste audit formed the basis for making current recommendations and will serve as the control for determining future implementation success. By understanding the composition of waste, the team saw what solutions could be used to minimize or, in the future, possibly eliminate waste. The unexpected volume of compostable material demonstrated a need for more composting containers and less trash containers, as well as clear directions for customers. After the data is further analyzed, a future group could build off of our research and establish a waste reduction plan. Our data will serve as the baseline for determining the success of future waste minimization strategies.
waste, West Range Cafe, University of Virginia, compost, waste audit
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Waste at West Range Cafe

Final Project Report – West Range Cafe (click PDF)

Spring 2013

Team members: Mandy McKinney, Zach Herrman, Nancy Cronauer, Claire Jarrell, Arian Rubin

“Think Global, Act Local”

This waste audit initiative addresses the primary waste issues with UVA Dining at West Range: waste stream, disposal receptacles, and food consumption. The community partner for this project was Chris Stevens, the Aramark Sustainability Manager, as well as the point of contact for UVA’s Green Dining Initiative. The West Range Café is a University owned dining hall that attracts many students and faculty. The stakeholders of this project are UVA students, faculty, dining staff at West Range, and Aramark. These individuals and organizations may be affected by the conclusions that were drawn from this project once more sustainable practices are implemented.

Waste audit objectives: 

1) Determine the composition of waste and the quantities being generated at the West Range Café.

2) Measure the effectiveness of current UVa Dining waste management systems.

3) Identify improvement opportunities for the current waste management system.

The primary goal of this project was to collect useful and reliable data on the waste stream at the West Range Café by performing a waste audit. A waste station set up at the entrance to the facility was used to collect compostable materials, recyclables, and trash. We recorded the weight and volume of all bags collected from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the West Range Café. Once this data was collected, it was further analyzed to determine what sort of future work would be appropriate to improve sustainability. By looking at the waste stream, we gained insight on how UVA Dining can reapportion their waste receptacles to match that of their waste stream. By changing the ratio of compost to trash bins, the dining facility could create a more sustainable environment which accurately accommodates the waste stream proportionally.

The West Range waste audit formed the basis for making current recommendations and will serve as the control for determining future implementation success. By understanding the composition of waste, the team saw what solutions could be used to minimize or, in the future, possibly eliminate waste. The unexpected volume of compostable material demonstrated a need for more composting containers and less trash containers, as well as clear directions for customers. After the data is further analyzed, a future group could build off of our research and establish a waste reduction plan. Our data will serve as the baseline for determining the success of future waste minimization strategies.

waste at west range