Funding

 The University of Oregon Campus Recycling Program is a jointly funded Program (Student Fee Budget Agreement) through Facilities Services, University Housing and Student Incidental Fees (ASUO). The students contribute $100,000 annually; Housing contributes 2/3 of the Housing Recycling Coordinator position including overhead costs and Facilities services currently contributes ~$150,000 annually plus administrative, vehicle and office operating costs. The Facilities funding is augmented by paper revenue, which is essential to the program budget and necessary to meet the program budgetary needs. Additionally, the campus vending contract contributes $7,000 annually for costs incurred from recycling beverage containers generated from the vending contract. The contract cycle is 5 years.

As of 2001-2002, Campus Recycling is charging the Housing department for recycling services not covered under the Recycling Program agreement. After 10 years of building the Housing Recycling effort, the Housing areas ended up utilizing 50% of the Campus Recycling Budget. Through a challenging process aimed at keeping the ASUO Program Agreement intact while continuing to keep costs down and provide excellence in recycling service, an additional agreement for services has been created. Housing now pays for services to off-campus Family Housing areas and interior recycling services in the residence halls. This is charged on a low per/hour student rate.

Additionally, starting in July 2001, Campus Recycling is now charging off-campus offices (as many departments have relocated off-campus) and Athletics for daily recycling services. Athletics pays for football material pickup after the materials have been centralized but continue to receive cardboard services and track event recycling for free. Campus Recycling is striving to provide excellence while recovering some of it's costs and still maintaining many opportunities for auxiliaries to maintain a reduced cost service.

Funded positions:

Facilities: Recycling Manager, Paper and Operations Recycling Coordinators

ASUO: Student Recycling Coordinator, 1/3 of Housing Recycling Coordinator position

University Housing: 2/3 of Housing Recycling Coordinator position

Other places funding goes:

  • student labor costs (Campus Recycling tries to maximize use of work study and tech fee funded students to reduce labor costs)
  • equipment (operational and computer equipment)
  • contracts (it has cost money to have a cardboard collection contract)
  • training and travel (Typically at least 2 staff members attend the National Recycling Conference and the annual    state recycling conference. Students who receive scholarships to these larger events are often able to attend as    well. All student staff is encouraged to participate in a one day spring recycling education conference put on by the    state recycling organization. Other training's are determined as needed and budget is available)
  • education( advertisements, printing costs, etc...)
  • communications (phones, pagers, etc...)
  • other supplies

       Due to the funding structure, the money is distributed to 2 budgets. One is Facilities budget which includes paper revenue and vendor waste tax money. The second budget is the ASUO student funding budget. Housing is charged back for the 2/3 portion of the Housing Recycling Coordinator position and that money goes into the student funding budget.

       The Program tracks cost savings and benefits but this does not have an effect on the budgeting process. It is valuable to track these savings as it gives credibility to the program finances. The UO Campus Recycling Program has been able to demonstrate impressive cost benefits which ultimately provide support for the money invested in the program.
       Ultimately, the concern with using cost savings to fund a recycling program is that Campus Recycling Programs are more then operational. It is very difficult to demonstrate the unusual status of Campus Recycling Programs. Programs that are solely operational are operated on a minimum and directed and taking a step back from the garbage can. More successful efforts include an educational component which does not have a direct cost avoidance component. These additional efforts reduce waste, which is often difficult to show direct savings. There is much more to view beyond cost avoidance in order to note legitimacy of creating and implementing recycling programs. Once life cost accounting becomes more prominent in the business world, recycling will become increasingly economically viable.

       The cost benefits that the Campus Recycling Program demonstrates has had an affect on the view of carrying out conservation policies and practices in all other areas of University operations. Though there is some disagreement on the reality of cost savings (administrators argue that there are fixed costs whether we dispose of 1 ton or 1000 tons), these numbers have impressed administrators to recognize that Campus Recycling has indeed saved the University money and resources over the years. As a result, the University has enlisted the Recycling Staff to help promote resource conservation, Sustainability and other money saving potential

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