1.0 Proposal 1: Newspaper Liner

Our first idea involves folding newspaper into a compost bin liner. It is intended to fit the current bins in the university residences. The steps for folding the newspaper are as follows (these instructions depict folding a smaller version with a piece of paper, but the steps and concepts are the same.

1. Fold one corner to the edge of the paper
2. Cut/fold and tear of the excess strip and fold diagonally in half
3. Fold like this, so the upper edge of the fold is parallel to the bottom of the folded paper
4. Fold the same way on the other side
5. Fold the top triangles down
6. Fold the triangle all the way down and open it up taddaaaaaa!

Figure 3: Newspaper Folding Procedure

 1.1    Benefits

This solution makes it so that compost bins need to be washed out very infrequently. Washing compost bins is a nuisance and it can deter people from wanting to compost. Newspaper is also readily available and free on campus (student union building). Folding the newspaper is actually quite fun. It makes you feel slightly more sophisticated which we think UBC students will enjoy.

1.2    Inhibitors

Because it is paper, it will only last for so long before it deteriorates, especially if the organic contents is quite wet. It doesn’t have any handles so it could be slightly awkward to carry. Newspapers are not readily available in residence common areas.

1.3    Process

We suggest that UBC makes a video that teaches people how to fold the newspaper. There could be a segment in the “This Week at UBC” videos, which some people watch. We suggest making posters preaching the method equipped with a stack of newspapers and placing these “Extreme Compost Units” in the common areas of residences. We believe that with the name Extreme Compost Units it will encourage more people to follow this program because these days kids want to be cool.

 2.0 Proposal 2: Custom Fitting Liner

The idea behind this concept is to design a new liner that can fit perfectly into the compost pails. The new liners we are proposing will be made into a single “package” of five combined together on the top section and separated by jagged cuts as shown in Figure 4.

On the top sections there will be hooks that allow the liners to be secured onto the pails. This prevents food from accidentally falling into the pail and keeps food within the liner. The dimensions of the bag are similar to the inside dimensions of the pail for a perfect fit. Handles will also be added onto individual bags on the outside for carrying convenience then the compost waste must be disposed.

Figure 4: Sample Liner Design

2.1    Benefits

One of the major benefits of this particular design is the fit of the liners to the pails. This design will solve the problem of food waste falling between the gap and the liner and into the bottom of the pail. Along with keeping the pail cleaner for longer, this design will also make the liners much easier to carry and increase the convenience of using the proper liners over garbage bags. Additionally, owners will not have to replace the liners as frequently because there will be five liners in one single package. Moreover, the liner of this design will be leak-proof which further enhances the tidiness of the pails.

 2.2    Drawbacks

The largest flaw of this design is the complication of the design itself. Due to this complex design, finding a manufacturer that is willing to make this custom design will be greatly difficult. Furthermore, the overall cost of this liner package will be comparably higher than the other ideas due to its complication.

2.3     Process

In order for UBC to implement this design, UBC has to find a manufacturer that is willing to make these custom liners. After manufacturing the product, the waste management program of UBC then needs to promote and distribute this custom liner throughout the campus.

3.0 Proposal 3: Paper Recycling on UBC

The idea behind this proposal is to recycle UBC paper waste in order to create simple paper sheets that can be used as compost liners at UBC. Design elements can be added to the paper in order to make it easy to use, transport and dispose of with the compost it holds. The simplest design would simply be a rectangular sheet of paper that you press flat into the compost bin although if we go forward with this design we will probably look to find ways in which to create the simplest

3.1 Capital Requirements & Design of the Program

In order for this proposal to come to fruition a certain amount of capital is required in order to build and maintain the program. Firstly, a facility is needed where the paper waste can be collected, recycled and re-manufactured. A flow chart sketch of how a facility might function is included in Appendix A. The facility itself could have varying designs depending on what degree of functionality the facility will have. Normal paper mills must deink, bleach and clean the paper for its use as stationary. If the facility is used for creating the compost liners only the facility could be significantly simpler and cheaper.

3.2  Benefits

There are numerous benefits to UBC as a result of the implementation of this proposal. Firstly, the proposal reuses and recycles the paper waste at UBC. Because of this, no packaging of the material is required and the paper can travel straight to the recycling center. Another benefit would be that UBC would not have to hire a private company to take away their paper waste. This allows UBC to handle their waste directly and even add research opportunities for students in multiple fields including environmental engineering, the faculty of forestry, and chemical engineering. Other benefits include that designs can be custom made for UBC, the paper will be compostable in UBC’s waste program, and (in the case of a slightly more advanced facility) the paper that is recycled could be sold as stationary or made for other purposes (imagine all of UBC’s facilities using UBC recycled paper).

3.3    Drawbacks

This proposal is more ambitious and scaled than the other proposals involved for a number reasons. Cost is a major factor because the project requires the creation of a new facility and that facility could have varying degrees of cost depending on its function. If it is only used to create the compost paper liners, the cost could be significantly lower than if the facility is used to create recycled paper due to the added components needed to properly create stationary. Land is also an issue as UBC will need the space for the construction of the facility.

Another significant factor is the UBC currently contracts its paper recycling out to a private company. For this proposal to go forward an agreement would have to be reached.

Addition drawbacks could depend on how the facility is set up and the nature of liners produced from the facility. If it is a simple design, the design could be changed if needed at a relatively low cost, but with more complicated and bin specific designs, changing the design may result in higher costs due to the potential equipment required to make the more complicated design. In the following weeks if this proposal is chosen, further work will be put towards investigating a design that is as simple as possible but still meeting the project objective in regards to ease of use, transportation and disposal.

3.4    From Idea to Reality

Step that UBC would need to take for the implementation of the project can be briefly outlined with the steps listed below. An important decision to make would be with the function of the facility and whether it be used only to create compost liners.

1. Research and Design a detailed process that will recycle the paper.
2. Create/Find a space that UBC can use for the facility.
3. Invest in the capital cost and its construction.
4. Implement a paper recycling program specific for UBC.
5. Hire workers that can manage the program and facility.

 4.0 Chosen Idea and Steps Forward

After having met with the client, two ideas were chosen to move forward with. One will be a short term solution that can be implemented at the beginning of the 2014-2015 winter term, another will be a long term solutions that will require further investigation before it can be actualized.

The short term solution will be to make a video on how to use the Ubyssey and other school newspapers to line the composting pails and possibly create a poster to display in the residence. Also, we will be investigating the use of biodegradable clips to keep paper liners fitted to the green carts.

The long term solution will be to investigate the possibility of creating paper liners that will fit the pails currently in use. There are multiple path to investigate that could lead to this occurring.

• Team up with a local paper manufacture to use the waste pulp produced at the Pulp and Paper Center to produce a flat sheet to use as a liner.
  • This flat sheet could be produced with creases so they could be folded into fitted liners.
  • The flat sheet could simply be created to be pushed into the bin.
• UBC could invest in the equipment to manufacture the paper liners at UBC using either waste paper, or waste pulp.
  • Unfortunately, the client highlighted that UBC doesn’t have the land available to build a paper manufacturing plant.
• A local paper manufacture could produce the custom liners with recycled paper they have available.

5.0 Timeline

February 12 ✔

• Group:

• Blog Post 2
• Meeting at 10:00
• Eliminate solutions and assignment one solution per pair
• Individual
• 3 solutions
• Include bullet points of:
• preliminary design
• benefits
• inhibitors
• process (what needs to be done next? contacts? prototypes?)

February 26 ✔

• Group:

  • Meeting at 10:00

  • Go over interim report

  • AMS funding paper completion

• Individual/Pairs

  • Interim report of 3 solutions

  • o

  • Know what are the next steps to continue forward with each idea

February 28 ✔

• Group

  • Meeting at 10:00 with the client

  • Choose one solution to move forward with

  • Meet with Ehsan

February 28 ✔

• AMS Funding to be submitted

March 5/12 ✔

• Begin prototypes if there is going to be one

March 19

• Group

  • assign parts of poster to be completed by individual

March 26

• Poster completion

March 30

• draft of executive summary

• practice presentation

April 1

• Meet to finalize report to be submitted to client

April 2

• Final client meeting