Robert Allen, the recycling supervisor at CU, sat down and chatted about his job at the Grounds and Recycling Operation Center, affectionately named “The ROC.”
What made you want to get into recycling?
A recycling lead position opened up and my wife, who also works here at CU, told me about it. I've always been passionate about the environment - at least to the extent that I have always wanted to do the right thing and promote that attitude and conviction to others. Not to the extent that I went to school for Environmental Sciences, or anything like that. But, a job where I have an opportunity to work toward saving the world? Yeah, I’m into that.
What keeps you motivated?
I would say it's a couple of things. One is the environmental impact. The ability to make a difference. Whether it's through recycling, or composting, or finding ways to reuse materials by way of donation or upcycling. Another part is making things just a little bit better for the crews - the guys who pick up all this stuff. I like finding ways to make their workflow a little bit better. So, there's a technical, operational aspect to my work, and there's the “save-the-world” aspect. Very fulfilling on both counts. Plus, I really like the people that I work with.
What does your career trajectory look like?
I am always eager to take it to the next level. I don't know exactly what that means in terms of what other opportunities might present themselves or where, specifically, I would like to go. I have a wide range of interests and I like to learn new things and gain new skills.
Is it fun to drive the trucks?
Yeah, I mean, driving around this beautiful campus – how could you not enjoy it? It can be a little nerve-wracking sometimes. You have to navigate areas with people walking all around you, bicycles zipping through, skateboards and those other crazy one-wheeled boards flying around. And sometimes you have to squeeze down narrow sidewalks, because not all buildings are accessible by road and there are people coming and going and doing their things. You really gotta’ watch out. Still, though, a lot of fun. Our first priority is safety, so we don’t feel pressured to rush and we get to enjoy the ride.
How do you feel about the most recent changes to composting?
So that's just a tragic situation. A-1 Organics has changed their requirements and they are now only accepting food waste and yard trimmings. We're still trying to figure out how we're going to deal with that. I get where the composting company is coming from. They're trying to make a profitable business out of composting. They've got to make a product that they can sell, right? Nobody wants to buy compost for their garden with bottle caps, broken glass, and shreds of plastic bags. So, I totally get where they're coming from, and frankly, our compost is pretty contaminated. We were surprised by their decision to cut us off, but I understand it.
One hopeful solution to this compost dilemma is that we get an in-vessel composting unit here. That would look similar to what we're doing with our recycling program. We would pick up the compost all over campus, just as we have been doing, but then we keep it here and we sort out all the stuff that cannot be composted - glass, cans, plastic, etc. That would probably also include removing the compostable silverware and bags as well as other plant-based plastics that A-1 Organics doesn't really want. Plant based plastics, while theoretically compostable, are difficult and slow to compost. But we probably can give them paper towels and other acceptable materials as long as it's only the stuff that they want. They don't really mind fiber-based compostable materials, as long as it is free from non-compostable contaminants. Then we put all this good, contamination-free compostable material into this in-vessel composting machine. They sometimes call it composting but really it's just a dehydrator that grinds it up, dries it out and spits out this product that looks a lot like coffee grounds. Practically odorless, and only a fraction of its original weight and volume, this material could then be easily added to the existing “feedstock” that A-1 Organics processes into rich, organic compost in their industrial composting operation.
That's the theory. It's a long term solution, and there are many moving parts. There are equipment, space, labor and many other details to iron out. That means it ain't gonna’ happen tomorrow. But, hopefully by the day after.
What do you think is the most common thing you get in the recycling center that isn't actually recyclable?
Plastic film. We have various places around campus where we collect “stretchy” plastic film and bags in special collection bins. When you put them in there, they get recycled. But when you put them into “containers” or “single stream” bins, they get dirty and wet. And when they get wet or dirty, they cannot be recycled. That's good to know. It’s the same for residential recycling. When you take your plastic grocery bags to the grocery store where they have that special bin to collect them - that totally gets recycled. Great stuff. It works well. But, when you put bags in your “single stream” recycling container at home where they pick it all up in one bin at the curb - I’m pretty sure those bags just get separated and thrown away. And the recycling companies hate that because it gets caught and wound up in their sorting machinery, which they then have to stop production several times per day to cut it all out by hand.
Also, plastic #6 is not recyclable. Like those red solo cups, styrofoam to-go boxes, and plastic silverware. Do they recycle it in other parts of the country? Maybe, but I don’t think so. It can only go in the garbage around here, so avoid using those products as much as you can.