KCET Interviews UCI!

On March 11, 2016 KCET stopped by UCI and interviewed our very own Sustainability Team's Anne Krieghoff on our organic waste program on campus. Check it out!

Turning Food Waste into Fuel: KCET Interviews UCI

On March 17, 2016 reporters from KCET stopped by UC Irvine to gain some insight into our organic waste program on campus. In October of 2014 Governor Brown signed the AB 1826 Chesbro bill, which requires California businesses to recycle organic waste beginning in April of 2016. Organic waste includes items such as food waste, green waste, or food-soiled paper waste. By having these recycling programs across California we are reducing the amount of organic materials in landfills that emitt Greenhouse Gases.

With well-known experience in sustainability and an organic waste program implemented in 2010, UCI serves as an example of best demonstrated practices in recycling. KCET sat down to interview our campus’ Recycling Program Manager, Anne Krieghoff, to learn more about how UCI manages an efficient organic waste program across campus.

The KCET team was welcomed into our Lot 5 Mesa commons to see firsthand our food waste collection program in action and gain the full UCI dining experience. Alongside the interview with Krieghoff, the crew captured footage of dining hall staff and cooks, as well as Waste Management workers efficiently collecting waste, to demonstrate how UCI implemented our organic waste program.

“The success of UCI’s food waste program is dependent on the collaboration and teamwork between Hospitality and Dining, Aramark, Facilities Management, Waste Management, and the participation of students.” –Anne Krieghoff

Our Mesa food court served as a great example of daily practices of recycling. Students step in and out of the food court sometimes multiple times a day for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; therefore our food courts are open

and running for many hours a day, seven days a week!

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With thousands of students and staff on campus, food courts and cafeterias collect a large amount of organic waste every day. In 2015 alone, UCI collected about 667 tons of food scraps; this amount has increased every year since the implementation of our organic waste program in 2010.

UCI is proud to be an influential figure in sustainable practices and continues to explore new ways to create and improve recycling programs on campus every year!