Session 6 – ‘Waste’ Track

COVID-19 Protocols – As the main conference organizer, the Mitchell Center is required to have conference attendees follow University of Maine System COVID-19 protocols. Please go to the COVID-19 page for more information.

All-Day Session

Penobscot Room (First Floor)

This session consists of four sections:

Presenters are indicated in bold font.

8:30AM – 9:30AM
6A: Resilient Materials Management Systems

Chairs: Cindy Isenhour & Travis Blackmer
University of Maine, Orono, ME

A PowerPoint slide presentation is available for all the talks in this section

Presentations in this section are 10 minutes each.

Maine’s materials management system has faced countless challenges over the past decade, from infrastructural instability to upheaval in global recycling markets. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded many of these issues, forcing waste managers to take a close look at their practices and decide what is critical and what is optional. In the face of this uncertainty, this session asks what the characteristics of a resilient materials management system might be. We will explore some challenges and opportunities for fostering resilience in this sector. This session will enable attendees to understand some of the complex challenges materials managers face in the state, as well as a variety of solutions that are being implemented or considered to help prepare Maine’s materials management system for the next big shock. This panel will explore research and practices that are currently working to build more resilient systems, as with emergent efforts to divert food waste from Maine’s landfills and incinerators. For even if we don’t know what that will be, we can rest assured that change is a constant.

8:30AM – 8:40AM
The Financial and Environmental Cost of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Waste in Healthcare Organizations

Deborah Saber
School of Nursing, University of Maine, Orono, ME

US healthcare organizations generate up to 25 pounds of solid waste per patient per day, which contributes to the industry’s 7,000 tons of daily waste produced. A rise in waste is ongoing, in part driven by the increasing use of disposables to control the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) and life-threatening viruses within healthcare settings. Meanwhile, efforts to control the spread of these pathogens drive hospital costs up. One practice that contributes to environmental and financial cost is contact precaution (CP) procedures (with personal protective equipment [PPE]) for the care of patients with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization or infection. Without change, both the solid waste and cost that these efforts generate will become unsustainable. Study Aims: (1) to determine the weekly costs of CP use with medically stable patients infected/colonized with MRSA; and (2) to estimate the annual financial and environmental costs of CP. Results: Weekly and annual costs were $521.67 and $557,463 (5% hospital MDRO rate assumed). PPE accounted for 43% of the waste produced (approximately 1,600 pounds annually). The amount of waste generated from a CP room (71 lbs. of waste/week; 3,692 lbs./year) differs significantly from that of non-CP room (no gowns; 45 lbs. Of waste/week; 2,340 lbs./year). Conclusions: Infection control is critical within healthcare organizations and has become emphasized with novel infection development. Reevaluation of CP products and practice is needed for sustainable infection control solutions that ensure patient and healthcare worker safety.

8:40AM – 8:50AM
Resilient Materials Management Systems

Travis Blackmer, Linda Silka, Cindy Isenhour, Michael Haedicke
University of Maine, Orono, ME

Following several significant disruptions in Maine’s Materials Management Systems (e.g. the closure of processing facilities, China’s Green Sword, Covid), the Materials Management Research Group set out to explore the concept of resilience. The team interviewed municipal representatives and waste professionals throughout the state to get a better understanding of what a more resilient materials management system might look like in Maine. In this presentation we share key findings including discussions linked to flexibility and adaptability, cooperation, responsiveness to market dynamics, and local self-sufficiency

8:50AM – 9:00AM
Reliable, Accessible, Sustainable: Why Food Waste Diversion Must Be Part of Resilient Materials Management System for Maine

Dominique DiSpirito (student)
University of Maine, Orono, ME

Food waste is an emerging environmental issue of extreme relevance to modern public policy across the world. The problem of food waste is one of both social and environmental resilience as we waste precious financial and natural resources that could otherwise support food security efforts, soil health, or the energy sector. Recent estimates suggest that one-third of the food we produce in the United States goes to the landfill without ever reaching someone’s plate. States across the nation are responding to the emerging information about food waste with innovative policies that remove organics from the waste stream by supporting local composting, building food rescue programs that connect food donations to food security organizations through a network of volunteers, or implementing universal organics recycling policies. As communities across the state struggle to support those experiencing food insecurity with dwindling financial resources and limited personnel, food waste diversion provides a local solution that bolsters resilience at low cost. This presentation will examine the question: What role does food recycling play in facilitating a resilient materials management system for Maine? To answer this question, I will discuss the local benefits of food recycling, existing food waste diversion activities in Maine, and synergies between existing materials management strategies and food recycling. The findings described will include information from interviews of stakeholders and experts across the state, results from a survey launched in partnership with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and review of pertinent literature and reported materials.

9:00AM – 9:10AM
Contamination of food waste: implications for a circular food system

Jean MacRae
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME

Circular food systems reduce the energy intensity of our agricultural system and our reliance on dwindling phosphorus reserves. Diverting food waste from landfill also reduces methane and leachate production, and can stimulate new economic opportunities producing heat, electricity and useful soil conditioners from food scraps. While these efforts are positive, we need to be careful to ensure the products don’t introduce contamination into our food. Almost all the food samples we collected from compost bins from different source types across New England contained some non-food waste items. Heavy metals were always well below the most stringent global standards for application to soils, so this was not a concern. Chlorinated and borminated organics were measured collectively using the “bulk” EOX method, which includes all of these potentially bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants. Despite the high detection limit, they were detected in 14% of our samples. A subset of samples was also tested for PFAS, fluorinated organic compounds. Over half of these (60%) contained PFBA, and PFHxS and PFNA were also detected in a few samples despite removal of papers and packaging waste prior to testing. Another finding of concern was the near-universal detection of tetracycline (96%) and penicillin (97%) resistance genes (ARGs). Most ARGs can be transferred among microbes, and their prevalence in the environment has increased with the use of antibiotics in agriculture, so they may threaten infection control therapies. The risk of these contaminants in a circular food system depends on their fate during treatment.

9:10AM – 9:20AM
Food Waste Solutions

Susanne Lee
Senator George J. Mitchell Center, University of Maine, Orono, ME

While 40% of food produced is never eaten, the true cost of wasted food is greater than just food costs. The cost of Maine resources used to produce the food – water, energy, labor, soil – are also wasted. Social costs also result, as Maine leads New England in food insecurity with 1 in 5 children suffering from hunger. The environmental costs are significant, as 97% of food waste ends up in Maine’s landfills where it produces leachate and methane gas causing water and climate problems. In Fall 2019, the Mitchell Center’s Materials Management group undertook research to develop triple bottom line solutions to end wasted food and food loss in Maine. A transdisciplinary student/faculty team working with key Maine food system stakeholders and best practices from ReFED, the EPA, and other successful food waste groups, studied how to end food waste in Maine. The research results identified six (6) integrated solutions for ending food waste in Maine. In addition, our stakeholders asked that we pilot these solutions to test and measure their effectiveness for Maine and beyond; so we have additional data. The work has shown that food waste is actually a symptom of a larger problem – a broken unsustainable linear food system – where food is lost and wasted, while society faces health and nutritional challenges, and the agricultural engine of the system is threatened. Our conclusion is that the ending food waste will require a move to a sustainable and resilient circular food system.

9:20AM – 9:30AM
Q&A

9:30AM – 10:30AM
6B: Reusables & Compostables: Food Service Containers in Maine

Chair: Jared Entwistle (student), University of Maine

Presentations in this section are 15 minutes each.

The pandemic has highlighted a growing issue in Maine and beyond: the impact of single-use food service containers on our waste stream, our greenhouse gas emissions, and our economies. This session will highlight some of the important work being done by faculty, students, and community partners on reusable, compostable and returnable food service containers in Maine. The session will address policy, business models, and stakeholder-engaged research that can bring more sustainable systems into being. Through presentations from a range of stakeholders and researchers, this session will help attendees understand the importance of implementing reusable and returnable systems in Maine, as well as how a variety of actors are already taking action – including some of the barriers and opportunities they are encountering in this work.

9:30AM – 9:45AM
Reusable Take-Out Container Models for Maine Restaurants

Jared Entwistle and Rachel Pellis
University of Maine, Orono, ME

Recent strategies to reduce the impact of packaging have focused on switching to more modern materials that can decompose easily. However, studies have shown that these types of materials can still have a greater lifecycle impact when compared to traditional plastics. In addition, by focusing on replacing one material for another, these strategies fail to address material waste reduction goals. In response, reusable packaging systems have begun to spring up as a solution to reduce the total amount of waste created from packaging. This presentation explores how these reusable packaging systems work in the food service industry and takes a look at how these programs might work in Maine restaurants. Over the past year, this project has worked with Maine stakeholders to investigate the different reuse models that are in practice nationwide and looks to test those models here in Maine. This presentation will outline the most popular reuse models found around the country and addresses the factors that can make them successful.

9:45AM – 10:00AM
Municipal Efforts to Reduce Waste Packaging: a case study from Ann Arbor, MI on promoting reusable packaging programs

Missy Stults and Sean Reynolds
Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability, Ann Arbor, MI

A PowerPoint slide presentation is available for this talk

When considering waste reduction efforts, it is clear that municipalities can play a major role. As reusable packaging businesses start to pop up across the nation, many are initially dependent on government assistance to test their programs. Success or failure in these instances can also affect the efficacy of local waste reduction goals, a relationship that municipalities must consider as they weigh different waste reduction strategies. But what happens when a city takes the initiative to start their own reuse program? This presentation seeks to answer that question by looking at the Ann Arbor Reduce, Reuse, Return (A2R3) returnable container program started by the city’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations. Starting in 2021, this program advocates for waste reduction by partnering with local businesses to supply reusable packaging and logistical support. Insights into the challenges of starting a reuse program and how a municipality can organize and support reuse initiatives will be the highlight of this presentation.

10:00AM – 10:15AM
Insights on Starting a Reusable Packaging Network: a case study with USEFULL

Alison Rogers
USEFULL, Boston, MA

There are many different ways to structure reusable packaging systems, each coming with its own set of pros and cons. Package design, logistics, customer convenience, participation incentives, and interconnectivity are just some of the factors a business must consider when starting a reusable packaging program. Customer behavior and economies of scale are particularly important, as high return rates are necessary to ensure that reusable packaging programs effectively reduce waste. This presentation focuses on the experiences of starting a reusable packaging program like USEFULL, which utilizes a tech-enabled circular economy solution to assist restaurants in eliminating single-use food and beverage products. Users of this system engage in the program through the use of an app, which allows them the option to receive a reusable container with their food or beverage order. The presentation will highlight the startup process as well as insights into the challenges of starting a reusable packaging network.

10:15AM – 10:30AM
Insights on Starting Reusable Packaging Programs in Maine Communities

Chrissy Adamowicz
Natural Resources Council of Maine, Augusta, ME

Up until recently, the use of reusable takeout packaging in Maine food services was prohibited, except in specific beverage applications. That changed in the summer of 2021 when the Maine Health Inspection Program adopted a policy to follow the Federal Food Code’s section on reusable containers in food service applications. Now, some Maine communities are looking to start their own reuse programs to help reduce the amount of waste that is produced from to-go food operations. This presentation delves into these efforts and the specific factors that influence starting a reuse program in a state like Maine. Additionally, this presentation will touch on how reusable packaging programs can promote current conservation and waste reduction efforts.

1:30PM – 2:30PM
6C: Understanding Extended Producer Responsibility in Maine

Chair: Erin Victor (student), University of Maine

In 2021 Maine became the first state in the country (quickly followed by Oregon) to adopt extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation for packaging. This legislation is meant to hold producers accountable for packaging waste, encouraging the design of more sustainable packaging and reducing the strain on municipalities, which, in Maine, are responsible for waste management administration and costs. This panel will take a close look at the promise and potential of EPR legislation to achieve environmental goals. Drawing on expertise from stakeholders directly involved in the development, advocacy and passing of Maine’s landmark legislation, L.D. 1541: An Act To Support and Improve Municipal Recycling Programs and Save Taxpayer Money, the panel will help explain what EPR could mean for Maine, and how Maine might lead the country in progressive waste reduction policy.

Panel Discussion:

Erin Victor will provide a brief introduction to EPR for packaging and then facilitate Q&A with the panel before opening it up to the conference attendees to ask their own questions.

Panelists:

  • Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine
  • Victor Horton, Executive Director, Maine Resource Recovery Association
  • Neal Goldberg, Legislative Analyst, State & Federal Relations Department, Maine Municipal Association
  • Elena Bertocci, Environmental Specialist with Maine Department of Environmental Protection
  • Sydney Harris, Product Stewardship Institute
  • Rep. Nicole Grohoski (participation is dependent on legislative responsibilities)

2:30PM – 3:00PM
Afternoon Break

3:00PM – 4:00PM
6D: Exploring the Value of Reuse in Maine

Chair: Brie Berry, University of Maine, Orono, ME

Presentations in this section are 15 minutes each.

Over the past five years a team of researchers at the University of Maine have begun to catalog the diverse forms of value hidden within Maine’s vibrant secondhand markets. This panel brings together community partners and researchers to highlight the economic, social, and environmental value of reuse – and to share with attendees how they can contribute to supporting localized secondhand markets in Maine. Drawing on the deep knowledge of non-profit reuse leaders, municipal officials engaged in promoting reuse, as well as small business owners, this panel will illuminate how a variety of different organizations, municipalities, and businesses are helping to keep items out of landfills and in the hands of people who want and need them. It will also explore what reuse economies mean to Mainers – and how reuse policy might be developed to support multiple goals, including building social relationships, preventing waste, and contributing to economic development.

3:00PM – 3:15PM
The Social Value of Furniture Banks: A case study with Welcome to Housing

Chris Olsen
Welcome to Housing, Bangor, ME

A PowerPoint slide presentation is available for this talk
An outline of this presentation is available

Furniture banks are organizations that redistribute home goods from people and places where it would have been wasted to those who are in need. As people transition into housing after homelessness and other life disruptions, gaining access to basic necessities can often be a challenge. This presentation will address how furniture banks like Welcome to Housing revalue waste, create important social supports for people in need, and contribute to their communities. The presentation will draw on nearly ten years of work operating a furniture bank in Old Town, Maine, and will emphasize what it took to get this organization started, what its impact is on people and the planet, and what challenges and opportunities are envisioned for coming years.

3:15PM – 3:30PM
Thrift Shops as Community Institutions: A case study with the Orono Thrift Shop

Debe Averill
Orono Thrift Shop, Orono, ME

Community-based thrift shops often contribute to social and environmental well-being without much recognition. This presentation focuses on the Orono Thrift Shop, a small, community-based reuse organization that has been revaluing old clothes, home goods, and more for decades. In the process of reselling used goods, Orono Thrift Shop has also given away tens of thousands of dollars – if not more – to local charitable organizations, schools, and directly to individuals in need. This presentation will emphasize the impact that the Orono Thrift Shop has on its community, including its value to volunteers, shoppers, and donors. It will also discuss some of the challenges the thrift shop has faced in recent years, and how the organization is working to address those challenges.

3:30PM – 3:45PM
Challenging Assumptions: The Motivations Behind Participating in Secondhand Markets in Maine

Emily Scruton (student)
University of Maine, Orono, ME

The increased production of new goods is not sustainable, and one way to counteract
that is to promote used goods among consumers. There is a prevailing idea that secondhand products are chosen over new goods only for economic reasons, and without those, new products would be the preferred choice. However, the motivations to participate in reuse are much more complex than this idea would suggest. To discern these motivations, case studies of 34 households that participate in the Maine reuse economy were conducted using a survey to track engagement with secondhand markets along with interviews to understand the motivations behind that engagement. Contrary to what had been assumed, used products were the preferred choice among those interviewed, and the participants’ motivations went beyond economic reasoning. Used goods were not characterized as the opposite of a new good but had their own singular motivations separate from the consumption of a new good. While the price was still the main factor in their decision making, other reasons such as quality, enjoyment, uniqueness, and environmental concerns, were growing in importance as the price of used goods has increased. Cost also did not dominate the decision-making process as used goods with higher price tags were still preferred over inexpensive goods that had never been owned in some instances. Our findings indicate that the assumption that used goods are only preferred because of their low cost is not always valid. Understanding the true motivations will be essential in effectively promoting reuse to lower new production.

3:45PM – 4:00PM
Fostering Reuse: Support for reuse at the state level

Megan Pryor
Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Augusta, ME

A PowerPoint slide presentation is available for this talk

The state of Maine first adopted the solid waste management hierarchy in 1989, which outlines socially- economically- and environmentally-preferred options for managing materials. The hierarchy prioritizes source reduction and materials reuse over recycling as well as disposal. This presentation will explore how the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is supporting reuse today, including programs like the waste diversion grant program. It will also explore how goal-setting, like the state’s waste reduction goals and the most recent materials management plan from 2019, can lead to broader support for materials reuse. Participants attending this session will understand how the state of Maine conceptualizes reuse as a materials management strategy, and how it is currently – and could, moving forward – support reuse practices in Maine communities.