Waste Management Survey of lllinois Higher Education Institutions: Unpublished Draft Final Report

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to gather detailed information about waste management practices and waste generation and treatment at institutions of higher education in Illinois. Data were collected in two phases from a sample of 50 campuses. The first phase consisted of telephone interviews that elicited basic information about waste management practices, such as who was responsible for waste management on campus. The second phase consisted of a self-administered mail questionnaire designed to collect detailed information on specific waste management practices. Results from Phase 2 revealed many similarities among those institutions surveyed. Many of the more general waste management practices, such as the operation of certain types of recycling programs, the existence of waste management plans, the use of licensed haulers to transport waste, and the presence of a recordkeeping or inventory system, seemed to be fairly common across most campuses. The extent to which a campus was involved in any particular waste management practice appeared to be influenced by its size and specialization. Further education of those participating in waste management on these campuses is recommended, as is the development of a computerized waste reference system and database. This document is for informational purposes only. DO NOT cite this document.