Abstract:
The vast majority of recyclable to-go food containers at UMass Amherst are heavily contaminated by organic waste at the time of disposal. Recycling these containers contaminates the recycling stream which generates fines from the university’s waste hauler and requires recyclables be rerouted to landfills. Alternatively, throwing these containers directly in the trash misses an opportunity to recover the plastic containers and the organic material for sustainable applications. The current practices contribute to approximately $100,000 in annual contamination fines and a significant increase to the carbon footprint of the nation’s number one dining program. To take advantage of the sustainable impacts of capturing food waste, rStream Recycling has sponsored the development of the Clamshell Emptying Device (CED). The CED fully automates the separation of compostable food waste and plastic containers at the point of disposal. Users seamlessly dispose of their clamshells into the device’s hopper. After the clamshell is transported away from the hopper via a rotating arm, two suction cups and a motor arm open the clamshell and dispose of the compost into the collection bin below. Subsequently, the emptied clamshell is ejected into a separate recyclable collection bin. For every metric ton of compost that the CED diverts from landfill, approximately 0.71 metric tons of CO2 does not reach the atmosphere [1].

[1] https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/cc/waste/cerffinal.pdf