CASE STUDY: Rutgers Uses Effective Contracts to Reduce Waste--Used with permission of ACCC. Chernushenko, D. Greening Campuses, 1996. Chapter 3. Rutgers University (New Jersey) has demonstrated that tight budgets and personnel shortages are not valid excuses for ignoring the opportunities of greener procurement and contracting. The university has pursued a policy of implementing safe, cost-effective sustainability, environmental, waste reduction and reycling programs. The procurement and contracting department has played a critical role in advancing the goals of the university .The initial impetus came from state laws which in 1987 mandated institutional recycling. In the absence of any guidance for contracting professionals, however, the Rutgers procurement and contracting division set about creating guidelines for all of its contracts which met four conditions:
In 1989 a new contract for waste management was put in place which would mandate effective environmental change and which has been credited with changing the overall philosophy of waste removal at Rutgers. The contract with the waste management firm was designed to create a partnership between Rutgers and the contractor. In addition to handling the university's recyclable materials, the contractor has a contractual obligation to support an environmental public awareness program and to work with Rutgers in their quest to institute "closed-loop" contracts for plastic and paper. Once the waste contract was established and proven the procurement and contracting division became active in documenting its success and educating national and international educational institutions, governments and others who needed assistance in contract preparation and implementation of sustainable development programs. Vendors are informed that Rutgers will only purchase products that meet environmental criteria set by the university. The resulting competition among suppliers stimulates innovation and pushes down prices, resulting in a wider variety of greener products and services at competitive prices. Subsequent contracts with suppliers include commitments to meet the stipulated environmental criteria. Suppliers are expected to conform to all terms of the contract or to propose alternative terms to the university procurement and contracting division. Using the waste management contract as a model, Rutgers has developed other contracts which promote campus sustainability. The purchasing department believes that contractors can be educators. These "contracted environmental partners" work with university divisions such as facilities maintenance, housing, dining services and health and safety to maintain high standards and seek innovative solutions. The overarching goal of the purchasing department is to reduce the amount of campus- generated solid waste while at the same tune reducing operating costs. Student involvement has been critical to the success of Rutgers University programs. Hundreds have been active in conducting research, performing audits and developing campus policies. In 1993 a student internship program was created to assist in developing university sustainability programs. A pilot composting facility is scheduled to be built by the end of 1996. Located at Rutgers' Cook College Campus, the facility will accept municipal solid waste, sludge, food waste, yard waste and many other non-hazardous materials, composting them within ten days with almost no negative air emissions. It is hoped that this pilot research facility will act as model for a larger version that will handle the majority of Rutgers' waste stream, thereby reducing or eliminating its dependence on landfills for waste disposal. In order to meet the tough New Jersey State goal of 60 percent recycling, Rutgers has chosen a combination of education, cooperation and effective contracts. The procurement and contracting division believes it has an obligation to keep setting high standards, writing effective contracts and educating others about the benefits of green procurement. |