Story written by Mikayla White.
The Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) at 400 Parnassus has been the subject of a vast sustainability project. In June 2022, the City of San Francisco flagged the building for excessive contamination in the waste streams. Upon closer inspection, it was identified that the ACC did not have standardized waste bins, signage, or enough recycling and compost bins to meet the need of the building. With plenty of room for improvement, the UCSF Health sustainability team got to work.
The first thing needed was a plan of action: Our team assessed each clinic individually, speaking to leadership and completing a walkthrough to identify the needs and constraints of every space. After completing control audits, new bins and custom signage were brought to the ACC, and every clinic including the Hospitality Department attended a waste sorting presentation to learn proper sorting methods.
Mikayla White, zero waste analyst fellow, adding compost bins to the ACC.
The ACC Hospitality Department undergoing training on proper sorting.
Bins were standardized, waste stations were established, and non-conforming bins were removed from the building. Some clinics even agreed to remove small deskside bins and replace them with centralized waste stations, which have been proven to increase proper sorting and reduce the waste of plastic bin liners. In total, we added 90 new bins and removed 62 deskside and non-standard bins. All 15 clinics and approximately 270 staff members received sorting training.
The baseline control audits of the ACC showed initial contamination levels of 70% for the landfill, 19% for the recycling, 1% for the compost, with an overall contamination of 42%.
Every clinic decreased the contamination in their waste streams. However, the following three clinics scored the lowest contamination after the changes and maintained low contamination scores in the following months:
- Allergy, Immunology, and Infections Disease (see a detailed study about the changes made here)
- Endocrinology
- Brain Tumor Center
After implementing the sustainability changes, contamination rates dropped to 55% for the landfill, 5% for the recycling, 1% for the compost, with an overall contamination of 20%. The ACC waste sustainability revamp was a huge success, cutting overall contamination in half. Next steps for the ACC waste revamp include monthly waste audits to track contamination reduction progress, and annual refresher training for staff.
To learn more about what UCSF Health is doing to address waste, check out our website.
