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New custodial service plan saves University $3 million
In the face of historic budget cuts, University of Minnesota departments are having to find creative ways to cut costs and streamline operations. Facilities Management (FM) is no exception. FM began fiscal year 2009 with 522 custodial positions and now has just 459. To offset this resource loss, individuals are being asked to empty their own trash containers. Successful pilot Anticipating budget cuts, Facilities Management began a pilot program in January whereby individuals manage their own desk-side trash and recycling. Instead of having a custodian remove their trash daily, they empty their own wastebasket into a communal container emptied daily by FM staff. Pilot participant surveys indicate that 90% of respondents believe the new service meets their needs. “It's really no problem,” commented one respondent. “Daily garbage change was nice but not necessary.” As an added bonus, some customers reported increasing their recycling. “I find that I am more likely to properly recycle by taking my waste basket over to the main bins and sorting through it as I empty it,” replied another pilot participant. “I am more green.”Campus-wide changes save $3 million Based on the pilot’s success, beginning July 20 through August 14 each campus building’s custodial service will change as follows:
On the days custodians no longer clean offices and labs, U faculty and staff will now be asked to empty their own desk-side waste and recycling into large communal containers or “Quads.” It is important to dispose of food scraps daily. FM will be providing extra bag liners at desks and posting schedules for when each office, cube or lab will be cleaned. Implementing these changes campus-wide saves the University $3 million. Everyone pitching-in Think of this new program as democratizing waste management. Currently, the U of M is the only Big Ten school with daily office and lab custodial service. While reducing custodial services places more responsibility on customers, most pilot participants have embraced the changes. School of Dentistry dean Patrick Lloyd commented about his department’s participation in the pilot, "Not only has the transition been smooth, it hasn't required much additional effort. And everyone seems to feel good about the potential impact both financially and environmentally." By relying on faculty and staff to manage their own desk-side waste, FM can focus their diminished resources more on public spaces. U of M President Robert Bruininks welcomes such creative ways to help balance University budgets and believes the campus community is up to the task. “In these tough economic times, we all have to pitch in to reduce costs and increase efficiency at the University,” said Bruininks. “Our individual efforts every day will result in millions of dollars in savings—it all adds up.” For more information about the custodial changes, see these Frequently Asked Questions. Check out the new Custodial Service Level Standards. |
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