UCSC Resource Recovery Center Project Site Hero

UCSC Resource Recovery Facility Detailed Project Program

Waste Not

UC Santa Cruz prepares for a zero-waste future

One Person’s Garbage

University of California, Santa Cruz is consistently ranked among the nation’s top green colleges thanks to its far-reaching sustainability agenda. Case in point, the campus’ vision for a new Resource Recovery Facility (RRF), developed in collaboration with JENSEN and Joni L Janecki & Associates, reconceives the waste handling facility as a valued community resource. Designed to accomplish UCSC’s zero-waste mandate for its 19,000-student campus, this new facility – one of the first planned for a university campus – will integrate advanced recycling and composting systems with goals for education, communication and sustainable design.

Towards Zero

Building upon an earlier feasibility study, the detailed Project Program (DPP) analyzes and optimizes the scale, organization and technical requirements for a consolidated center including container and paper recycling, in-vessel composting, construction and demolition debris processing. Prominently located at the base of the campus’ Great Meadow, the RRF will raise the visibility of UCSC’s ambitious goals for achieving net-zero energy, water and waste, and sets the stage for academic collaboration and public education.

Walking the Talk

The RRF’s integrated design embodies the values of resource conservation. Buildings and landscape work holistically to enhance energy performance, minimize water use, and address larger site considerations. The form and orientation of simple agrarian-inspired structures support solar-generated energy while berms and plantings screen views and dampen noise. Rainwater is captured and stored for operational use, and eventually, released to onsite bioswales. A pathway for educational tours guides visitors safely through the center’s operations.

All Hands

The culmination of an intensive twelve-month collaborative process, including a sustainability workshop, the DPP reflects expert input from an array of UCSC’s planning, operations, environmental, health, and safety leadership. The group refined the RRF’s program components, evaluated equipment options, and layouts, and vetted a spectrum of scenarios from ideal outcomes to potential challenges, such as noise and vermin. Through this collective effort, a shared vision for the RRF emerged.