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Monitoring Waste To Minimize Waste At The University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Dylan J. Masi, Timothy C. Shea, Jacob M. Downs, Amy W. Chou

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The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to sustainability, however, the campus could further reduce its costs and save energy by optimizing the current method of waste removal. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by the end of the century, Earth’s average temperature will rise by 11 degrees Fahrenheit unless society takes action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the EPA, about one-third of carbon emissions in the U.S. come from transportation. Campus garbage bins are collected by carbon-emitting trucks daily, and large truckable waste compactors are collected about three times per week. The amount of harmful …