News 2015: UMass Dartmouth is turning waste to opportunity

News 2015: UMass Dartmouth is turning waste to opportunity
UMass Dartmouth is turning waste to opportunity

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth prevented hundreds of pounds of waste from filling the landfill by partnering with a company called Waste Hub, in June, to handle this recycling challenge.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth prevented hundreds of pounds of waste  from filling the landfill by partnering with a company called Waste Hub, in June, to handle this recycling challenge. 

The waste came in the form of used mattress pads which would have been sent to the landfill. The school is making efforts to improve its sustainable presence and it looked to Waste Hub to solve this difficult waste problem.   

"We were very happy to solve this problem for UMass Dartmouth," Jake Vaillancourt, Chief Operating Officer for Waste Hub and UMass Dartmouth alumni, said. "We strive to help others do the right thing. I hope this is just the beginning and our partnership continues to grow." 

Vaillancourt connected with Jamie Jacquart who runs the University's Green Move out Program which recycles materials from residential halls. They were unable to find a solution for their growing volume of mattress pads. 

Waste Hub is now working with Vaillancourt's alma mater to reduce the school's impact on the landfill. To do this, he arranged for about 650 pounds of used mattress pads to be transferred from UMass Dartmouth to specialized recycling company in a nearby Massachusetts town.  The mattress pads will be processed into rolls of new carpet padding. 

"We are extremely pleased," Jacquart said. "When we have a waste problem that we can't solve, we call Waste Hub. We consulted with other schools and people in the industry to avoid putting these into the landfill, but no one else had a solution." 

Jacquart and Vaillancourt expect the volume of recyclable materials to grow and Waste Hub looks to continue diverting waste from the Landfill. Future goals are to include all Massachusetts state universities therefore increasing the volume and value of the waste. 

"It is our goal to help the environment," Vaillancourt said. "For us though, the best way to do that is to make it profitable for others. We are finding success in the industrial world and UMass is just one of many examples." 

Waste Solution: 

Roughly 650 lbs of Mattresses which were transported by Waste Hub. 
The deal was brokered by Waste Hub and there are plans to increase volume in the future which will also increase the opportunity for profit to UMass.   

About Waste Hub: 

Waste Hub LLC. is a technology and waste brokering company that works to increase incentives for sustainable industry.   
The key function for Waste Hub is finding sustainable ways to provide monetary return or savings for their clients directly. 
Waste Hub's vision of a green and sustainable future is achievable by blending sustainable ideology with practical business sense that provides environmental and monetary returns. To learn more visit waste-hub.com