In a new partnership with Allied West Paper Corp., Aaron Uresti, director of Custodial & Resource Services and LEED® Green Associate™, has spearheaded a sustainable program at UCR. The campus community has already noticed differences in soap and paper products across UCR facilities, thanks to this initiative. The new custodial program promotes sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and offers better product value.
The process involved thorough testing, including a 30-day pilot program with feedback from Facilities Services employees, ensuring the selected products were effective and user-friendly. Additionally, Uresti and his team toured Allied West Paper Corp., the largest paper factory west of the Mississippi, learning firsthand about the manufacturing process and its local production.
“We hadn’t looked at our custodial products in 10 years,” Uresti said. With budget constraints, he seized the opportunity to explore cost-effective options without sacrificing quality.
The program replaced 1,000 battery-operated soap dispensers, each requiring two batteries, with manual soap dispensers. This eliminated the need for frequent battery replacements, which contributed to labor costs and repairs, electronic waste, and thousands of dollars in disposal costs. The manual soap dispensers are also easier to reload and are recyclable, further promoting sustainability.
Another critical change was switching to locally sourced paper products that are compatible with the campus’s current 2,000 roll towel and paper towel dispensers. The new paper products are thicker, of higher quality, and less expensive. By choosing products compatible with existing dispensers, UCR avoided extensive conversion processes and associated costs.
With one dedicated employee managing a total of 3,000 dispensers, it was invaluable to save time by eliminating the need for soap dispenser batteries and avoiding the reinstallation of paper dispensers.
Uresti partnered with Allied West Paper Corp. in Fontana, CA, which not only produces paper products with a reduced carbon footprint but also adheres to sustainability standards such as FSC® certification. All of UCR’s paper products are manufactured in the local, 620,000-square-foot facility.
In addition to the changes in paper products, the new lineup includes effective green cleaning chemicals, with approximately 80% of products meeting or exceeding the industry sustainability standard of 70%. The two most used chemicals are the hydrogen peroxide all-purpose cleaner and biodegradable all-neutral floor cleaner, both of which are Green Seal Certified and low odor.
Feedback collected from staff during trials confirmed that the new offerings are more effective and environmentally friendly compared to previous products.
“There is also dilution control, which means we do not hand mix our chemicals. We make sure we are using the product correctly and accurately, to its maximum capabilities,” Uresti said. The concentrated products are connected to machines located in custodial closets across campus, which dispense a precise dilution ratio when mixed with water.
Looking ahead, Uresti and his team envision a managed inventory system to further enhance efficiency. "In July, we’ll launch a delivery program that will stock around 75 custodial closets across campus. This will streamline our supply management and allow our staff to focus on more essential tasks," Uresti said.
The vendor will make bulk deliveries to the custodial closets twice a month, eliminating the need for custodians and supervisors to place orders for consumables. “Our day porters won’t have to deliver as many products to these locations. They will focus more on delivering chemicals, microfiber towels, mops, and small cleaning tools,” Uresti said.
With the locally sourced paper, new chemicals, and manual soap dispensers, the program results in approximately 20% annual savings over the previous custodial products. Overall, this comprehensive approach reduces operational costs and promotes a sustainable campus environment.
