UCLA officials recently installed new toilet paper and paper towel dispensers in bathrooms across campus as part of a University of California-wide project to reduce paper towel waste.
The new dispensers are able to control the amount of paper they dispense more efficiently than the old dispensers so students can conserve more paper towels, said David Houghton, community manager of the UC Office of the President Procurement Services.
The new dispensers also jam less, Houghton said.
The project did not cost the University money because the dispenser manufacturer, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, covered the costs, Houghton said. The cost for the installations covered by SCA is privatized by contract, he added.
Previously, all the UC campuses used different dispensers made by at least four different manufacturers, Houghton said. With the new installations, every University campus will have dispensers made by SCA.
Second-year biology student Michelle Park said she is pleased with the dispenser changes. She said she noticed the switch when she used the paper towel dispenser and found it was easier to pull out towels.
“The old ones used to break a lot. Sometimes the paper towel would be jammed in, so even if you keep pushing the dispenser hard the paper towel usually didn’t come out,” she said. “I like that these new ones break less.”
In a separate UC decision this year, Procurement Services placed all UC janitorial products on auction. Based on these bids, UCLA is expected to save $250,000 on its annual spending for janitorial products with the new dispenser installation – about a 20 percent reduction in spending, Houghton said.
UCOP officials worked on the new dispenser project with representatives from the 10 UC campuses and finalized the contract in September.
UC San Diego was the first university to implement the new dispensers in October. So far, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have finished installing the new dispensers.
UCLA finished installing dispensers in the bathrooms in residential halls and dining halls in January, Houghton said. The new dispensers are currently being installed in campus facilities such as academic buildings and dining locations. UCOP Procurement Services aims to finalize the switch at all UC campuses by summer, Houghton said.
Compiled by Sujung Hahn, Bruin contributor.