| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.95 |
| Liaison | Kathleen McCaig |
| Submission Date | June 14, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Berea College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.06 / 8.00 |
Kathleen
McCaig Sustainability Coordinator Operations & Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 182.27 Tons | 114.25 Tons |
| Materials composted | 36.30 Tons | 55.74 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0.90 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 421.27 Tons | 436.78 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 640.74 Tons | 606.77 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
The baseline was the first year that the data was gathered on campus, and thus is (while in parts incomplete) the fullest set of data previous to the current performance year.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,650 | 1,566 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 14 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,635 | 1,587 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 523 | 550 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,034.50 | 1,997.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.31 Tons | 0.30 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
In the waste figures reported above, has the institution recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold the following materials?:
| Yes or No | |
| Paper, plastics, glass, metals, and other recyclable containers | Yes |
| Food | Yes |
| Cooking oil | Yes |
| Plant materials | Yes |
| Animal bedding | Yes |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Construction debris, surplus items, move in/move out recycling and Goodwill Donation collection points.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Office Supply Exchange (OSE) is a depository for collecting and sharing reusable, surplus office and school supplies among members of the campus community. This program allows students and departments to donate to and use supplies from the OSE. This service provides budget savings to campus programs, departments, and students, while also reducing the amount of new resources necessary for daily operations as well as the overall waste produced by the College
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):
At Berea College each semester students get a small printing credit on their student account. After students have used their allocation, they are responsible for adding funds to their account.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:
The college now offers course schedules and directories online. These two documents will no longer be printed. Schedules are made available through the colleges website. Directories are made available through the students college email account as well as the college website. Professors, organization, and campus groups have the option of using Moodle. Moodle is a powerful Learning Management System (LMS) which combines web 2.0 features and total course management. Through Moodle course can be completely paperless.
All students are required to attend convocations each week. Attendance sheets were paper based until Fall, 2015 when the entire system was converted to an online barcode system to track attendance.
Schedules <http://www.berea.edu/cataloghandbook/default.asp>
Directory <http://www.berea.edu/directory/people/default.aspx>
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The Office of Sustainability, Facilities Recycling, and Residence Life collaborate each year during move-in and move-out to have easy and visible access to recycling areas for cardboard and other recycleable waste. The college has partnered with our local Goodwill to place their collection bins in the residence halls to capture donated items.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
* We don't have a complete data set on our baseline year except for the solid waste data*
* We don't have a complete data set on our baseline year except for the solid waste data*
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.