| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.10 |
| Liaison | Ciara Tennis |
| Submission Date | Jan. 11, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Eastern Connecticut State University
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.35 / 5.00 |
Laura
Miller Energy Technical Specialist Institute for Sustainable Energy |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 88.92 Tons | 85.81 Tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,654.04 Tons | 1,829.04 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 2,547 | 2,628 |
| Number of residential employees | 12 | 12 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 4,777 | 5,440 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 759 | 744 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 481 | 440 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
Staff of the Institute for Sustainable Energy began conducting waste audits of all campus dumpsters and recycling in the summer of 2015 to note the percentage of contamination in each, as well as the use of dumpsters provided to the campus.
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Surplus supplies are emailed out across faculty and staff distribution lists so that excess office supplies may be utilized by various on campus departments.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Eastern's teaching faculty may Blackboard (an online student portal) to distribute syllabi, assignment information etc.
There is also a grades first system which is used to upload student grades, and any issues that may be occurring with students.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
Free printing is completely restricted for Eastern students. Students are charged $0.05 per page that they print. While there are no mandates calling students to print all documents double-sided, they are only charged for one page rather than two when they print double-sided documents.
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Since 2012 there have been move-out waste programs initiated during the May move out periods. This has resulted in many items being donated to local charities.
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
Recycling outreach has been increased in the fall of 2015 through the following:
1) Creation of a new label clarifying materials for single-stream recycling. This label has been dispersed through residence hall directors and assistants.
2) Students creation and dissemination of a mixed recycling video to explain mixed recycling in residence halls.
3) New webpages explaining how to handle/recycle all types of waste (see tabs at top).
These materials can be found at: http://www1.easternct.edu/sustainability/recycle/
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
Food waste audits are completed by Hurley Dining Hall staff to investigate commonly thrown out but perhaps usable items.
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
In 2015, Eastern's dining hall, Hurley Hall, implemented a trayless dining initiative, where students do not use trays to carry their food in the dining hall. Not only does this help to reduce water waste in washing the trays, but it also helps to limit the amount of food that students take, in an effort that they will only take what they plan to eat. Also, Eastern is part of the Clean Plate initiative, in which students are encouraged to eat all of the food on their plate.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
Eastern's to-go containers and cups are 100% recyclable.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
Eastern utilizes reusable silverware for "dine in" meals.
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
In the Student Center's Campus Perks Café, students receive a discount when they bring their own, reusable coffee (or tea) cup.
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information for this credit was completed using information collected utilizing information from Willimantic Waste, Jason Coombs, Eric Germain, Renee Theroux-Keech, and Laura Miller.
Information for this credit was completed using information collected utilizing information from Willimantic Waste, Jason Coombs, Eric Germain, Renee Theroux-Keech, and Laura Miller.
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.