| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 82.81 |
| Liaison | Aaron Durnbaugh |
| Submission Date | April 12, 2023 |
Loyola University Chicago
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.32 / 8.00 |
Aaron
Durnbaugh Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 606.81 Tons | 272 Tons |
| Materials composted | 242.65 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 4 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,070.10 Tons | 1,100 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,923.56 Tons | 1,372 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2021 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
2010 is the first year that we have good data tracking on waste data. Our previous hauler did not provide reporting, and 2010 was the first complete year with the new waste hauler.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,960 | 3,753 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 19 | 25 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 15,818 | 14,341 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 2,835 | 2,639 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,215 | 114 |
| Weighted campus users | 13,573.25 | 13,594 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.14 Tons | 0.10 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 | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Loyola's Cycle & Recycle Center is a student-managed facility that provides an opportunity for students and employees to divert hard-to-recycle items from landfills including flexible plastic and plastic bags, electronics, oral care packaging, clothes, books, shredded paper, disposable face masks, and more. These materials are either diverted locally through partnerships with appropriate organizations or shipped for recycling through a national program. These items are both diverted from landfills and from contaminating Loyola's single stream recycling bins.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
5% contamination is an estimate provided by our waste hauler, LRS.
To reduce contamination, we manage and support zero waste events with staffed diversion stations, education campaigns, standardized bin placement and signage
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
WasteWeek programming, signage and display boxes above bins, Zero Waste Events and Zero Waste Games, food waste prevention programming and messaging (Wipe out Waste challenge, Food Recovery Network chapter), move-in and move-out programs
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Targeted waste audits prior to operational shifts. Example: When we added composting.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
We have a sustainability policy in our purchasing manual that addresses waste in procurement.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
In purchasing we have a Redistribution of Assets program.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
A "Free Table" is managed by a student organization in a highly-visible area for exchange and reuse of items like clothing, books, non-perishable food, and dorm and office supplies. Several student organizations also regularly host exchange events.
As part of the move-out donation program, Think Green and Give, dorm-specific items like hangars, organizers, and mirrors were stored over the summer to be offered to incoming students during move-in as a free Reuse Market.
Additionally, the School of Environmental Sustainability hosts the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge where 2022 finalists created an app, LOOP, for buying and selling pre-owned clothing within the Loyola community.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Each student, staff, faculty must pay to print on public printers (labs, libraries, etc) through their student card. Printer is automatically set to double-side default.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
There has been a significant digitizing effort for university records across over 15 departments.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Loyola students, faculty, staff, alumni and the extended university community realize the rates of resource consumption greatly impact the availability of resources for future generations and are committed to reduce material and energy use on campus and beyond.
The program "Think Green and Give" is a charitable collection event in which gently used, clean clothing and household items, and nonperishable unopened food/toiletries are collected at the end of the academic year when students move out of the residence halls for the summer. Items are sorted by volunteers to be donated to local nonprofit organizations. Some dorm-specific items (hangars, organizers, mirrors) are stored over the summer to be offered free of charge to incoming students during move-in.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Participation in student waste projects, competitions, education campaigns and many more.
Student-led campaigns banned the sale of bottled water and the free distribution of plastic bags.
An annual effort to reduce single-use beverage containers has taken place for the last several years.
Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.