| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 64.57 |
| Liaison | Sherri Mason |
| Submission Date | June 14, 2023 |
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.35 / 8.00 |
Sherri
Mason Director of Sustainability School of Science |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 69.70 Tons | 117.40 Tons |
| Materials composted | 18.20 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 650.40 Tons | 889.30 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 738.30 Tons | 1,006.70 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 | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2018 | Dec. 31, 2018 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Penn State Behrend hired their first campus sustainability coordinator January 2019. The calendar year prior was chosen as the baseline.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,185 | 1,523 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 3,673 | 4,343 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 654 | 668 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 409 | 207 |
| Weighted campus users | 3,234.75 | 3,983.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.23 Tons | 0.25 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 | No |
| Plant materials | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | No |
| Electronics | No |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | No |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | No |
| Scrap metal | No |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
All data included here is from our contracted waste hauler (WM).
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:
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
AY 2021-2022, we conducted recycling audits to determine what is in our recycling stream. AY 2022-2023 we are using this information to develop a cost-benefit analysis for moving from single-stream to source-separated recycling, including determination of bin locations and signage. We are hoping with better signage and a re-envisioning of our waste & recycling program we can encourage behavior changes.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
AY 2021-2022, we conducted recycling audits to determine what is in our recycling stream. AY 2022-2023 we are using this information to develop a cost-benefit analysis for moving from single-stream to source-separated recycling, including determination of bin locations and signage. We are hoping with better signage and a re-envisioning of our waste & recycling program we can encourage behavior changes.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Though quantities of materials are not kept, the campus has a very active and engaged sharing program across campus. Items are posted as available through the faculty/staff listserv and quickly found a new home.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
In addition to the exchange program mentioned above, the campus hosts and annual Trash-to-Treasure event in which items are donated and re-sold in a large garage sale with all proceeds going to support the local United Way.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students are permitted 100 pages for free and are charge $0.10 per sheet after that limit. While students can print up to 100 sheets for free, data indicates the current average at 43 sheets. Overall we have seen a reduction in sheets printed of 86% from 2016 to 2022. We do not currently have a program for faculty & staff, but are looking to implement one next AY (2023-2024) entitled PaperCut.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Penn State has a university-wide site license for the Canvas Learning Management System, the top rated LMS globally. It is pushed and used heavily for course content. Covid added an unexpected push toward digital-only, whcih seems to have stuck. Additionally, we utilize Microsoft Teams and SharePoint through Microsoft Office 365 for the sharing of digital files rather than print cpies.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Trash to Treasure is a Penn State initiative to keep the University community’s unwanted but still useful items out of the waste stream. Large bins are placed near all residence halls and common spaces during the last week of classes through graduation for the collection of all move-in/move-out waste. These items are transported by staff to one of our gyms, where additional staff and volunteers spend a week setting up the large indoor yard sale. All proceeds are donated directly to United Way of Erie.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
On the Wednesday of final's week each year, Penn State Behrend hosts an annual Electronics Recycling event. All students, faculty and staff can drop off anything that take batteries or plugs-in for reuse or recycling.
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:
Data was obtained from contracted waste hauler (WM). While the campus does conduct an annual Trash 2 Treasure event for residence halls move-in/move-out waste (in addition to community) data for the tonnage of waste diverted is not available. Similarly, the campus operates an annual Electronics Recycling drive, but data on the tonnage of electronics and 'white appliances' diverted through this program is not available. Waste cooking oil all of which is utilized by HeroBX for Biodiesel is also not included here, nor are plant materials composted/mulched by our campus operations.
Data was obtained from contracted waste hauler (WM). While the campus does conduct an annual Trash 2 Treasure event for residence halls move-in/move-out waste (in addition to community) data for the tonnage of waste diverted is not available. Similarly, the campus operates an annual Electronics Recycling drive, but data on the tonnage of electronics and 'white appliances' diverted through this program is not available. Waste cooking oil all of which is utilized by HeroBX for Biodiesel is also not included here, nor are plant materials composted/mulched by our campus operations.
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.