| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.94 |
| Liaison | Caitlin Steele |
| Submission Date | July 21, 2023 |
San Francisco State University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.06 / 8.00 |
caitlin
Steele Dr of Sust & Energy Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 2,454.84 Tons | 2,684.89 Tons |
| Materials composted | 540.24 Tons | 674.62 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 2 Tons | 15 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,402.67 Tons | 1,684.70 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 4,399.75 Tons | 5,059.21 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, 2017 | Dec. 1, 2018 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline year 2017 was selected since it was the performance year in our last STARS report.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,000 | 3,800 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 115 | 123 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 450 | 591 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 20,850 | 23,415 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 3,993 | 4,099 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 8,340 | 331 |
| Weighted campus users | 13,856 | 21,959 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.32 Tons | 0.23 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:
yard clippings from Grounds are composted along with food waste
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:
SF State's custodial team does very minimal post-consumer sorting if they see something on the top of a bin that should be moved. Recology, the campus' waste hauler does quality control in the form of discarding contaminated loads and notifying the campus of related penalties.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
The Office of Sustainability has worked with SF State's senior Graphic Design class to design user-friendly waste signs for bins and events.
Signage is distributed throughout campus on bins and on bulletin boards.
The Associate Students Environmental Resource Center student group hosts Trash Talks to educate students about sorting waste properly.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The San Francisco Department of the Environment conducts waste audits of all large SFSU waste accounts every 3 years.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Since 2017, the campus has transitioned to a managed print service which reduces ewaste from personal printer disposal, reduces printer cartridge waste, and reduces paper use. The program involved switching from the campus owning printers and supplying consumables like paper and ink as needed to a pay-per-print model.
Campus electronics purchasing is centralized through the procurement office, ensuring that computers are replaced only when appropriate.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
SF State has a printer toner recycling program through its managed print contract with Xerox. There are multiple Xerox "eco-boxes" located on campus for collecting any type of toner cartridge for recycling.
Battery recycling is available across campus.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
SF State's sustainability reuse listserv is frequently used as a reuse clearing house for campus property. The students use a Facebook group to recirculate donated and for-sale items. Capital Planning collected and redistributed all furniture from its downtown campus so other departments could use the furniture. This saved money since the colleges didn't have to but new furniture and the university did not have to pay for the landfill costs.
in 2022-2023, the campus demolished a Science building and moved its downtown campus. All usable furniture was reused and redistributed on the main campus. Diverting waste and saving money.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Since 2017, the campus transitioned to a managed print service which reduces ewaste from personal printer disposal, reduces printer cartridge waste, and reduces paper use. The program involved switching from the campus owning printers and supplying consumables like paper and ink as needed to a pay-per-print model. This provides monetary incentive to conserve print resources like paper and ink.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The University does not publish a printed course catalog, schedule, or directory. These items have been transitioned to digital formats. SFSU made a switch to Docusign in 2021 and this has saved greenhouse gas emissions and printing and paper.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
SF campus has a Sustainable Move Out program that results in nearly zero waste going to the landfill. Food items are donated to a local food bank, school supplies are donated to an education non-profit, and re-usable goods are collected by Goodwill. Cleaning supplies and toilteries are also collected and reused.
The campus also engages new students in waste-minimization efforts before move in. When students receive their housing assignments, they receive a letter encouraging them to reduce waste by using reusable boxes, coordinating purchases with their future roommates, and learning what will be supplied by the university to avoid duplicate purchases.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
SF State uses its reuse email listserv to announce unwanted items that can be reclaimed by staff or faculty for reuse instead of disposal. The campus also participates in a Public Surplus program to auction unwanted items for reuse.
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.