| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.64 |
| Liaison | Yolanda Cieters |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Seattle University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.43 / 8.00 |
Phillip
Thompson Director CEJS |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 343.60 Tons | 426.90 Tons |
| Materials composted | 836.30 Tons | 372 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 25.19 Tons | 21.42 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 130 Tons | 43 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 487.70 Tons | 527 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,822.79 Tons | 1,390.32 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Seattle University collects pre-consumer food and yard waste and converts it into compost on campus. Pre-consumer food waste is sorted and collected from kitchens and cafes on campus, then mixed with woodchips provided by the campus grounds staff. A facilities compost technician and a team of students then mix the materials and place them in a small aerated-static-pile composting facility on campus where they are converted into a safe compost-mulch that is used by the grounds staff on gardens and plant beds across campus.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2010 | June 30, 2011 |
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 year is FY2011; the performance year is FY17.
In 2011, SU added staffing to make a baseline and institute formal measuring, which was mandated by the signing of the Climate Action Plan (2010).
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,177 | 1,923 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 23 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,681 | 6,833 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 1,331 | 1,235 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2.50 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 6,557.13 | 6,531.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.28 Tons | 0.21 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 |
| 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:
Electronics
Styrofoam
Vinyl banners
Large plastic items
Other donate-able items from clothing to office supplies
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:
Materials collected from scheduled office clean-outs are sorted by recycling staff before being donated, recycled, or disposed of.
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:
*Bon Appetit, the dining and food services provider on campus hosts annual waste reduction events and on-site training for students to learn about composting their organic and food waste.
*Seattle University Facilities-Operations hosts an annual “Garbology” event in the fall where students and other volunteers are encouraged to help sort and audit waste collected from across campus
*Seattle University Facilities-Operations hosts an annual Community Recycling Day in the spring where campus and local community members can bring in their hard-to-recycle items and learn about what is recyclable on campus.
*SU participated in Recyclemania, the nationwide recycling and waste diversion competition, for the first time in 2017, and will continue to participate in 2018. The competition encourages students to reduce and recycle their waste.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
*SU conducts yearly waste audits for all residential buildings on campus over the 8-week period of Recyclemania.
*An inventory of waste collection bins across campus is conducted annually over the summer and recommendations for improvement are made.
*Results from annual “Garbology” waste audit events inform waste collection and education programs.
*Beginning in 2008, waste audits are done every 5 years for the 62 exterior collection stations.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
*There is no bottled water distributed or sold on campus. SU has installed bottle filler spouts on all of the drinking fountains to support the use of reusable water bottles.
*All to-go food containers sold on campus are certified compostable.
*At the SU bookstore, you can rent books that are reused and out of date books are donated.
*SU students have a “Free and for Sale” page that encourages students to reuse and share goods.
*SU Outdoor Adventure Recreation (OAR) offers a gear swap twice a year.
*SU uses Canvas as a way for students to interact outside of the classroom, it allows for work to be turned in electronically.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Surplus furniture is kept in a warehouse for use elsewhere on campus. SU uses leased modular office equipment that is more easily used in different areas of campus.
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):
N/A
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):
Each student will be allocated 125 free black-and-white printouts for each enrolled academic quarter. If the student exhausts these free copies, he or she will then pay for additional printouts at the rate of $0.05 each.
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:
SU does not print the course catalog, schedule, or the faculty/staff directory but makes these materials available online. Most forms that a student would need to fill out from application to graduation are available to fill out online. Timecards for most employees are filled out online.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During Move-In, SU offers collection services for extra cardboard and Styrofoam for recycling. During Move-Out, each residence hall has a collection station up for 10 days with bins to collect clothes, packaged food, household items, school supplies, toiletries, and recyclables. On Wednesday of Finals week, the recycling/trash closet on each floor is locked so students have to take all their unwanted items to the Move-Out Collection Station. Move-Out collects about 30 to 45 tons of material that is diverted from going to a landfill.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
SU offers waste collection stations at over 200 locations on campus. Each station includes single stream recycling, compost, and trash. Signage as part of a zero waste ad campaign focused at students, faculty, and staff buying habits and waste minimization are placed across campus.
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:
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.