| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.81 |
| Liaison | Jennifer McLaughlin |
| Submission Date | May 26, 2023 |
South Dakota State University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.27 / 8.00 |
Jennifer
McLaughlin Sustainability Intern Facilities and Services |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 322.98 Tons | 432.05 Tons |
| Materials composted | 13.65 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 134.70 Tons | 100.79 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,534.84 Tons | 1,224.10 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 2,006.17 Tons | 1,756.94 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, 2019 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,019 | 4,356 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 18.33 | 12 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 6.33 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 9,904.67 | 10,220 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,746.33 | 1,885 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 766.23 | 331.05 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,179.24 | 9,922.46 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.22 Tons | 0.18 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 | 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:
Batteries, books, light bulbs, e-waste, refrigerators, AC units, lumber, trees, ink/toner, and record albums have all been recycled, reused, or resold.
Each year our university hosts an auction for the State of South Dakota and all state property. These items vary from desks and lab equipment, to furniture and tractors.
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:
FY20
The Sustainability Specialist works to inform campus of what can/can't be recycled. When changes are made the Sustainability Specialist contacts each secretary in each department so they can share the change with their departments. If there is an issue and it can be pinpointed to a specific building, the Sustainability Specialist will inform the secretary to share with the building.
During move-in an A-Frame sign was placed by each dumpster with a general move-in recycling guide. Flyers of the campus recycling guide were available at each residence hall.
FY21
The Sustainability Specialist works to inform campus of what can/can't be recycled. When changes are made the Sustainability Specialist contacts each secretary in each department so they can share the change with their departments. If there is an issue and it can be pinpointed to a specific building, the Sustainability Specialist will inform the secretary to share with the building.
During move-in an A-Frame sign was placed by each dumpster with a general move-in recycling guide. Flyers of the campus recycling guide were available at each residence hall.
Other efforts included recycling posters across campus, “Waste Wednesday” social media features, letter to football tailgaters about recycling options, CA and RHD training, and participation in Campus Waste to Zero Waste, and always being available to answer staff and student questions on recycling.
FY22
The Sustainability Specialist works to inform campus of what can/can't be recycled, through a variety of means including – posters, campus wide emails, and presentations.
When changes are made the Sustainability Specialist contacts each secretary in each department so they can share the change with their departments. If there is an issue and it can be pinpointed to a specific building, the Sustainability Specialist will inform the secretary to share with the building.
During move-in an A-Frame sign was placed by each dumpster with a general move-in recycling guide. Flyers of the campus recycling guide were available at each residence hall and a guide was taped to each room’s recycling bin
Prior to football season, all tailgate spot holders received a brief letter explaining what can be recycled.
Facilities and Services custodial staff was provided recycling training.
Frequent reminders about removing plastic bags from the recycling were provided through signage by the dumpsters, posters, and more.
Other efforts included social media posts, a letter to football tailgaters about recycling options, CA training, participation in Campus Waste to Zero Waste, and always being available to answer staff and student questions on recycling.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
FY20
The Sustainability Specialist is available to present on recycling to all student groups, classes, departments, etc.
There is always the constant social media reminder and an occasional newspaper article on recycling dos and don'ts.
If there is an issue and it can be pinpointed to a specific building, the Sustainability Specialist will inform the secretary to share with the building.
The lobbies at each dorm, had a large sign with the recycling guide, recycling bin ID chart, dumpster locations, and extra recycling flyers for students to grab.
Participated in RecycleMania.
Added signage and a restrictive lid to tailgate recycling bins, which greatly increased the recycling that was not contaminated.
The SDSU. Sustainability. & You booth series had one booth centered around recycling. Recycling guides were handed out to passerbys and they were reminded not to bag their recycling.
Additional education and signage was done this year to educate student that plastic bags can no longer be recycled.
The Sustainability Specialist reaches out to secretaries across campus with recycling updates as needed.
FY21
The Sustainability Specialist is available to present on recycling to all student groups, classes, departments, etc. They are also available to answer recycling questions on an on-call basis during business hours.
There is always the constant social media reminder and an occasional newspaper article on recycling dos and don'ts.
Participated in Campus Race to Zero Waste.
The Sustainability Specialist reaches out to secretaries across campus with recycling updates as needed.
Other efforts included recycling posters across campus, “waste Wednesday” social media features, and a letter to football tailgate spot holders about recycling options.
FY22
The Sustainability Specialist is available to present on recycling to all student groups, classes, departments, etc. They are also available to answer recycling questions on an on-call basis during business hours.
A campus wide email was sent to all faculty, staff, and residential students at the beginning of the academic year.
Participated in Campus Race to Zero Waste.
A 3-D display of what can and cannot be recycled was placed in the main hallway of the student Union. A recycling education booth was also hosted in the Union.
The Sustainability Specialist reaches out to secretaries across campus with recycling updates as needed.
Other efforts included recycling posters across campus, social media posts, presentations, and a letter to football tailgate spot holders about recycling options.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
No waste audits were conducted in FY20 and FY21 due to COVID and other priorities. A waste audit was held in the spring of 2022 to assess current contamination rates and what items are commonly mis-recycled. According to this waste audit, the average contamination rate is 24.73%. Contamination levels varied by area:
Outdoor - 55.68%
Office - 1.23%
Union - 8.33%
Hallway - 5.37%
Dorms - 53.06%
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:
SDSU has a surplus program, which is open to all South Dakota State University departments as well as other state agencies. These used items, which can vary from desks & chairs, to lab and farm equipment are available at a reduced cost or no cost throughout the year. This program is in compliance to South Dakota codified laws for state surplus property and helps reduce not only cost, but also the amount of materials produced for campus. At the end of the year, any items that are not reused by the state are sold at the state auction. Items that are sold at the sale are included in the campus diversion rate.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
FY20
Using the program PaperCut, all publicly accessible printers will not print until the job has been paid for. In FY 20, this saved thousands of sheets of paper from not printing unnecessarily. This saved the equivalent of 9.5 trees and 1,005.8 kg of CO2.
FY21
Using the program PaperCut, all publicly accessible printers will not print until the job has been paid for. In FY 21, this saved 78,836 of sheets of paper from not printing unnecessariliy. This saved the equivalent of 9.46 trees and 1,001.2 kg of CO2.
Public printing at Briggs Library is set to default to double sided.
FY22
The default for printing at Briggs Library continues to be set as double sided.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
FY20
Course catalogs, course schedules, and university directories are by default all on line. A limited quantity of catalogs are printed for archival, advising, accreditation visits, and general reference purposes.
DocuSign is common practice in Facilities & Services.
FY21
Course catalogs, course schedules, and university directories are by default all online. A limited quantity of catalogs are printed for archival, advising, accreditation visits, and general reference purposes.
By June 2021, the library had purchased online perpetual access to approximately 110 e-textbooks that were downloaded 3,100 times.
Many departments have made concerted efforts to transition operations to as many paperless processes as possible.
FY22
Catalogs, handbooks, manuals, etc. are offered in an online format.
As of June 2022, the library had purchased 1673 textbooks since the inception of this project in 2022. In FY 2022, there were 4841 downloads of these materials
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
FY20
Recycling guides are placed by the Residential Life dumpsters during move-in and for a few weeks after that.
Recycling bins were added to the annual move-in dinner and convocation this year.
The annual Don't Dump! Donate! did not occur this year due to COVID-19.
FY21
Facilities & Services – Sustainability and Residential Life annually host Don’t Dump! Donate! This program takes place during finals week and has a goal of keeping reusable material out of the landfill by providing an opportunity for students donate items to local non-profits. The program partners with a variety of local charities, such as Jack’s Cupboard, the Domestic Abuse Shelter, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and more. Throughout the week, we collect quality items that students no longer want and donate them to these charities. Some of these items include unopened non-perishable food, office supplies, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, clothes, futons, shelves, appliances, mirrors, and blankets! In spring 2021, Don’t Dump! Donate! diverted 2,340 pounds from the landfill.
FY22
Facilities & Services – Sustainability and Residential Life annually host Don’t Dump! Donate! This program takes place during finals week and has a goal of keeping reusable material out of the landfill by providing an opportunity for students donate items to local non-profits. The program partners with a variety of local charities, such as Jack’s Cupboard, the Domestic Abuse Shelter, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and more. Throughout the week, we collect quality items that students no longer want and donate them to these charities. Some of these items include unopened non-perishable food, office supplies, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, clothes, futons, shelves, appliances, mirrors, and blankets! In spring 2022, Don’t Dump! Donate! diverted 4,073 pounds from the landfill.
Recycling guides are placed by the Residential Life dumpsters during move-in and for a few weeks after that. In addition , signs were placed in the lobby with recycling information
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
FY20
Trees and pallets are chipped and reused in campus landscaping as mulch.
The Theater Department reuses a variety of material. See examples below:
•Theatre uses vintage garments in many productions that have been donated or purchased second-hand. Some examples would be military uniforms for productions like White Christmas and Bye, Bye Birdie.
•Shoes are constantly re-used. We paint them for productions like The Wizard of Oz or polish and repair them for productions like Pluto or Jekyll and Hyde.
•Costumes that are produced in the costume shop are made from a mixture of both purchased and materials that are donated or in our stock. Costumes are reused for almost every production. In many cases they are taken apart or added to for specific production needs.
•Wigs and jewelry are also repurposed and restyled for each production needs.
•Furniture is used and reused for productions. Most of the pieces we have are vintage and can and are re-upholstered based on production needs.
•Small properties (hand props) are collected from donations, antique shops, and other locations. They are then reused in multiple productions.
•Set Dressing (pictures, curtains, artwork, etc...) are used in multiple productions as well.
•Built or specific production properties are used, repurposed, and reused.
•We have a stock of platforms, flats, and stair units that we reuse for each production
•When designing sets, faculty consider what we have on hand and then adapt designs so we custom build a minimal amount
•Whenever we do build something that is custom, we take it apart and reuse the pieces for the next show, regularly when going through our stock you can identify pieces from past productions
•We take leftover paint and combine it by color to create basecoats for future use
The Facilities & Services' Interior Designer likes to reuse material when possible.
FY21
Tree removals are chipped or shredded and reused as landscape mulch material.
Facilities & Services also diverts any herbaceous waste to our local community compost area hosted by the City of Brookings. This material is then turned into compost and given for free back to the community of Brookings. The grounds shop handles many different items that generate waste such as fencing removal or reconstruction. Any steel fencing supplies that are waste for projects are recycled instead of being hauled to the landfill. Additionally, any of the concrete sidewalks that are removed and replaced generate concrete debris. This debris is sent to a concrete crusher to be turned into aggregate for reuse rather than being sent to the landfill.
School of Performing Arts reuses physical materials in the theatre program (when sets are torn down, we resize and reuse lumber and other materials).
The Wellness Center reuses climbing rope that has been retired from the wall for various non-climbing outdoor programs. They also replace cross country ski bindings to only discard/replace the broken portion
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:
Performance year data is a three year average from FY20, FY21, and FY22. A three year average was also used for the weighted campus user statistics, which is why this number is different than PRE 5.
Performance year data is a three year average from FY20, FY21, and FY22. A three year average was also used for the weighted campus user statistics, which is why this number is different than PRE 5.
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.