| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.51 |
| Liaison | Aimee Lemrise |
| Submission Date | Nov. 23, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.96 / 5.00 |
Derick
Chick Graduate Asssistant Sustainability Office |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 504.10 Tons | 633.88 Tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 2.88 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 2,247.98 Tons | 2,388.49 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 4,698 | 3,493 |
| Number of residential employees | 0 | 0 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 15,326 | 16,682 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 4,930 | 5,132 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 1,511 | 2,041 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2010 | June 30, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
In 2015 and 2016, SIU’s Sustainability Office conducted a waste audit of the Student Center with the assistance of volunteers from the Registered Student Organizations SENSE and LOGIC, as well as volunteers from Saluki Service Days. Redirecting all waste normally sent to dumpsters, the volunteers sorted and measured GARBAGE, COMPOSTABLE WASTE, CARDBOARD, CLEAN PAPER, SOILED PAPER (paper that was soiled from being in the trash), ALUMINUM, GLASS, and PLASTICS.
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
In 2005, the Chancellor of SIUC approved the following policy to save resource, reduce the waste stream and improve market for recycled materials.
1)Procurement of Products made with recycled materials
-When in the University’s best interest, the University will purchase products with recycled material content whenever cost, specifications, standards, and availability are comparable to products without recycled content. The University will identify those items that are frequently purchased for which items with recycled content can be substituted.
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
1)Surplus Property has been established as the University's clearing department for equipment that is no longer usable by its current department, and also redistributes this used equipment to any department on campus.
2)SIU’s Sustainability Office collects and redistributes unused toner and print cartridges among various offices and departments across campus.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
We no longer print course catalogs or course schedules. Brochures in the dining halls are also no longer printed.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
Students are required pay $0.10 per page to print in all libraries and computer labs, $0.15 for double sided print.
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During spring finals week and move out, the Sustainability Office collaborates with University Housing to conduct a ‘Give & Go’ collection, diverting clothes, bedding, small electronics, housewares, food, and cleaning products away from the waste stream and re-distributing the materials to community groups that can use them. University Housing promotes the collection via staff meetings, R.A. announcements, and check-out instructions.
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
SIU’s Green Fund often funds projects geared towards reducing source waste. These projects include providing Elkay hydration stations (water bottle refill) and bicycle fix-it stations across campus to encourage sustainable practices.
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
In fall 2015, we completed a food waste audit in each of our two housing dining halls. Audits were completed near the conveyor belt where students drop off trays. Student volunteers divided waste in different bins (food waste, liquid, other waste) and tracked the weight of food waste by hour, posting the weight on a board. This brought awareness and visibility to the volume of food waste occurring in a short amount of time. In spring 2016, we started tracking all food waste in each of our two housing dining halls. We collect all the waste from the students and weigh the bins every 30 minutes, posting the data on a bulletin board which can be seen in the kitchen area. In the future, we plan to report this data as part of an online dashboard.
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
-Pre-consumer food waste such as food trimmings are diverted to our forced aeration compost facility or to our vermicomposting facility, where worms compost everything from vegetable waste to coffee grounds. Furthermore, both pre- and post-consumer food waste from our dining halls are being measured, tracked, and diverted from the landfill to our newly opened forced-aeration composting facility
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
-We no longer use trays in dining facilities except for students with disabilities.
-Post-consumer food waste from our dining halls is being measured, track, and diverted from the landfill to our newly opened forced-aeration composting facility.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
1)Plastic bags have been removed
2)All food is eaten in the dining halls, so there are to-go containers
3)Recycling Efforts-new recycling bins, and promote recycling awareness
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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.