| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.36 |
| Liaison | Ben Dharmendra |
| Submission Date | July 30, 2021 |
University of Sydney
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.31 / 8.00 |
Zoe
Morrison Strategy Advisor Strategy Office |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 437.40 Metric tons | 532.70 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 18.50 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,116.50 Metric tons | 1,903.20 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,572.40 Metric tons | 2,435.90 Metric tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
N/A
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, 2020 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline was adopted as part of the baselining exercise for targets related to the University of Sydney Sustainability Strategy 2020. 2018/2019 was the most recent year without significant ecological and global health effects on campus operations.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,051 | 1,188 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 10 | 10 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 13 | 13 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 54,904.16 | 52,246 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,361.90 | 7,077.20 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 47,227.80 | 44,804.90 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.03 Metric tons | 0.05 Metric 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 | No |
| Cooking oil | No |
| Plant materials | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | No |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Construction and demolition related 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:
Recycling materials are manually sorted at site of our waste collection contractor
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
"Recycle Right behaviour change through activities, posters and staff news articles.
Information on our staff intranet site assisting staff with what can be recycled (all streams) and where they can drop it off. This includes a FAQ sheet.
Waste management and resource recovery guides are integrated in Building User Guides (BUGs) which are provided to all staff (and common copies for students) that decant into new buildings.
In 2018, the University engaged with 'Follow-me printing. Follow-me printing only prints when the user accesses the machine in person and swipes a staff card.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The University uses small adhoc waste audits conducted through events and campaigns. The last institutional-wide waste audit was 2010. It is currently undertaking it’s first University-wide bin audits in partnership with the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their Bin Trim program. This was not complete at time of submission. (https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/recycling-and-reuse/business-government-recycling/bin-trim)
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Faculties have small programs to 'swap' and pass on surplus stationary to other areas within the faculty and to students.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Staff have set up a staff Yammer classifieds group which has a very health subscription. The yammer group swaps, sells or donates items from home giving items a second chance rather than going to landfill. Faculty-based areas have now started to use this group to reuse and recycle other products too.
The University's furniture ‘Re-Use Kiosk’ resells redundant furniture to the staff and student community at low prices. We also provide a delivery facility. This was a primary waste reduction initiative after the university decanted from several buildings and the community were required to start working from home and required office equipment.
Boardroom tables find new life as dining tables!
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
In 2018, the University engaged with 'Follow-me printing' which included the removal or phasing out of desktop printers. This minimised cartridge waste and e-waste and it also led to significantly less printing. Follow-me printing is automatically defaulted to b/w double sided and only prints when the user accesses the machine in person and swipes a staff card. This has all but eliminated accidental and wasteful printing habits.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Most notable initiatives are:
At Student Info Day, where over 30,000 high school students come to see the university and talk to staff about what to study, instead of printing 16,000, 83 page prospectuses in coloured ink, the University created a digital prospectus and made it available before Info Day and by QR code on the day. We also significantly reduced 'showbags' and the printed material they contain.
The University's Quarterly alumni magazine, SAM, went digital in 2019. Printed copies are only available on request and are sent out in compostable packaging instead of paper non-recyclable envelopes.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Student residences come pre-furnished. This avoids the waste of furniture at the end of tenancy.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
N/A
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:
Part 1: There is a large difference in our baseline and the performance year figures due to the COVID effect on our campuses. The performance year June 19 - June 20 included an 8 week full lockdown (from March to June) of our campuses and then phased return of staff to the workplace at 25% occupancy. Essential workers remained onsite at campuses such as Camden and Narrabri during the lockdown to facilitate animal care.
Part 1: There is a large difference in our baseline and the performance year figures due to the COVID effect on our campuses. The performance year June 19 - June 20 included an 8 week full lockdown (from March to June) of our campuses and then phased return of staff to the workplace at 25% occupancy. Essential workers remained onsite at campuses such as Camden and Narrabri during the lockdown to facilitate animal care.
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.