Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.55
Liaison Amy Brunvand
Submission Date April 5, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Utah
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.29 / 8.00 Matt Abbott
Sustainability Manager for FM
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 605.30 Tons 658 Tons
Materials composted 14 Tons 366 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 1,500 Tons 1,428 Tons
Total waste generated 2,119.30 Tons 2,452 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
---

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2010 Dec. 31, 2010

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 2010 baseline year was selected to maintain a consistent emission-inventory history between the performance year and the year we had previously submitted a STARS report.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,914 3,558
Number of employees resident on-site 167 156
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 2,308 2,222
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 30,038 29,456
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 17,806 15,319
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 527 355
Weighted campus users 38,816 36,465.50

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.05 Tons 0.07 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
18.80

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
29.22

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
29.22

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) No

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:

There are a variety of ways where materials are reused, recycled, donated, and/or resold that the University has not yet captured.


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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

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?:
Yes

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
6

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:

The University is working to make the overall recycling system more consistent so users experience the same type, number, order, shape, and labeling of containers throughout the campus.


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:
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

Only basic, visual audits have been conducted at nuisance locations. The University did engage consultants for a broader assessment in 2014 but has yet to deploy the data collected into a comprehensive solution.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):

N. A.


A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Informal only.


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):

Informal only.


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):

N. A. - A pilot program has been started by Auxiliary Services and will be in place for next STARS submittal.


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:

The U of U offers online registration via Campus Information Systems. Course Catalogs are and Schedules are available online at: http://www.utah.edu/students/catalog.php

Continuing Education has an opt-in form for students who want a printed catalog: https://continue.utah.edu/contact/catalog


A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

Each year, the University of Utah Sustainability Office partners with Housing & Reisdential Education for What Goes Around Comes Around, where unwanted items and food from students are donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and the Feed U on-campus food pantry. In 2016, staff and volunteers collected 4,610 pounds of clothes, shoes, blankets, and more to donate.


A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:

Informal only.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

DATA INCONSISTENCY WITH IC2 AND IC3
The 2010 baseline year was selected to maintain a consistent emission-inventory history between the performance year and the year we had previously submitted a STARS report.
2014 was selected as performance year based cata collected in our latest ghg inventory.

REFERENCES

2010 Recycling and Solid Waste Annual Report, Office of Sustainbility (2011)
URL: http://sustainability.utah.edu/static-content/pdf/Recycling_2010_UofU_Report_Aug8.pdf

Weighted campus user numbers come from 2014 (the performance year of waste diversion numbers) and does not match information from IC-3 (current data from 2016).


DATA INCONSISTENCY WITH IC2 AND IC3
The 2010 baseline year was selected to maintain a consistent emission-inventory history between the performance year and the year we had previously submitted a STARS report.
2014 was selected as performance year based cata collected in our latest ghg inventory.

REFERENCES

2010 Recycling and Solid Waste Annual Report, Office of Sustainbility (2011)
URL: http://sustainability.utah.edu/static-content/pdf/Recycling_2010_UofU_Report_Aug8.pdf

Weighted campus user numbers come from 2014 (the performance year of waste diversion numbers) and does not match information from IC-3 (current data from 2016).

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.