| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45.35 |
| Liaison | Wesley Enterline |
| Submission Date | April 22, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
OP-23: Waste Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.90 / 3.00 |
Wesley
Enterline Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Planning and Management |
Materials diverted from the solid waste landfill or incinerator:
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
A brief description of programs, policies, infrastructure investments, outreach efforts, and/or other factors that contributed to the diversion rate, including efforts made during the previous three years:
RecycleMania is a national competition designed to promote a higher recycling rate on participating campuses while finding ways to reduce overall waste that enters either waste stream. Our campus has participated in this effort since 2009 and has been engaging in messaging consistently to clear up misconceptions about proper recycling procedures.
Common area recycling bins are being evaluated to determine if there are any gaps in coverage. Most notably, an expansion of outdoor recycling bins has provided much stronger coverage in athletics and residential sections of campus.
The campus has an active surplus program where furniture and other miscellaneous equipment are sold bi-weekly to a variety of customers at very affordable rates.
A media recycling collection program (CD/DVD, batteries, cell phones, toner/inkjet cartridges) was launched by a student and is now managed by the Sustainability Office.
Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes are picked up for recycling by a state contracted vendor.
Scrap metal is sold to a local recycler by the pound.
Standard pallets are collected and sold to a recycler, while non-standard sized pallets are donated to local businesses, employees, and the general public.
Motor oil and tires are recycled responsibly with a local contractor.
Recycling magnets are consistently given to incoming freshman to explain the basic guidelines for recycling on campus. This message is reinforced through ongoing education in Residence Life and by the UW-Whitewater Earth Initiative marketing campaign.
A brief description of any food donation programs employed by the institution:
UW-Whitewater Campus Garden donates all food produced to the Whitewater Food Pantry. Chartwells conducts an annual food waste awareness campaign called Project Clean Plate, which measures the amount of food waste generated in the dining halls. If customers are able to reduce their food waste compared to the baseline, Chartwells donates the weight difference in food to the Whitewater Food Pantry.
A brief description of any pre-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
Chartwells handles all pre-consumer food waste by sending it through an industrial grinder and into the wastewater treatment system. The wastewater treatment plant for the City of Whitewater has an anaerobic digester system that creates digested sludge that can be applied to agricultural fields directly in a liquid form. Biogas produced by the digesters is flared (burned and released to the atmosphere) at a waste gas burner.
Also, student projects have experimented with composting and vermicomposting systems and pre-consumer waste has been used for these purposes.
A brief description of any post-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
Student projects have experimented with composting and vermicomposting systems and post-consumer waste has been considered for these purposes.
Does the institution include the following materials in its waste diversion efforts?:
| Yes or No | |
| Paper, plastics, glass, metals, and other recyclable containers | Yes |
| Food donations | No |
| Food for animals | No |
| Food composting | No |
| Cooking oil | Yes |
| Plant materials composting | No |
| Animal bedding composting | No |
| Batteries | Yes |
| Light bulbs | Yes |
| Toner/ink-jet cartridges | Yes |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Motor oil | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
Other materials that the institution includes in its waste diversion efforts:
Cell phones and different types of media are included in the electronic waste recycling collection.
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.