Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.66
Liaison Marian Brown
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Wells College
OP-23: Waste Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.51 / 3.00 Marian Brown
Director
Center for Sustainability and the Environment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Materials diverted from the solid waste landfill or incinerator:
11.28 Tons

Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
54.85 Tons

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:

We instituted a comprehensive recycling system in Fall 2014. We began our first campus-wide move-out collection at the end of the academic year, reprising this with a fall semester "mini-move-out" collection, to divert materials before winter break.

The tonnage of materials diverted from landfill above reflects only the actual weights of collected commingled recyclables in 2015. We currently divert many other materials from landfill trash, but we do not have mechanisms in place to measure the weights of those materials.

Our grounds crews have long gathered and composted yard waste.

Our dining operation collects cooking oil and this is removed by an outside contractor.

Other long-standing diversion programs include collection of motor oil, tires, appliances, scrap metal, pallets, e-waste.

We recently instituted collection for plastic bags, batteries, light bulbs, toner cartridges, and books.

We have reuse programs internally for clothing, costumes, housewares, room furnishings, arts and crafts, recreational reading matter. We also have an exchange for office supplies. We instituted a moveout collection program to divert unwanted clothing, textiles, housewares and non-perishable foods from landfill waste, offering them to local food pantries, schools, thrift stores, and reuse programs.

Usable furniture is donated to local organizations.

White goods (appliances) and scrap metal are saved on campus until sufficient volume is accumulated to warrant pick up a scrap metal hauler/processor.


A brief description of any food donation programs employed by the institution:

We do not yet do prepared food donations from the dining or catering operations. During move-out collections, we do accept non-perishable food items and donate these to a local food pantry.


A brief description of any pre-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:

The dining hall staff are currently separating and collecting preparation waste, in preparation for us to "close the loop" on establishing our own on-site composting operation or contracted off-campus compost processing. Those separated compostable materials are, at present, being added back into our landfill waste stream. We hope to change that in the near future.


A brief description of any post-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:

We collect coffee grounds from the student-run GRIND Cafe and transfer these to a vermiculture composting arrangement near the organic garden behind McGordon House.

In our dining hall, we separately compostable food waste but have not yet been able to "close the loop" to establish our own on-site composting operation or made arrangements with a hauler/processor to accept our food waste for processing.


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 Yes
Food for animals No
Food composting Yes
Cooking oil Yes
Plant materials composting Yes
Animal bedding composting No
Batteries Yes
Light bulbs Yes
Toner/ink-jet cartridges Yes
White goods (i.e. appliances) Yes
Laboratory equipment No
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:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.