| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.23 |
| Liaison | Sarah Williams |
| Submission Date | July 24, 2023 |
Whitman College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.33 / 8.00 |
Sarah
Williams Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability, Facilities Services |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 40.47 Tons | 70.20 Tons |
| Materials composted | 56.47 Tons | 61 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 4.30 Tons | 5 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 135.28 Tons | 150.10 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 236.52 Tons | 286.30 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2021 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2014 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Our baseline year was adopted because it was the first year that complete records were maintained for our trash, recycling, and yard waste disposal programs (materials landfilled/incinerated, materials recycled, and materials composted, respectively).
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 847 | 786 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 7 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,465 | 1,504 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 449 | 467.40 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 144 |
| Weighted campus users | 1,647.25 | 1,568.80 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.14 Tons | 0.18 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 | Yes |
| Cooking oil | Yes |
| Plant materials | Yes |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
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:
All materials collected as recyclables are sorted at our own on-campus recycling center before being delivered to the local business that contracts with the MRF.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
The institution does the following to support waste-diversion behaviors on campus:
- compost food scraps with local farmers
- recycle system for electronics
- signage and information around aluminum, cardboard, and paper recycling
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Our food service provider Bon Appetit periodically performs food waste audits to assess better ways to prevent food waste consumer side.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Whitman College Physical Plant facilitates storage and reuse of furniture and other items.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Whitman has a "For Sale" community listserv that is often used to facilitate peer-to-peer exchange.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Whitman implemented print release stations for student printing to limit the number of "orphaned" print jobs left at a printer. For students the college allocates an initial quota of $35 per student per year for printing to discourage paper waste. Students are "charged" at a rate of $0.06/page single-side b/w, $0.11/page duplex b/w, $0.70/page single-side color, and $0.68/page duplex color. Students, however, may request additional funds at no cost to them.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Whitman uses Canvas, a learning management platform.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The Whitman College Physical Plant Yard Sale sells items collected throughout the year to community members for very reasonable prices. All proceeds go toward a scholarship fund for non-traditional students. https://www.union-bulletin.com/local_columnists/sale-marks-years-of-supporting-non-traditional-students/article_d57f685c-cc2e-11e9-9ae6-cba7778907e6.html
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:
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.