Agnes Scott College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.22 / 8.00 |
Susan
Kidd Executive Director Center for Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 95.49 Tons | 32.30 Tons |
| Materials composted | 53.87 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 9.60 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 236.99 Tons | 139.20 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 395.95 Tons | 171.50 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, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline was adopted across STARS credits based on Agnes Scott's best historic data within recent years. This same baseline has been used across all STARS reports.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 829 | 726 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,025.58 | 880.77 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 363 | 314.60 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 1,248.69 | 1,078.03 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.32 Tons | 0.16 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) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | No |
| 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:
Agnes Scott’s waste consultant, MPASS, regularly updates the Center for Sustainability and the Office of Facilities of any large-scale contamination issues occurring on campus. When contamination issues arise the Center increases their recycling education efforts, including peer-to-peer education with the Environmental Residents and the Green Team.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
On campus, we practice single-stream recycling. We have indoor recycling bins in every building, outdoor recycling across campus, and individual recycling bins in every residence hall room. We also utilize consistent messaging (both physically and on social media) and are upgrading our bins to be uniform after a building is renovated. Agnes Scott participates annually in Recyclemania. In 2019, Agnes Scott ranked 69th nationally for total waste diversion and 7th nationally for per capita diversion. In both categories, Agnes Scott ranked first in Georgia.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
In Fall 2019, in partnership with the Green Team and MPASS, the Center for Sustainability hosted a waste audit at the Office of Facilities. As a result of this audit, the Center was able to address an issue of illegal dumping/littering at the Office of Facilities.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Purchasers are encouraged to order in bulk to save on the environmental impacts of shipping and packing, however, purchasers must be certain that all materials purchased in bulk will be put to use and not wasted.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Green Team has updated their annual Office Swap from being a once a year event, to securing a designated location within the Bullock Science Center where excess office supplies can be stored and accessed by all campus departments.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
The Agnes Scott Green Team is committed to reducing the quantity of office supplies purchased by the college. They established a Virtual Office Swap site to reduce the amount of items purchased. This information is included in our procurement policy, and also on the Office of Accounting’s website.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
In 2018, the college installed campus-wide networked multi-function devices for printing, photocopying, and scanning. All community members now have printing quotas, and all desktop printers were removed from service.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Agnes Scott College does not print course catalogs and schedules, directories, human resources policies, or events calendars. All of this information can now be found online.
The academic course catalog and campus calendar are available for everyone to see on the Agnes Scott College website http://www.agnesscott.edu/academics/catalog and http://calendar.agnesscott.edu/.
Internally the following information is available to students, faculty, and staff online:
- Course schedules, class registration, and grade reports
- Course evaluations
- Online contact directory
- Human resources forms and policies
- Other departmental policies or reports are available through the intranet
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In Spring 2013 the Office of Residence Life, the Center for Sustainability and the International Relations department partnered to create a move-out donation program called Give + Go. This program has continued every year since its creation, except in the Spring of 2020 due to Covid. Students donate unwanted household items, linens, and clothes, which are then collected by faculty and staff during our campus community day. Once collected and sorted, they are picked by the International Rescue Committee, which works with refugees in the Atlanta area. These donations directly benefit local refugees.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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:
Data reported for FY19.
Data reported for FY19.
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.