Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.35
Liaison Megan Litke
Submission Date March 30, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

American University
OP-23: Waste Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.26 / 3.00 Helen Lee
Sustaianbility Programs Intern
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

None
Materials diverted from the solid waste landfill or incinerator:
822.86 Metric tons

None
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
1,129.45 Metric tons

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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:
In 2010, AU adopted a Zero Waste Policy mandating the creation of a team to develop a plan for reducing and diverting 100% of the university's waste stream. Initiatives that advance our Zero Waste goal include: campus-wide recycling and organics collection, water bottle refill stations to reduce the need for purchasing bottled water, trayless dining venues, re-usable to-go containers, and the exclusion of plastic or paper bags at the campus convenience store and campus book store.

None
A brief description of any food donation programs employed by the institution:
AU is home to a chapter of the Food Recovery Network which works with AU Dining to recover and donate leftover food.

None
A brief description of any pre-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
Pre-consumer food waste is composted from dining services located in the Mary Graydon Center, as well as the student-run Davenport Lounge in the School of International Service.

None
A brief description of any post-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
Compost bins are located throughout campus and we are currently working to improve education throughout campus to reduce contamination problems.

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 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 Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal Yes
Pallets Yes
Motor oil Yes
Tires Yes

None
Other materials that the institution includes in its waste diversion efforts:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data is from American University's 2015 fiscal year.

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.