| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 87.10 |
| Liaison | Alex Davis |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2020 |
Arizona State University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.30 / 8.00 |
Alex
Davis Asst. Director University Sustainability Practices |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 2,293.89 Tons | 760 Tons |
| Materials composted | 1,550.13 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 49.42 Tons | 132 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 5,433.38 Tons | 9,518 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 9,326.82 Tons | 10,410 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, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The baseline coincides with when Arizona State University completed its first formal Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 16,712 | 6,100 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 103,312 | 52,795 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 11,558 | 9,281 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 24,914 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 71,645 | 48,082 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.13 Tons | 0.22 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 | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Lab glass, sports equipment, expanded polystyrene, soft plastics, books, inert materials, and wood.
Blue Bag items: chip bags, energy bar wrappers, spent writing utensils, gift cards, cosmetic containers.
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 recycling, organics, or other "diversion" loads that are determined to be contaminated and rejected are reported as trash (landfill) in our reporting.
All composted materials from athletic facilities are pre-sorted to maintain quality.
During move-in and move-out, large bins are monitored and visible contamination is manually removed prior to hauling.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
To reach Arizona State University's stated goal for zero solid waste the University has developed the several diversion programs. Programs were designed to serve either the general university community or to reach specialized ASU professional staff, such as within Facilities.
• Traditional consumer recycling programs diverting all grades of plastics, paper, glass, aseptic containers, and metal.
• Special Recycling programs for electronics, batteries, CD's, sneakers, cell phones, toner cartridges, soft plastics, polystyrene, Terracycle items (chip bags and snack wrappers).
• Paint reclamation and diversion.
• Campus Harvest - Harvesting food grown on the Polytechnic and Tempe Campuses for use in the dining facilities and the surrounding community.
• Composting landscaping waste at a local farm and with municipalities
• Composting food waste with municipal programs
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
ASU worked with an external partner to perform a Waste Characterization Study for ASU from Fall 2018. The study examined municipal solid waste generated at the ASU metro Phoenix campuses. The function of this exercise was to examine material generation and waste stream composition in order to reduce waste and improve operational efficiencies. A Waste Characterization Report was then developed to provide quantitative baseline data and observations about the material assessed.
In collaboration with ASU’s dining services provider, ARAMARK, dining hall waste audits are performed in each dining hall every semester. The program, called Weigh the Waste, shuts down the dish belt for one meal and collects and weighs food waste from students while educating them about food waste issues and of previous years’ results. Total food waste is then divided by the amount of students served during that period to determine the average weight of food wasted per student. Results are used not only to inform students to not take too much food but also to educate the dining staff about appropriate portion sizes and the success of different recipes.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines
Zero Waste and circular resources
Departments shall source products responsibly and ensure that products meet the below requirements. Products that do not meet the requirements below ultimately cost ASU additional resources for waste management, costs which may be passed onto the department or supplier that is not in compliance:
1. Preference shall be given to:
a. Products that are durable, long-lasting, reusable, or refillable.
b. Products containing high post-consumer recycled content.
c. Products that are easily recycled in ASU diversion programs. Incoming products must be verified as recyclable in ASU programs.
d. Packaging that is reusable and or recyclable in ASU diversion programs; eliminating packaging or using the minimum amount necessary while still protecting the product.
2. Suppliers are expected to take back packaging and either reuse or recycle it. At the discretion of the ASU Zero Waste Department, suppliers may be asked to track take-back tonnages.
3. Suppliers shall source products containing conflict minerals and other raw materials generated in conflict and high-risk areas only from companies participating in Responsible Minerals Initiative certification.
4. Multifunction devices, copiers, and printers shall be purchased through Canon, SunRise, or ASU Surplus.
5. Multifunction devices, copiers, and printers shall be compatible with the use of recycled content paper and remanufactured toner cartridges.
6. Desktop printing devices shall only be purchased with written approval from Purchasing. Desktop printing devices represent a serious Information Technology network security threat, have higher life cycle costs, and environmental impacts than centralized multifunction devices in consultation with ASU’s Information Security Office.
7. Shredding services shall be obtained through Materials Management to ensure materials are recycled and tracked.
8. Service ware made from expanded polystyrene, or Styrofoam™, including, but not limited to cups, to-go containers, clamshells, and plates, shall not be purchased or used by ASU personnel and or suppliers unless elimination of these materials compromises health and
safety or interferes with research functions.
9. Products containing microbeads or other microplastics shall not be purchased or used unless the elimination of these materials compromises health and safety or interferes with research functions.
10. Foodservice providers and caterers are expected to participate in the following and tracking where applicable:
a. Diversion of fats, oils, grease from sewers and landfills
b. Local food overage donation programs.
c. Elimination of prepackaged silverware sets, single-serve condiments and other prepackaged single-use foods and food packaging.
d. Use, exclusively, of paper products that are compostable meeting ASTM D6868-03 where relevant, and meet one or more of the following criteria:
i. FSC Certified
ii. Green Seal certified
iii. UL ECOLOGO certified
iv. U.S. EPA Safer Choice labeled
e. Take back of any materials that are not recyclable in an ASU diversion program.
f. Adherence to recyclability and waste reduction guidelines.
11. For electronic equipment, including but not limited to computers, monitors, printers, and copiers, preference shall be given to suppliers who have a take-back program for reuse or recycling through an eStewards-certified facility deemed appropriate by the ASU Zero Waste department.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Arizona State University has Surplus Property where retired items are sold or recycled.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Arizona State University eliminated printing free copies at the start of the academic year 2009. All printing done by students at any of our computing centers and libraries is paid for by the respective student. In addition, the default setting for all computer lab printers is to print double-sided. Further, the University introduced one-to-one computing four years ago. Most students purchase their own laptops with the needed software installed so that they rarely have to use a computer center.
In addition, Arizona State University signed a 20-year agreement with Canon to digitize the University. As a part of this initiative, Canon has inventoried all input/output devices on campus and is visiting with departments to show them how they can adopt the latest technology while reducing their costs by replacing many input/output devices with a few networked multi-function devices. Canon devices offer print reduction programs, are set to double-sided printing, provide a scan to e-mail, and fax to file. Furthermore, ASU's business model with Canon rewards them for the reduction of printing. Additionally, Canon has implemented behavior change campaigns on campus including signage that associates the amount of embodied water avoided by not printing each sheet paper.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The Arizona State University course catalogs and course schedules are available online. All registration is now paperless. https://webapp4.asu.edu/catalog/
Directories are also primarily available online. https://webapp4.asu.edu/directory/
In addition, all orientation materials are now sent electronically or delivered on USB to students.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Ditch the Dumpster is the annual move-in and move-out program. The year-end donation and recycling drive collects thousands of pounds of reusable and recyclable items from students as they move out of ASU residence halls. Reusable items are donated to charity organizations that benefit children and families locally. Items that cannot be reused are re-purposed or recycled. Ditch the Dumpster is a university-wide initiative, consisting of several cross-functional departments and a third-party non-profit organization. Donation bins are designated at each residence hall approximately 3 weeks prior to the semester's end; non-profit staff picks up donations on a daily basis. "Special" recycling collections are also set up adjacent to donation centers, for items such as e-waste, which cannot go into our single-stream recycling program. The move-in programming consists of increased recycling locations specifically targeting cardboard, soft plastic, and Styrofoam collections.
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:
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.