| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 64.13 |
| Liaison | Michael Kensler |
| Submission Date | Feb. 4, 2022 |
Auburn University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.74 / 8.00 |
Joan
Hicken Coordinator Waste Reduction & Recycling |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 579 Tons | 314 Tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 2,978 Tons | 5,004 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 3,557 Tons | 5,318 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
N/A
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Oct. 1, 2019 | Sept. 30, 2020 |
| Baseline Period | Oct. 1, 2005 | Sept. 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The Waste Reduction & Recycling Department chose this baseline to align with their internal baseline/measuring, and it reflects the first year they feel confident in the reliability of their data.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,621 | 2,640 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 26,701 | 21,542 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 5,343 | 4,241 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 811 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 24,580 | 19,997.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.14 Tons | 0.27 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 | No |
| Plant materials | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | No |
| 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:
Batteries
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:
The campus community is educated on what can and cannot be placed in the university’s recycling bins (outreach events, signage, campus newletters, web, social media, etc.). Custodians receive training and have the opportunity to address contamination at the source and/or report to the Waste Reduction and Recycling Department to address. They collect the material from inside buildings and transport to collection points outside buildings. Solid waste techs further inspect the recycling stream as they collect the material from outside buildings and take the opportunity to remove contaminants.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
The university participates in the GameDay Recycling Challenge and Campus Race To Zero Waste – nationwide competitions to help colleges and universities advance campus recycling and waste reduction efforts. Staff attends all sessions of student orientation, Camp War Eagle, annually and counsels some 10,000 incoming freshmen, parents and guests on how to waste less and recycle more. The campus community receives information about the university’s recycling program via outreach events, signage, campus newsletters, web, social media, etc. Recycling bins are labeled with acceptable, and in some cases, unacceptable, materials (words and pictures).
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The department conducts an annual waste audit partnering with Live Green, Save Green first year seminar learning community students. Students explore the broad scope of issues involved in the sustainability movement and their impact on modern society and the environment.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
The university's office supply contract now requires a minimum $50 order before the items will ship, which reduces the need for smaller shipments and therefore reduces packaging. The office supply vendor also operates a fit-to-item packaging program, which greatly reduces packaging materials per order. In addition, the Pouring Rights contract requires our beverage and snack vendors to establish a pallet re-use/recycle program for their campus operations.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Auburn University departments are required to transfer all equipment purchased with university funds that is no longer useful or needed to the Surplus Property Department. Surplus Property personnel inspect this equipment and determine if there is any useful service life remaining. The surplus equipment that is still useful is made available to university departments. This equipment is listed on the Surplus Property website and can be inspected during business hours. The surplus equipment can also be transferred to Alabama public schools and State of Alabama governmental entities. Any equipment no longer needed by the university or not transferred to Alabama public schools or government agencies typically gets sold at public auction for use by the purchaser.
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:
All departments pay for printing/copying per page. In addition, all common-use student labs charge per page for printing/copying. The only "free" printing available to students is in professional school (e.g. - Architecture, Industrial Design) computer labs.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Course catalogs and schedules are completely online, as are campus directories. All travel vouchers for campus-funded travel are now completed electronically, and many of the finance/budgeting systems only require electronic documentation/communication. E-ticketing is available for athletics events that require a ticket, and the Athletic Department newsletter is now only an e-newsletter. Auburn Commons, a communication for Auburn Alumni, has also transitioned entirely to a digital format.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
MOVE IN: Auburn University students start the school year off by recycling cardboard during fall move-in for those living on campus in residence halls. The Waste Reduction and Recycling Department provides additional cardboard dumpsters and/or roll-offs located near each residence hall to collect empty and flattened cardboard. Staff directs students to recycling stations located throughout the campus housing areas and assists them with recycling.
MOVE OUT: Auburn University's Auxiliary Enterprises Property Management holds an annual "Check-Out for Charity" event where they partner with the Salvation Army of Lee County, Habitat for Humanity Restore, and the Campus Food Pantry & Campus Kitchens Project to divert excess items to local nonprofit groups and charities.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The Waste Reduction and Recycling Department collects used binders from university departments throughout the year and redistributes them to students at an annual "Binder Giveaway" during Welcome Week.
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:
Key efforts contributing to our accomplishments include the digitization of administrative and academic processes, requirements for takeback/reusables/packaging minimization in university-wide contracts, increased auditing of purchases for necessity, promotion of reuse programs, and an expansion of recycling opportunities across campus.
Key efforts contributing to our accomplishments include the digitization of administrative and academic processes, requirements for takeback/reusables/packaging minimization in university-wide contracts, increased auditing of purchases for necessity, promotion of reuse programs, and an expansion of recycling opportunities across campus.
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.