| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.28 |
| Liaison | David Blodgett |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Babson College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.89 / 8.00 |
Asheen
Phansey Director of Sustainability President's Office |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 282.84 Tons | 237.87 Tons |
| Materials composted | 42.94 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 12.48 Tons | 23.77 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 992.91 Tons | 1,681 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,331.17 Tons | 1,942.64 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
The Covantea SEMASS facility that incinerates our waste notes that "The facility also recovers nearly 35,000 tons of recyclable ferrous and non-ferrous metals annually from pre-combustion magnets and bottom ash processing."
(This does not appear to be fully integrated recovery system, and as such is not claimed under the residual conversion section)
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Oldest solid waste data available and aligns with baseline for GHG emissions.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,896 | 1,417 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 12 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 3,471 | 2,715 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 875.38 | 694.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 3,737.29 | 2,914.38 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.36 Tons | 0.67 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 |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | Yes |
| 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 (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
Babson uses the Recycle Across America "Mixed Recycling" labels, and has worked to align containers to color standards of blue for recycling and green for compost.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Waste Audits have been conducted annually since 2014 to identify contamination rates and opportunities to increase diversion.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
All office furniture is collected by Facilities Management with a priority for re-use on campus. If there is no need on campus, it is sent for re-use through IRN.
An annual office supply swap is hosted every summer.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):
All printing is tracked on campus, and individuals are sent emails letting them know how much they print, how it compares to a previous comparable time span, and how to reduce their printing. Over the past several years, our paper use has been dropping by several percentage points every semester.
All printers are set to double sided by default.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:
Babson's IT department has been working with campus offices to digitize many processes, such as making paperwork from HR available online instead.
Additionally, the College has a policy to promote scanning documents and sharing electronically instead of printing copies.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Our move-out program is called Slash the Trash. During move-out collection points are made available in the residence halls for common recyclables as well as clothing, electronics, books, food and other reusable items.
These are collected by facilities staff and transported to a variety of outlets both internally and externally, with a priority to re-use over recycling. Our primary partner is Goodwill.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The Zero Waste Challenge is an week-long annual competition to produce as little waste as possible. Participants collect all waste that they cannot recycle or compost and carry it with them during the week long competition.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.