Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.63
Liaison Yaffa Grossman
Submission Date May 19, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Beloit College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.26 / 8.00 Lindsay Chapman
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 59.50 Tons 58.90 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 265.40 Tons 268 Tons
Total waste generated 324.90 Tons 326.90 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year June 1, 2015 May 31, 2016
Baseline Year June 1, 2013 May 31, 2014

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):

The baseline was adopted to align with the metrics included in the Beloit College Sustainability Plan.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,098 1,123
Number of employees resident on-site 16 11
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,317 1,267
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 355 364
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 1,532.50 1,506.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.21 Tons 0.22 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
2.28

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
18.31

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
18.31

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 No
Furniture No
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:
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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) :
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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?:
Yes

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?:
No

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?:
No

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:
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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:

The Office of Sustainability puts on an annual Recycling Competition each fall to educate students about what is and isn't recyclable. Dormitory floors and houses are pitted against each other to see who can deliver the "cleanest" recycling and trash streams. Points are deducted for trash items in the recycling bins and recycling items in the trash bins in their respective residences.


A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

Beloit College participates in the national Recyclemania competition each year, which challenges colleges and universities to track and minimize their waste through recycling.
The Office of Sustainability has an ongling student team that tracks the amount of recycling and trash deposited into respective dumpsters around campus to ascertain an estimated recycling rate. This is done through visual inspections using average internally-generated weights and estimated weights through Recyclemania of bags of trash, dumpsters of recycling and dumpsters of trash.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
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A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
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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):

Beloit College has a Campus Billboard where personal goods can be exchanged for free or for a price and where professional goods can be exchanged for free.


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):

Beloit College allows each student to print up to $10 worth of paper each semester. Black and white copies are 4 cents per page and color copies are 6 cents per page. All college-owned printers and print dialogue boxes have a default setting of printing 2-sided.


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:
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A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

"Give-Take" boxes are placed in residential spaces year-round to provide an option for students to donate items they no longer need and/or want. Before move-out days, the number of Give-Take boxes increases and after move-out days, items in the Give-Take boxes are donated to local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. The weights are not measured.


A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.