| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.11 |
| Liaison | Kathleen McCaig |
| Submission Date | March 15, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Berea College
OP-23: Waste Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.19 / 3.00 |
Kathleen
McCaig Sustainability Coordinator Operations & Sustainability |
Materials diverted from the solid waste landfill or incinerator:
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
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:
Beginning 2013, a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Recycling, Dining Services and Residential Life focused on current waste diversion systems and opportunities for improvement. Based on a review, it was determined to single stream recycling in residence halls and provide standardized bins and signage. Administrative building captains were enlisted to help determine traffic flow and uniform bin placement for higher recycling participation and successful sorting in administrative buildings (admin buildings sort paper from bottles and cans). Pizza box collection from residence halls was instituted for composting at our college farm, and a Green Events system was launched to help plan zero waste events on the front end of the event process and student Recycling Ambassadors to capture compost and recycling during the event. Beginning 2014-2015 we instituted a consistent monthly data tracking system to capture all of our waste diversion and landfill weights. This information is displayed on our public data dashboard: http://sustainbc.wpengine.com/ The Office of Sustainability developed a recycling game used at major campus events as a fun way to engage students, faculty, and staff.
A brief description of any food donation programs employed by the institution:
A brief description of any pre-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
The Berea College Dining Program is operated by Sodexo. As part of its
commitment to reduce organic waste, support local communities and lower its
carbon footprint, Sodexo implemented the LeanPath food waste prevention system
in the Berea Mountaineer Dining Hall in March 2012. In less than one year of implementing the LeanPath food waste prevention system,
Berea College reduced its pre-consumer food waste by 49% year-over-year and lowered
plate cost significantly. They have re-invested the savings to provide Berea students with a 4% increase in locally-grown foods without raising prices to students or increasing overall food costs. All remaining pre-consumer food waste is composted at the college gardens.
You can read the full case study of the LEAN Path implementation here: http://www.leanpath.com/case-studies/
A brief description of any post-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:
Plate waste and unbleached recycled content napkins are collected in the dining hall at 90% of meals. Labor students from the college farm collect receptacles daily, and waste is composted at the college farm. 102,761 pounds of pre-and post consumer food waste were collected for composting last year. The college instituted a pizza box composting program during academic year 2014-2015 with the college gardens.
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 | No |
| Animal bedding composting | No |
| Batteries | Yes |
| Light bulbs | Yes |
| Toner/ink-jet cartridges | Yes |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | --- |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Motor oil | --- |
| Tires | --- |
Other materials that the institution includes in its waste diversion efforts:
Construction
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.