| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.14 |
| Liaison | Bremen Leak |
| Submission Date | July 10, 2024 |
Brigham Young University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.40 / 8.00 |
Bremen
Leak Associate Director Sustainability & Continuity |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 1,245 Tons | 1,258.10 Tons |
| Materials composted | 2,000 Tons | 2,000 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 720.15 Tons | 924.13 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 4,262.60 Tons | 4,255 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 8,227.75 Tons | 8,437.23 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Led by Dr. Jaron Hansen, BYU has implemented post-recycling conversion technology at a number of pilot-scale facilities (500 to 1,000 gallons), converting manure into methane. Recently, these efforts have expanded to full-size dairies that utilize 1 million gallon digesters. Because neither facility is owned or operated by BYU, and because the waste was not generated by BYU, we have not included this waste material in our count. For more information, see https://chembio.byu.edu/hansen-lab. See also https://www.chem.byu.edu/faculty/jaron-c-hansen/.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2015 | Dec. 1, 2015 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 7,609 | 6,201 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 31 | 31 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 3,283 | 3,485 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 33,912 | 31,215 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 9,139 | 8,832.17 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 355 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 37,215 | 35,078.38 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.22 Tons | 0.24 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:
GREEN WASTE
Grass clippings, leaf litter, and wood chips from campus landscaping efforts are mixed with pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste from campus dining services to produce a nutrient-rich mulch used on campus. This mulch is produced in two locations over a period of three to six months.
VEHICLES
Vehicles are auctioned to the public by BYU Surplus.
CARPET
BYU has recycled a million pounds of carpet since 2016, returning these materials to the manufacturer, Tarkett, for processing into new products. The program paused in 2022 and resumed in 2023, so these totals are not reflected in the baseline year (2015) or the performance year (2022).
FURNISHINGS
When furnishings from classrooms, offices, or student housing are occasionally replaced, BYU works with Deseret Industries, a network of almost 50 thrift stores owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU's sponsoring institution. These donations are spaced out and spread out so as not to overwhelm any one store at any one time.
Furnishings are also donated, or sold for pennies on the dollar, to Utah school districts, charter schools, and private schools, as coordinated by BYU Purchasing.
ELECTRONICS
Computers and other electronics are refurbished or dissembled for base elements by TAMS, a computer recycler. Consumer batteries are collected and recycled from a central location in the BYU Library.
METAL, WOOD, TEXTILES
When furnishings and other materials cannot be donated or sold, they are dismantled at BYU and separated by material: steel, metal, wood, plastic, and upholstery. The metal is sold locally to Western Metals Recycling.
Untreated wood is chipped and mixed with green waste to produce mulch that is used in campus landscaping.
Plastic and upholstery go to a landfill only after other industries, such as local furniture manufacturers, have taken what they can use. Historically, BYU has partnered with REVEST, an office furniture refurbishment company.
BICYCLES (excluded from the totals above)
Bicycles are donated to the Provo Bicycle Collective, a non-profit that refurbishes bikes for people in need.
INSTRUMENTS, SOUND EQUIPMENT
In 2022, a BYU pipe organ was acquired by a start-up music academy, while BYU's performance organ, including speakers and amplifier arrays, was sold to a college.
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:
BYU runs its own material recovery center on campus, sorting and recycling paper, plastic, cardboard, and many kinds of metal. Materials are hand-sorted under the direction of BYU's recycling and solid waste manager. He meets regularly with Campus Accommodations and the Sustainability Office to identify problems and implement solutions.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
BYU employs signage near trash cans, recycling bins, and dumpsters. It educates students and staff through competitions, low-waste events, campus housing guides, and a green living guide. It also offers training during office move-ins and move-outs.
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 are conducted periodically and strategically, both by student employees and student volunteers. Findings are reported to BYU's recycling and solid waste manager, who develops and implements strategic improvements. In the past, BYU has performed waste audits in the most heavily trafficked parts of campus each year.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
BYU Surplus helps redistribute, resell, recycle, and repurpose furniture, vehicles, electronics, capital equipment, and other non-capital equipment. It regularly holds sales and auctions that are open to the public. See https://purchasing.byu.edu/surplus. See also https://purchasing.byu.edu/surplus-procedures.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
BYU Sustainability has supported a number of clothing swaps and plant exchanges, most recently during BYU Green Week in March 2024. BYU student housing facilities and student wards likewise encourage exchange and reuse during move-ins and move-outs.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
There are no free copies at BYU. Departments are charged for printing services, as are individual students.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Blackboard, BYU Directory, and Course Catalogue make materials available online by default. Printed materials must usually be purchased.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Recycling services are offered at on-campus housing complexes, with outdoor bins for cardboard—including pizza boxes—plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and paper.
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.