Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.17
Liaison Nina Bisbee
Submission Date June 29, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Bryn Mawr College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.01 / 8.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization 

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 434.55 Tons 562.75 Tons
Materials composted 140 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 363.98 Tons 597.06 Tons
Total waste generated 938.53 Tons 1,159.81 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

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, 2007 May 31, 2008

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

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):
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,246 1,158
Number of employees resident on-site 4 25
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 6 26
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,641.08 1,595
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 621.70 645
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,015.59 2,001.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.47 Tons 0.58 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
19.63

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
61.22

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
61.22

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 Yes
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) No
Laboratory equipment No
Furniture No
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste No
Scrap metal No
Pallets No
Tires No
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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Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

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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Recycling Management 

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

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
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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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Programs and Initiatives 

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:
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A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
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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):
Any non-trash unwanted item (books, clothing, furniture, magazines, soaps, nonperishable foods) can be placed in the free box, located on every floor of every dorm.

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 networked printers are set with double-sided printing as the 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:
Beginning in the academic year 2012-2013, Bryn Mawr College fully adopted an electronic tuition billing and payment system, completely eliminating paper bills. In addition, a document management system was implemented in the Admissions Office in the fall of 2014. Currently, there is a one-stop web page that allows students to link to course catalogs; and on-line registration, on-line billing and payment as well as other on-line services from a central location.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The College Staff Association collects items left in the dorm rooms at the end of each year and organizes a sale of these items. More than 4,000 items are sold each year. Most items that are not sold are returned to the campus for use or donated to local animal shelters (bedding), the Salvation Army (clothes and brick-a-brac), or Sight.org (glasses). We have not tracked the volume of material diverted through this program. All remaining items are recycled and is included in the recycling numbers above.

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.