California State University, Channel Islands
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

The university does recycle electronics, white goods, and cooking oil, however those items are not represented in the figures reported above. The figures reported above only reflect landfilled waste, mixed recycling, yard waste, composted food waste, wood waste, and metal.

CSUCI has implemented new waste bins with color-coded lids and signs, restrictive openings, and educational signage to help reduce contamination and support proper waste sorting at the point of disposal. The university also hosts waste management workshops at least once a year to educate the campus community about proper waste disposal and waste prevention strategies.

CSUCI uses digital screens, social media, and class presentations to do outreach including waste reduction tips and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling correctly. The sustainability Instagram account regularly features sustainability swaps, highlighting ways to ditch disposable items for reusable ones. The sustainability office also created a rack card that highlights 10 sustainable swap ideas, highlighting products such as utensils, menstrual cups, bags, and dryer balls.

CSU Channel Islands tracks waste totals on a monthly and annual basis to monitor diversion rates and waste generation totals. The campus has a goal to achieve 80% diversion from the landfill by 2040. Periodically the campus conducts waste audits to better understand what the campus waste stream is composed of and to measure the contamination rate in each waste stream. To complete waste audits, we collect waste bags from specific buildings and sort through all waste by hand, making note of which items are being improperly sorted. This information is used to tailor communication and outreach materials to help the population better understand how to properly sort their waste for recycling, composting, or landfill.

CSU Channel Islands abides by the CSU Sustainability Policy that states the following procurement policies:

1. Campuses shall promote use of suppliers and/or vendors who reduce waste, re-purpose recycled material, or support other environmentally friendly practices in the provision of goods or services to the CSU under contract. This may include additional evaluation points in solicitation evaluations for suppliers integrating sustainable and socially responsible practices.

2. To move to zero waste, campus practices should: (1) encourage use of products that minimize the volume of trash sent to landfill or incinerators; (2) participate in the CalRecycle Buy-Recycled program or equivalent; and (3) increase recycled content purchases in all Buy-Recycled program product categories.

3. Campuses shall continue to report on all recycled content product categories, consistent with PCC § 12153-12217 and shall implement improved tracking and reporting procedures for their recycled content purchases.

4. Campuses shall align procedures with state initiatives to report environmental product declarations for select construction materials, consistent with PCC §3500-3505 and state mandates.

5. Campuses shall promote circular economies2 by seeking to reduce waste when considering materials purchases, including but not limited to, office supplies, equipment, classroom supplies, and promotional and giveaway items by minimizing purchase of items that have a short useful life, are unable to be recycled, and/or are made of unsustainable or carbon intensive materials.

CSUCI's surplus program manages all used furniture and other property on campus. When an individual has property they no longer need, they place a work order for the property to be taken to surplus. If furniture is broken or in poor condition, it is placed in the correct recycle roll off box (wood, metal). Furniture that is in good condition is stored in a warehouse on campus. This furniture is made available to anyone in search of furniture for their office.

Furniture that cannot be used on campus is placed for sale on an auction site. Every attempt is made to sell furniture before items are recycled or otherwise discarded.

Various clubs and organizations at CSUCI host clothing swaps several times each year. At the clothing swaps, students and employees are encouraged to bring gently used clothing that they no longer need and are invited to take clothing brought by their peers. The Basic Needs Program also provides students in need with gift cards to local Goodwill locations where students can purchase gently used clothing.

Printing is controlled by use of student ID card accounts in the Broome Library and other locations on campus. The default is to print double-sided everywhere on campus, where applicable. For employees on campus, printing is charged to each department per impression, encouraging departments to limit paper and ink consumption to reduce their budgetary impact.

CSU Channel Islands endeavors to make materials available online, rather than printing them, whenever possible. For example, the course catalog is primarily available online, though print and DVD options are available for anyone who may have problems accessing the catalog online. The printed copies of the catalog are printed on recycled paper.

The campus makes the class schedule available online and no longer prints this material; although, the bookstore has this available to students wanting a printed copy through a printed demand service. No directories are printed, due to it being online.

At the end of the semester, CSU Channel Islands staff communicates the importance of continuing to live green during move-out by donating items that can be reused and providing many recycle bins for those materials that can be recycled. Suggestions of specific items that could be reused or recycled are provided to residents. During the actual move-out week, housing staff helps monitor this process to reduce waste and encourage reuse and recycling. At the end of each school year housing sets up a donation station where students can donate unwanted items and other students can take items for reuse. Housing is also looking into using the items donated that were not picked up again at the beginning of the school year as a donation station for incoming students, particularly for cleaning supplies and other household items that many students need.

All waste generation totals are received from the university's waste hauler through monthly weight reports. The reports detail the total tons of waste hauled for each waste type: trash, mixed recycling, metal, landscaping waste, and food waste.