Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.42
Liaison Stephanie Del Rosario
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Fullerton
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.92 / 8.00 Danny Miranda
Sustainable Waste Management Specialist
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 1,286.71 Tons 2,336.66 Tons
Materials composted 200 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 33.26 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 1,162.86 Tons 2,228.33 Tons
Total waste generated 2,682.83 Tons 4,564.99 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:

NA


Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 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):
---

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,877 800
Number of employees resident on-site 1 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 32,494.43 30,284.50
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,845 4,886
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,081 0
Weighted campus users 26,163.32 26,577.88

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.10 Tons 0.17 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
40.30

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
56.66

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
56.66

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 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:

All campus toner cartridges are recycled through an approved vendor. Campus E-waste, including computers, phones, tablets, monitors and other miscellaneous electronic equipment is recycled through an approved certified vendor. During student move-out at the end of the year, Goodwill is invited to campus and students donate personal items and furniture to them. Pallets are picked up for re-use by approved vendors.

In 2015-16, wholesale replacements of mattresses in Student Housing took place. The old mattresses are sent to a recycler and are dismantled and separated into components. The components consist of wire, foam cotton, endurolators etc. All components are sold and used for a new purpose.


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) :
---

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:

Designated receptacles with appropriate signage have been deployed campus wide, with accompanying training for various staff and faculty. We have worked with past and current student groups to perform waste audits and give feedback on effectiveness of campus signage. We also receive monthly tonnage reports from our waste hauler, which include a breakdown of landfill and diversion rates.

We currently have no data available to measure our average contamination rate.


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:

"Take Back the Tap" is a very successful program, whereby water bottle refill stations are installed across campus. The goal of this program is to get campus users to reuse water bottles, thus diverting tons of plastic bottles from landfills. This program was a huge hit on campus. As a result, we have expanded the number of refill stations to 74.


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

Graduate student Maelyn Dixon completed a thesis project involving waste audits and how signage affects recycling rates. She also created many visual representations of waste volumes while talking to students about the need to reuse and recycle. Waste audits are ongoing throughout the academic year.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):

1. Campuses shall seek to reduce the solid waste disposal rate by 50 percent by 2016, by 80 percent by 2020, and move to zero waste.
2. The CSU will encourage the reduction of hazardous waste to the extent possible while supporting the academic program.


A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Facilities Operation's moving services stores and reuses office furniture and equipment where applicable. They also contractor with the General Auction Company to sell surplus material. Through General Auction Company, they sold 19 vehicles at approximately 26.64 tons of materials in FY 2018..


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):

Tuffy's Basic Needs Service Center opened its doors at the beginning of 2018. Dedicated to helping students who experience hardships such as food, clothing or housing insecurity, the center promotes wellness and offers support — food assistance, short-term housing, hygiene products, gently used professional clothing, emergency grant funds and off-campus social services — that enables students to complete their education.

The main re-use at this center is the donation of gently used professional clothing. This aids underrepresented students with having appropriate attire when they have employment interviews.


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 campus printing outlets default to double-sided printing, and charge students for printing to discourage over-consumption.


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:

The Institution provides a complete electronic/web-based form of the University Course Catalog, Campus Directory, and Class Schedule are available at no cost to the public from the campus homepage. The campus bookstore charges for the printed version of the catalog to encourage use of online materials. The campus also uses online forms, electronic document storage, and prefers email vs. paper memos for campus employees.


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

Starting in 2017, the campus initiated a plan for the move-in/move-out to include donation collection and cardboard collection. Goodwill receives donations and cardboard recycling is done through our waste hauler.


A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:

The campus uses self-mulching mowers across 11.45 acres of grass and turf. This grasscycling method equates to approximately 74.42 tons of grass clippings diverted from collection and disposal annually. The campus is also expanding bottle water refill stations across the campus. From January-June 2018, the campus reduced 6 tons worth of plastic bottles. The campus is also using hand dryers to reduce paper towel consumption in restrooms.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.