Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	45.39
Liaison	Holli Fajack
Submission Date	July 6, 2017
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

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

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	3.09 / 8.00	Holli Fajack Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability, Beach Building Services

"---" 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	2,664.10 Tons	1,162.90 Tons
Materials composted	788 Tons	589.50 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold	91 Tons	61.20 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion	0 Tons	0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator	2,896 Tons	2,553 Tons
Total waste generated	6,439.10 Tons	4,366.60 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:

N/A

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Year	Jan. 1, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Baseline Year	Jan. 1, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013

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):

The baseline year of 2013 was adopted because it was the year before the post-consumer composting program was adopted in the University Student Union. By adopting that year, we hope to be able to show the impact of the program on overall diversion.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	2,638	2,605
Number of employees resident on-site	2	2
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	2	0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	31,175	29,547
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	3,671	2,991
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	0	0
Weighted campus users	26,796.50	25,055.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user	0.24 Tons	0.17 Tons

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

Part 3: Waste Diversion

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

55.02

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

55.02

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	No
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:

Cooking oil, toner cartridges, plant pots. Items not included in the weight numbers reported above include writing instruments, office and school supplies, packaging foam collected during move-in, and surplus food from events.

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?:

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?:

Yes

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?:

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:

The ASI Recycling Center staff and University's Recycling, Grounds and Custodial staff take an active role in monitoring waste deposited into receptacles and dumpsters around campus. They take steps to remove items placed in the wrong bins and also notify management of persistent issues with regard to improper waste diversion so that building users can be made aware of and adhere to the programs in place.

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:

N/A

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

The university has commissioned waste characterization studies from both of our contracted waste haulers within the past 3 years and have used the information obtained through those studies to inform waste diversion efforts. More recently, the Office of Sustainability has involved students in three separate waste characterization studies in which waste materials from specific buildings and facilities on campus were sorted into an array of commodity categories. Students also conducted visual waste audits of specific trash bins and dumpsters throughout campus. All of these efforts have been instrumental in the formation of CSULB's budding Zero Waste program.

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

N/A

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

The Surplus Office Supplies program is managed by the Support Services department, which collects office supply items from departments and stores them in a secure location. Departments that wish to take items from the surplus office supply inventory must make an appointment to access the storage space. Associated Students, Inc. run a “Student Swap Shop” which is housed with the student food pantry. The Swap Shop accepts donations of surplus school supplies at the end of the year and also conducts supply drives throughout the school year. Items are free to students in need.

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):

CSULB's Property Management Office (PMO) oversees the university's surplus property program. Because all of the property on campus is technically owned by the State of California, staff, faculty, and departments that are disposing of furniture, computers, vehicles and other equipment are required to work with the PMO to ensure that those items are properly removed from the property inventory. Once that process is initiated, the PMO also works to find alternate uses for property which is still in working order. This is accomplished by notifying department representatives of the availability of items which are available to be claimed, posting items on the Public Surplus website to be auctioned off, or donating the items to local non-profits or other area schools.

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):

Efforts to minimize paper and ink consumption include actively discouraging personal printers in faculty and staff offices in favor of centralized networked departmental copier/printers, charging students a per-page fee to print at the library and other lab spaces, and instituting a limit on the number of pages faculty are allowed to print within their departmental offices.

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:

Course catalogs, schedules, and directories are available online by default and communications to students, faculty, and staff are conducted via email or other digital platforms. A limited number of catalogs are printed to accommodate those with special needs that restrict their ability to utilize the digital format.

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

During residence hall move-in, Facilities Management and ASI Recycling work together to set up stations outside of the buildings where staff, students, and parents can bring empty cardboard boxes to be broken down for recycling. In addition, large blocks of packaging foam are collected and donated to a local company that repurposes the material as building insulation. During move-out, Facilities Management and ASI Recycling team up again to deploy collection bins for donated items such as clothing, household goods, and small appliances, which are then picked up by a local organization such as Salvation Army or Goodwill. Surplus school supplies are also collected by ASI for the Student Swap Shop. In the past, when housing upgrading the furnishings inside the residence halls, the university worked with Habitat for Humanity to donate some cabinets and other small furniture items for use in some of their projects.

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

The PMO also hosts an annual “Lost and Found Auction” each fall during which bikes, electronics, jewelry, books, and other items which have gone unclaimed at the Lost and Found office are sold and auctioned off. Money generated through the sales are used for program expenses, such as storage and marketing.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:

http://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/program-initiatives/waste-reduction-purchasing

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.