Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.54
Liaison Tom Hartzell
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2020

STARS v2.2

Calvin University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.43 / 8.00 Henry Kingma
Groundskeeper
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 175.47 Tons 226.90 Tons
Materials composted 268.81 Tons 0.30 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 662.34 Tons 943.95 Tons
Total waste generated 1,106.62 Tons 1,171.15 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
---

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2018 Dec. 31, 2018
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2009 Dec. 31, 2009

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:

Baseline year was chosen because a building project was completed and Calvin Energy Return Fund projects were first implemented.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,912 2,284
Number of employees resident on-site 12 10
Number of other individuals resident on-site 20 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,855.10 3,983
Full-time equivalent of employees 751.60 816
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 13.50 0
Weighted campus users 3,945.90 4,172.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.28 Tons 0.28 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0.08

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
40.15

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
40.15

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:

Hazardous waste, styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, asphalt, concrete, ballasts, electronics, copper wire, clothing from student move-out, batteries, mattresses,tires


Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
0 Tons

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
5

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:

Recycling crew inspects recyclable materials for contamination and sorts accordingly.


A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:

Recycling awareness is part of Resident Assistant training and passed on to students during floor meetings. Dorms have recycling signage by bins.


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

Totals calculated annually.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:

n/a


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

n/a


A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:

Information Technology department tags and monitors all computer equipment for periodic replacement. Secondary and tertiary applications extend the working life of computer equipment.
Bookstore has a textbook buy-back program.
During remodeling projects Physical Plant saves good office furnishings, plumbing equipment, waste containers, etc., for reuse.
"Calvin Deals" is located in the college Portal and is a place for employees to exchange goods.


A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:

Printer access is by login. Departments and student accounts are billed.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:

College has a Portal for staff and students where they can access information about anything from a course syllabus to committee information to items for sale.


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

Recycling stations are set up at each residence and a local church has a donation site for thrift items in each residence hall lobby.


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

Composting of material generated by Grounds Department. ~250 cubic yards/year. Concrete and asphalt is sent to be crushed and re-used.


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:

Re: Materials donated, re-used, re-sold.
Calvin donates a large amount of student move-out surplus to a local church, but the material is not weighed.

The difference between the materials composted in our baseline year and materials composted in the performance year is quite large, because we did not yet have the dining hall composting program. Information from Henry Kingma - K.M (1/17/20)


Re: Materials donated, re-used, re-sold.
Calvin donates a large amount of student move-out surplus to a local church, but the material is not weighed.

The difference between the materials composted in our baseline year and materials composted in the performance year is quite large, because we did not yet have the dining hall composting program. Information from Henry Kingma - K.M (1/17/20)

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.