Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.72
Liaison Philip Mansfield
Submission Date Feb. 17, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Carleton University
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.08 / 5.00 Philip Mansfield
Sustainability Manager
Facilities Management and Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Waste generated::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 501.70 Metric tons 511.12 Metric tons
Materials composted 214.45 Metric tons 148.69 Metric tons
Materials reused, donated or re-sold Metric tons 14.20 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 832.80 Metric tons 934.96 Metric tons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 3,598 2,881
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 23,438 20,099
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,900 1,909
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 250 202

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2014
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2009 Dec. 31, 2009

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

The waste generation baseline was adopted as it represented the first full year where full waste data was received from our waste contractor. In addition waste audits were conducted from this baseline year.


A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:

In 2014, for the second successive year, Carleton diverted from landfill 61% of its waste. The university collecting over 2,300 metric tonnes of waste (non-hazardous). Of this 918 tonnes was sent to landfill and 1417 tones was recycled, which included mixed paper recycling (578 mt), Plastics, Metal and Glass (320 mt), Wood (20 mt) and Organic compost waste (213 mt).


A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
---

A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Carleton university has in place a formal Surplus Sales list. This list enables all staff and faculty to advertise (at cost or for free) merchandise or goods that are no longer required by that department. In addition Carleton has signed up to mycampuswall.com (An online website to advertise goods) to enable the exhange/sale of goods across departments.


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

- professors are instructed not to print out any class assignments or syllabus's for handout, and instead, are instructed to make copies of all course outlines and assignments available through cuLearn, the online learning environment that Carleton University uses. cuLearn becomes an extension of the classroom space.
-many professors and teaching staff will use textbooks that are available online, or on reserve at the library, in order to both save costs for the students and minimize paper waste.


A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:

Free-printing is restricted to specific faculties at their discretion, whereas public printers available in common areas, such as main floors of academic buildings, residence commons and the library, are charged per page and charged extra for colour printing.


A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

The Sustainability Team at Move-in - Move-in weekend is attended by a team made up of students and staff who want to make a environmentally friendly impact on move-in weekends. This team circulates residence looking for waste that can be diverted, specifically cardboard waste, as that is the most common during move-in and unpacking.

Sustainability Bulletin Boards - bulletin boards with waste and energy reduction information will be posted on every single floor of every residence building prior to students moving in, so that during Move-In, and the remainder of the school year, the students are getting a visual every time they step onto their floor, about how they can be diverting and minimizing waste.

Sustainability Toolkit - before students even move into residence, all incoming students are to be sent a "Sustainability Tool kit", which is an online pamphlet outlining how to live, eat, shop and divert waste in a sustainable manner. The tool kit serves to teach students about sustainable practices and routines on campus, in the hopes that they will begin to divert their waste immediately on campus. For example, separating their move in waste into the proper streams of recycling available. Using the waste bins provided in their rooms appropriately, etc.

Move- Out
-large donation bins are available on residence grounds during the move-out period and students are encouraged to donate household items, clothing and other miscellaneous items from their dorms they wish to get rid of. This diverts textile waste, as well as household waste, from going to landfills.


A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
---

A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:

Food waste audits are the end result of the pre-consumer food waste reduction programs and practices. Food waste audits include following through all steps in the food waste reduction process and are included as part of our larger food management audit process to ensure that food waste reduction programs and practices are being implemented at all Aramark-managed Carleton University operations.


A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:

Our food waste reduction program is embedded into our food management process and includes staff training around expected and/or preventable (i.e. trimmings, over-production) food waste, and clear bins and scales to weigh and track waste (while also making our staff more mindful of food waste). The food management process also includes practices such as product labeling and storing to ensure first-in/first-out practices are being followed. Food waste bins are observed by management regularly before being discarded to identify and act on opportunities to reduce waste. The tracked waste is entered into an online reporting system that provides a food waste dashboard that is monitored and used to provide valuable training feedback to reduce pre-consumer waste through enhancing both awareness of waste and for training staff around practical techniques for reducing waste through production planning and efficient culinary practices.

*Trimmings can be both expected and preventable (over-trimming). We don’t consider leftovers waste because we use them again.

Pre-consumer food waste is separated in all Aramark-managed kitchens and diverted to compost bins, which are then composted in Carleton’s on-site in-vessel composter processing up to 600lbs of food waste per day (takes a full 21 hours to process 600lbs of compost) and currently operating at maximum capacity.


A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:

Aramark managed operations have implemented trayless dining to reduce food waste and reduce water / energy / chemicals used to clean trays. We have also modified menus to reduce portion sizes, particularly in residential dining operations to encourage diners to try smaller amounts of many different dishes and avoid waste from choosing too much food that they can not consume. We also continue to monitor and modify menus on an ongoing basis through our food management and auditing process to make changes to the menu in real-time to reduce post-consumer food waste by substituting unpopular menu choices with items that have greater acceptability.
Post-consumer food waste is separated from recycling and traditional waste via “eco-stations” (separating bins or scraping stations) in residential dining locations where students separate food waste into bins that can then be composted by Carleton’s in-vessel composter.


A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):

Compostable options are provided for to-go take-out containers, bowls, cutlery, hot beverage cups. Clear plastic take out containers as part of our “express” grab n go program are recyclable PET. Re-usable take-out containers (eco-tainers) will be launched in the fall of 2014.


A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):

All Aramark residential and retail operations provide reusable service ware / cutlery (china / stainless steel) as a default unless disposables are requested by the diners (and with the exception of franchise operations where some packaging is dictated by franchise brand standards). Where disposable service ware is offered, compostable options are provided for plates, bowls, cutlery, hot beverage cups, and some take out containers (again with any franchise brand standard exceptions). Clear plastic take out containers as part of our “express” grab n go program are recyclable PET.


A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:

We offer “lug a mug” discounts to incent customers to use reusable travel mugs when purchasing a hot beverage (ie. we charge the lower price of a small coffee for any size travel mug).


A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:

We separate all recyclables and ensure they are diverted to the appropriate recycling streams at Carleton University. We also promote recycling on campus, partnering with suppliers such as Coca Cola to incorporate directional signage and additional recycling bins for recyclable packaging wherever we can. Aramark has implemented Green Seal certified bio-based cleaning products for daily green cleaning. Products include ware washing, all purpose, glass, floor cleaners, and hand soap. These products do not contain phosphorus, are formulated with environmentally responsible ingredients, and do not contain persistent, bio-accumulative or highly toxic substances.


The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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.