Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.81
Liaison Stephan Classen
Submission Date Oct. 14, 2021

STARS v2.2

Cascadia College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.32 / 8.00 Stephan Classen
Assistant Director of Sustainable Practices
Student Learning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 89.14 Metric tons 89.14 Metric tons
Materials composted 15.68 Metric tons 9.28 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0.91 Metric tons 0.91 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 574.79 Metric tons 574.79 Metric tons
Total waste generated 680.51 Metric tons 674.11 Metric tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2019 Dec. 1, 2019
Baseline Period Dec. 31, 2018 Dec. 31, 2018

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:
We do not have a waste generation baseline that we are measuring against from our last report - all data was previously self reported from waste audits and estimated. This current report will take 2018 calendar year waste hauler data to create our baseline year from here on out.

This data is also to be considered - just by volume of waste pick ups on a weekly basis - not considering actual volume or waste accumulated, but just wast is collected by the waste hauler (Recology).

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 0 0
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,984 2,984
Full-time equivalent of employees 157 157
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 252 0
Weighted campus users 2,166.75 2,355.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.31 Metric tons 0.29 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
15.54

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
15.54

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 No
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 No
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:
Cascadia contracts with Recology to provide single-stream recycling and compost service in addition to trash service, which allows the campus community to recycle all commercially recyclable and compostable materials.

Cascadia and UW Bothell also compost food waste and yard waste on site. The grounds team manages a bin of red wriggler worms who compost food from a shared campus Subway restaurant and expired newspapers from the library. They also manage yard waste hot composting that they supplement with coffee grounds from campus cafes. All cutting from the campus grounds is composted.

Facilities Management (a UWB team that is contracted by Cascadia) coordinates the collection of block styrofoam, wood pallets, and scrap metal. There are additional waste receptacles throughout campus for collecting lightbulbs, batteries, and cell phones to keep these materials out of the waste stream. Terracycle boxes are included in these additional waste receptacles, and collect pens/writing utensils, razors, tooth paste containers, deoderant containers, plastic food wrappers, and toothbrushes.

Items for employee offices are recycled by other employees instead of being trashed.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
0.91 Metric tons

Recycling Management 

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?:
No

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

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
60

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Triple bin stations were implemented in 2019. Waste diversion increased and contamination decreased, as determined by a student study done in 2019 during this transition. In addition, Mini-max bins in all offices were installed to reduce trash capacity and encourage waste sorting by staff. Regular waste audits were performed to track quality control and some of the data. Recology, our waste hauler, does not give specific waste stream data, as items are collected in a single stream waste collection - so data is based off of regular hauling volumes, rather than actual disposal weight or volume.

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Triple bin stations were implemented in 2019 and in addition, Mini-max bins in all offices were installed to reduce trash capacity and encourage waste sorting by staff. New Terracycle specialty item recycling was added to the campus in 2019.

Waste ambassadors, a program to educate about waste sorting was launched in 2019 and run for three years, even during the pandemic.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
One of the BAS students complete a capstone that focused on campus waste, they tracked contamination over a period and recorded this information, presenting it to the campus at the end of the project in 2018.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
We do not have written procurement policies designed to prevent waste. However, the campus has moved compostable materials as standard for all campus events, staff are supplied with refillable, recyclable whiteboard markers and refillable pens.

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Surplus equipment is stored in the penthouse, then sold or donated at various times throughout the year. Office supply swap events are hosted twice a year.

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Our International Programs office also hosts 'garage sales' on campus whenever groups of students return to their home countries after living in the States for several months or years.

Campus has a textbook accessibility program to share used textbooks, and our staff hosts an annual 'supply swap' event to let offices and departments share unneeded extra equipment.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
All computers/printers default to double-sided and black and white printing.

Students have limits on the amount of free printing they are able to do on campus each quarter.

All classes have the ability to use CANVAS (an online platform) to post materials online and have students submit electronic versions of their assignments.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Our annual course catalogs and course schedules are only available online. We do not distribute printed versions of these materials.

Faculty are encouraged to supply all class materials (syllabus included) online, through the online class portals.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
not applicable - no residence halls

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Biannual Classified Supply Swap
Annual 'garage sale' hosted by Campus Safety

Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://cascadiaupdates.wordpress.com/sustainability/

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.