| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.81 |
| Liaison | Stephan Classen |
| Submission Date | Oct. 14, 2021 |
Cascadia College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.32 / 8.00 |
Stephan
Classen Assistant Director of Sustainable Practices Student Learning |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 98.26 Tons | 98.26 Tons |
| Materials composted | 17.28 Tons | 10.22 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 1 Tons | 1 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 633.60 Tons | 633.60 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 750.14 Tons | 743.08 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, 2019 | Dec. 1, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | Dec. 31, 2018 | Dec. 31, 2018 |
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 | 0.35 Tons | 0.32 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
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.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
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.
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:
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.