Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 45.66
Liaison Stalin Espinal
Submission Date March 2, 2023

STARS v2.2

City University of New York, Brooklyn College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.15 / 8.00 Carrie Sadovnik
Director of Environmental Health and Safety
Environmental Health & Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 41.65 Tons 150 Tons
Materials composted 0.84 Tons 1 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 2.20 Tons 1 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 1 Tons 1 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 156.73 Tons 490 Tons
Total waste generated 202.42 Tons 643 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:

Department of sanitation takes the recyclables to sorting facilities.


Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2020 June 30, 2021
Baseline Period July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020

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

From previous year. Measuring recycling, composting and waste generation is a critical element for developing and implementing sustainability. Measuring the amount and type of waste your facility generates provides you with information needed to help to reduce waste generation, track your progress toward the State's waste reduction goals and measure the amount of materials your facility diverts to recycling and composting.


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 10,512 15,201
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,238 1,857
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 3,205 616.50
Weighted campus users 6,408.75 12,331.13

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.03 Tons 0.05 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
39.43

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
22.08

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
22.57

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 No
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:

Clothing, shoes, purses, gloves. scarves, hats, belts, towels, curtains, bedding, linens, rags and torn clothing


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?:
No

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:
0

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:

The college has expanded the recycling program, locating additional metal, glass and paper recycling bins in all public areas, in buildings and on the quads. We have also placed battery recycling tubes on the first floor of most buildings across campus to recycle alkaline and rechargeable batteries. We partnered with New York City Department of Sanitation and Housing Works to participate in the refashionNYC program. refashionNYC makes donating textile and clothing easy by having an on campus collection bin; ours is located in the cafeteria.


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

The college is launching new initiatives to encourage the college community to start new sustainable practices for example the Energy Saving Awareness Campaign provides offices with signs to decrease energy use and helpful tips to reduce their carbon footprint. We are also piloted a recycling program in administrative offices; this program was developed by Urban Sustainability Student Interns in collaboration with Custodial Services staff.


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

The data collected from both waste and mixed recycling, waste stations are set up to encourage the separation of recyclable material from garbage. In the past we incorporated food scrap collection from food services and the farm share to be turned in to compost at the garden. From the garbage rooms, material is collected daily by servicing staff and brought down to dumpsters area. Recommendations to implement an organics collection system to every building, study can be done in garbage rooms,


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

Items can be redistribute if there is a surplus, refurbished, or new items should be sustainably sourced.


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

NY State Finance Law regarding surplus property requires NYS Office of General Services to redistribute furniture that it receives as surplus, before utilizing take-back, recycling, or other options for disposition of any units that are still in operable condition.


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

None


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

Purchased products should be composed of 100% post-consumer recycled content to the maximum extent practicable, ink should be water-based or vegetable based lithographic ink, purchase ink which meets or exceeds the Ecologo™ Certification Criteria Document for Printing Inks.


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

Information Technology Services ensure that all offices have changed settings on
computers, copiers, faxes, printers, etc. reflecting paper reduction efforts. The college promotes a ‘Think before you Print’ culture, which includes the increased use of Blackboard as a paper-free resource and electronic distribution of flyers, memos, reports, purchase orders, obituaries and brochures.


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

None


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

None


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.