| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.91 |
| Liaison | Susan Powers |
| Submission Date | April 10, 2024 |
Clarkson University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.12 / 8.00 |
Susan
Powers Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment ISE |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 128 Tons | 107.27 Tons |
| Materials composted | 33 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 10.16 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 493 Tons | 645 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 664.16 Tons | 752.27 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Weight included under "composting" includes Pre-consumer food waste from campus food services diverted to an anaerobic digester that we have on campus and post-consumer FW from apartments and food service sent to a local composting facility.
Materials donated or resold are estimated based on Take it or Leave it campaigns. These two programs started after our baseline year of 2005 (food waste composting in 2021/2022 and Take it or Leave it in 2015).
Materials donated or resold are estimated based on Take it or Leave it campaigns. These two programs started after our baseline year of 2005 (food waste composting in 2021/2022 and Take it or Leave it in 2015).
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
FY2005 used as baseline year for all metrics per prior STARS requirement
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,382 | 2,116 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 5 | 4 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 1 | 1 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 3,498 | 3,065 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 641 | 567 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 501 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 3,326.25 | 3,255 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.20 Tons | 0.23 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
13.60
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
25.77
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
25.77
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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Annual "Take it or Leave It" program at the end of the spring semester used to collect and donate goods that students don't want to take home.
Staff regularly use a campus listserv to share information about surplus goods in their unit that can be redistributed for use by other units.
None of the weights of materials transferred in these systems are accurately quantified.
Staff regularly use a campus listserv to share information about surplus goods in their unit that can be redistributed for use by other units.
None of the weights of materials transferred in these systems are accurately quantified.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
6.81
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?:
No
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
19
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
All faculty and students have the option to take a Moodle training course that has information on what materials are recyclable, and how to handle food and electronic waste properly. This helps reduce contamination in recyclables across campus. Campaigns are done on campus to increase the amount of faculty and students who take this training. During First Year and Transfer move in, ISE staff and students help to sort recycling and trash to reduce the major contamination that would potentially happen during this process.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
At the Institute for Sustainable Environment office, there's an internship provided by support from Casella, our solid waste contractor, in which the intern works with facilities across campus to bring more sustainable waste practices across campus. From standardizing the bins throughout the buildings, to updating signage and labels, to doing tabling events, to handing out pamphlets and putting up flyers, the intern works to create more sustainable waste practices. There is also an ISE intern that focuses on food waste. This intern helps make sure that post-consumer food waste separation at dining halls is going smoothly, makes sure food waste is collected at key catering events, promote the apartment composting program, and makes social media to be used to promote proper food waste management on campus
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The Casella funded intern also conducts both large scale and smaller scale waste audits in both academic and residential buildings to find areas of improvement. These audits help showcase the main areas in which better waste practices need to be adopted.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
bulk cleaning chemical purchase;
Vendors offering take-back programs for packaging or spent products should be favored (Environmental Standards (3.4.6.3))
Vendors offering take-back programs for packaging or spent products should be favored (Environmental Standards (3.4.6.3))
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Faculty and staff have access to the CU Discussion server in which they can post about furniture and other items they don't need anymore. Other staff members then propose they use it for their office and thus materials are exchanged between staff to reduce waste and encourage upcycling and reusability. Campus also has the 'Take it or leave it' program which encourages students to donate things they don't use to help reduce waste across campus at the end of every Spring semester.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
There is an email forum called "CU Discussion" which is used to exchange department supplies.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students have a limit to the amount they're allowed to print each semester. It is worth $25 with different rates applied to different products (colored pages are more than black and white). Students who print more than this allowance provides are charged per copy. In October 2022, Clarkson purchased and installed BizHub printers. These printers use FindMe printing which makes it so the pages are only printed when you log in at the printer and not printed automatically. This helps reduce the amount of pages being printed that aren't actually used. Information on Clarkson's printing switch can be found here: https://bookstack.clarkson.edu/books/general-knowledge-base/page/find-me-printing
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
All administrative functions are handled through PeopleSoft. This includes electronic course selection, all finance aspects, etc. that are initiated and approved through PeopleSoft. Very few documents are printed and signed on paper. Many Faculty use the Moodle course management system, including electronic readings, assignments and grading electronically.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In 2015, the university partnered with the county and neighboring universities to hold a "Take it or Leave it" program that lasted throughout the time that students moved off campus. This program has grown in popularity each year. This allowed students to donate materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill at a conveniently located pop-up tent near each residence hall. There is a centralized tent where these materials are brought and the Clarkson community and the larger Potsdam community is invited to come and take materials from this large tent. Non-perishable food is donated to our on-campus food pantry and e-waste is brought to an e-waste recycling dumpster on campus to be disposed of properly.
During move-in We coordinate workers to be stationed at the freshman hall dumpsters to teach incoming students about sorting and to ensure that there is space in our recycling dumpster to accomodate for the large amount of cardboard waste we receive on that day.
During move-in We coordinate workers to be stationed at the freshman hall dumpsters to teach incoming students about sorting and to ensure that there is space in our recycling dumpster to accomodate for the large amount of cardboard waste we receive on that day.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Lending Cupboard: The Clarkson Club collects and loans essential kitchen items and linens to incoming international students. This keeps both gently used items in use and helps to ease the transition of our international students into their new home at Clarkson.
Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data from FY22 and FY23
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.