Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.46
Liaison Margaret Bounds
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Connecticut College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.66 / 8.00 Margaret Bounds
Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization 

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 227.58 Metric tons 142.68 Metric tons
Materials composted 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 5.32 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 338.55 Metric tons 334.51 Metric tons
Total waste generated 571.44 Metric tons 477.19 Metric tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
---

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2016 June 30, 2017
Baseline Year July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015

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 (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Recycling and waste data was not tracked by the Office of Sustainability between 2008 and 2014. Therefore, we adopted 2015 as the baseline because it is the first year with more complete information readily available. However, the scope of data collected has increased between the baseline year and performance year.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,928 1,998
Number of employees resident on-site 27 20
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 34 30
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,995 1,998
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 776 759
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,601 2,602.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.22 Metric tons 0.18 Metric tons

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

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
40.76

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
40.76

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 No
Cooking oil Yes
Plant materials No
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) Yes
Laboratory equipment No
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal Yes
Pallets No
Tires Yes
Other (please specify below) No

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Food waste is collected from Dining Halls for use as animal feed. However, we do not receive regular reports on the weight. Therefore, food waste is not included.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
1.81 Metric tons

Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
---

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:
---

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
All recycling and trash bins are paired for ease of disposal and bins were standardized across campus. Standard recycling signage has been developed by a student Waste Reduction Team and is currently being piloted. We will be participating in RecycleMania in 2018 for the first time since 2010.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A waste audit was completed in Fall 2017 to get baseline information on the amount of recyclables in the trash. Recycling signage was then piloted in the student union and a follow up waste audit was held to determine if the signage had helped reduce the amount of recycling going into the trash. We plan to continue to implement two waste audits per year and will report the results to the campus community.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
---

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Office of Sustainability Waste Reduction Team has run an Office Swap Program for surplus office supplies and furniture since January 2016. Student collect unwanted items from offices, post them on an internal advertisement board, and then re-distribute the supplies to other offices across campus.

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):
CamelsList is an online platform where students, faculty and staff can post items for sale or freecycling.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):
Each student is provided with a $30 allocation of printing funds per academic school year. After this initial amount, students must pay for each page printed. Departments pay for printing through the college-wide PaperCut system. Double-sided printing is cheaper than single-sided in an effort to encourage this practice.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:
The course catalog has been available only online since the 2012-2013 academic year.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
At the end of each spring semester, the Spring Give N' Go Program allows for students to donate unwanted clothing, furniture, electronics, books and non perishable food items as they move out of their residence halls. Donated items are made available to local non-profits at an "Agency Pick-Up Day" co-run by the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and Safe Futures.

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

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.