Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
---|---|
Overall Score | 81.45 |
Liaison | Lindsey Lyons |
Submission Date | March 1, 2018 |
Executive Letter | Download |
Dickinson College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
2.42 / 8.00 |
Lindsey
Lyons Assistant Director Center for Sustainability Education |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Materials recycled | 215 Tons | 172 Tons |
Materials composted | 126 Tons | 98 Tons |
Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 541 Tons | 627 Tons |
Total waste generated | 882 Tons | 897 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
---
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, 2011 | June 30, 2012 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The baseline was established by the college-wide waste working group to be our fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011- June 30, 2012). After a year long waste analysis and consolidation of data collection, the committee realized data gaps. Our data from 2008-2012 did not include accurate compost data and landfill and recycling invoices were missing providing an unequal comparison. Data from 2012-present has been collected in a consistent and comparable manner.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Number of students resident on-site | 1,987 | 2,155 |
Number of employees resident on-site | 19 | 26 |
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,357 | 2,349 |
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 924 | 835 |
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
Weighted campus users | 2,962.25 | 2,933.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.30 Tons | 0.31 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
2.63
Part 3: Waste Diversion
38.66
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
38.66
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 | Yes |
White goods (i.e. appliances) | 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) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
We also recycle college-owned e-waste consisting of batteries, light bulbs, computers, printers and accessories.
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
---
Recycling Management
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
---
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
Dickinson sponsors multiple events each semester focused on waste reduction and diversion. These are coordinated in conjunction with our Eco-Reps program, which strives to create a community of leaders in sustainability who in turn work to empower others to make sustainable changes in their lives and in their communities through peer education, programming, and outreach. These include anything from residence hall events and campaigns on recycling, to portion control on the dining hall, to diversion assistance from our green devil sustainability mascot.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Interns in the Center for Sustainability Education conduct waste audits at a campus location once per semester. Eco-Reps living and serving in a residence hall conduct was audits bi-weekly. At Dickinson, these audits are critical to initiating change and monitoring progress.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
Dickinson makes an effort to purchase in bulk and prioritizes items that possess minimal packaging whenever possible.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Facilities Management has an in-house warehouse with used furniture and redistributes this furniture to departments by request. The college's inventory manages surplus inventory and fulfills requests for item exchange.
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):
Dickinson College uses CampusWall to enable members of the community to reuse goods. We were a charter member of this program and have been using since 2012.
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):
At the start of each term all enrolled students are given a Free Page Credit sufficient for printing 600 black & white pages. Color pages are the equivalent of two black & white pages. Students are charged a per page fee for pages printed beyond their Free Page Credit. This system helps to offset students’ costs for printing associated with their courses while significantly reducing waste and contributing to Dickinson’s sustainability efforts.
Please see this document for more information:
http://www.dickinson.edu/info/20198/technology_services/2213/technology_policies_and_best_practices/7
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:
Departments and divisions across the college are committed to reducing printing and increasing the availability of online forms and resources.All college announcements, payroll and student resources are online. Additionally, sustainability statements are common when printing items.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Students , faculty and staff donate unwanted furniture, appliances, clothes, food and school supplies in the annual U-Turn End-of-Year collection and sale that benefits the local United Way, with over $15,000 worth of sales at a community yard sale.
The Center for Sustainability hosts a two day Green Move In program where 20 student volunteers staff stations to maximize waste diversion during first year move in. This program has been done annually since 2012 with excellent results.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
These efforts are focused primarily in our construction and demolition programs. This is an established policy for all large renovations or new construction as part of our commitment to construct to LEED Gold standards.
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:
Dickinson is committed to reducing materials consumption, reusing materials, recycling and composting. We are also committed to using sustainable 'green' products. Dickinson's single-stream recycling system accepts paper, cardboard, plastics (#1-7), glass and metals in all recycling receptacles. In 2017, Dickinson increased it's diversion rate by 5% and it's total waste by nearly 60 tons and now confidently diverts 39% of our campus waste from the landfill.
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.