Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.39
Liaison Ciara Tennis
Submission Date Dec. 31, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Eastern Connecticut State University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.61 / 8.00 Josephine Brickner
Intern
Institute for Sustainable Energy
"---" 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 130.14 Tons 85.81 Tons
Materials composted 26 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0.43 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 752.10 Tons 1,829.04 Tons
Total waste generated 908.67 Tons 1,914.85 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:
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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, 2013 June 30, 2014

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):
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,430 2,628
Number of employees resident on-site 11 12
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 4,638 5,440
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 640 744
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 5 440
Weighted campus users 4,565 4,968

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.20 Tons 0.39 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
48.36

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
17.23

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
17.23

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
Laboratory equipment Yes
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:
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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) :
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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):
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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:
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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:
Chartwell's, our dining servicies provider, added educational signage on food waste and its impacts to the dining hall. Reusable Take-Home containers were instated in place of disposable take-home containers in the dining hall. Holding several large, catered events as Zero Waste Events with educational signage about food waste, with hopes of turning this into the standard for such events. The dining hall went trayless, discouraging food waste.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Staff of the Institute for Sustainable Energy began conducting waste audits of all campus dumpsters and recycling in the summer of 2015 (and has done so through 2017) to note the percentage of contamination in each, as well as the use of dumpsters provided to the campus.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
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A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Surplus supplies are emailed out across faculty and staff distribution lists so that excess office supplies may be utilized by various on-campus departments.

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):
2017 Sustainability Week Book Swap

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):
Free printing is completely restricted for Eastern students. Students are charged $0.05 per page that they print. While there are no mandates calling students to print all documents double-sided, they are only charged for one page rather than two when they print double-sided documents.

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:
Eastern's teaching faculty may use Blackboard (an online student portal) to distribute syllabi, assignment information etc. There is also a grades first system which is used to upload student grades, and any issues that may be occurring with students.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Since 2012 there has been a Move Out Swap Shop during the year-end May move-out. Students drop off or swap unwanted items like clothes and furniture. These items are diverted from dumpsters and instead donated to local charities.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Recycling outreach has been increased through the following: 1) Creation of a label clarifying materials for single-stream recycling. This label has been dispersed through residence halls and place on recycling bins throughout the campus's classrooms and offices. 2) Students creation and dissemination of mixed recycling videos to explain mixed recycling in residence halls and in administrative offices. 3) Webpages explaining how to handle/recycle all types of waste (see tabs at top). These materials can be found at: http://www1.easternct.edu/sustainability/recycle/ 4) Resources related to desks, electronics, furniture purposed for disposal donated to local schools and non-profit organizations

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information for this credit was completed using information collected from Willimantic Waste, Eric Germain, Renee Theroux-Keech, and Joe Salvaggio.

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.