| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 38.32 |
| Liaison | Rachelanne Knoll |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Eastern Kentucky University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.34 / 8.00 |
Debbie
Namugayi Sustainability Manager Office of Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 359.21 Tons | 272 Tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Tons | 0 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 | 944.54 Tons | 1,715 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,303.75 Tons | 1,987 Tons |
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 | Feb. 19, 2017 | Feb. 19, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2012 | June 30, 2015 |
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):
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,513 | 4,083 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 20 | 20 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 26 | 26 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 13,789 | 10,896 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 2,577 | 2,267 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,833 | 1,500 |
| Weighted campus users | 12,059 | 9,799 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.11 Tons | 0.20 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
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 | 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 | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
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) :
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?:
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?:
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?:
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:
EKU has adopted a Recycling Compliance audit system that is used periodically in buildings, particularly residence halls, to evaluate behaviors of building occupants. A Recycling Compliance % score is calculated from a spot check audit by building floor, waste stream, and building total. Competitions are held coinciding with the annual Recycle Mania competition to incentivize good recycling behaviors.
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:
EKU participates in the annual Recycle Mania competition and utilizes this national event as an opportunity for campus wide improvement and sub-competitions within residence halls. A "What Goes Where?" informational flyer has been created to help educate campus users on proper recycling practices as well as several PSA style YouTube videos that outline the flow of materials to give campus users an inside look into how recycling is processed on and off campus.
EKU Recycling Behind the Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKa1fqhrqy0
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
EKU conducts spot check audits in its buildings to evaluate recycling behaviors and identify and prioritize areas for improvement.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
EKU's Green Purchasing policy requires the following specific to waste minimization:
-Promote the purchasing of durable, as opposed to single use or disposable items.
-Encourage suppliers to review the manner in which their goods are packaged, and work with them in the areas of reduction and reuse of packaging materials.
Green Purchasing Policy: http://purchasing.eku.edu/sites/purchasing.eku.edu/files/files/green_purchasing_4_19_10_bor_.pdf
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
EKU's surplus division receives, stores, and recirculates unwanted office supplies and furniture from departments. The LO Martin Building & Gabbard Building serve as warehouses for this inventory until claimed by someone in another department. Individuals searching for office furniture are encouraged to first look in surplus. If something is suitable, the good is "tagged" with the name, contact information, and destination to coordinate delivery by the EKU moving crew. Surplus that is of high quality or value that will likely not be used again on campus is sold to the highest bidder on EKU's eBay webpage.
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):
EKU's employees are instructed to contact IT anytime a piece of electronic equipment needs to be reallocated or disposed of, and Central Stores anytime a piece of office furniture or equipment is no longer wanted. Both departments schedule pickup and storage in Central Stores for re-use or recycle. EKU partners with Recycle-a-Textbook to collect unneeded books on campus. Recycle-a-Textbook collects and resells the valuable books at a discounted rate to students. Less valuable books are donated to partner charities like the International Book Project.
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):
EKU implemented a mandatory double-sided printing default setting on all networked printers. EKU charges students for printing and encourages digital submission of work completed for courses on BlackBoard.
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:
EKU first instructs people to access all documents of institutional importance online before printing.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
EKU collects cardboard waste in large volumes during move in and move out days. In spring 2018 EKU will conduct a campus wide move-out donation collection event with all residence halls.
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.