Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.25
Liaison Amanda Whittingham
Submission Date Nov. 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Fanshawe College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.90 / 8.00 Marion Dietze
Manager, Custodial, Parking, Grounds and Support Services
Facilities Operations and 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 316.61 Metric tons 382.83 Metric tons
Materials composted 123.38 Metric tons 101.60 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 19.41 Metric tons 28.03 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion --- ---
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 658.34 Metric tons 812.84 Metric tons
Total waste generated 1,117.74 Metric tons 1,325.31 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:
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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 Jan. 1, 2016 Dec. 31, 2016
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013

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):
This was chosen based on the baseline for the whole report.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,620 1,220
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 16,867 15,334
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 1,783 1,638
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 11,887 10,698
Weighted campus users 5,477.25 5,010.50

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.22 Metric tons 0.29 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
22.85

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
41.10

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
41.10

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 Yes
Tires No
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
used writing utensils, coffee pods, textbooks, cigarette butts

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?:
No

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?:
Yes

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):
5

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:
Custodial staff do a visual inspection of each bag to determine level of contamination when emptying bins.

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:
New bin signage and wraps in 2015, making bins more distinguishable. Graphic Design students were engaged in their final project to design graphics for the image wraps and the winner's was printed and installed on all bins across all campuses. During term start-up, the Sustainability Coordinator does in-class presentations to new students to educate them on our practices. There is also a hallway booth set up but a staff member contracted from the custodial company to do waste education displays a few times a week.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
An annual waste audit is completed to comply with government regulations. Under Ontario Regulation 102/94: Waste Audits and Waste Reduction Work Plans (hereafter “the Regulation”) operators of educational institutions with more than 350 persons enrolled must conduct an annual waste audit and waste reduction work plan. The Regulation states that a waste audit must address the amount, nature and composition of waste, how waste is produced, and how it is managed. Waste reduction work plans require that plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste are in place and who is responsible for implementation of the plans. Reducing the amount of waste produced is the first priority of the waste reduction work plan.

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:
Fanshawe lists items on GovDeals, an online auction site that allows anyone to bid on items that are no longer needed. Past items have included shelving, chairs, cameras, lab equipment. The College also holds an asset surplus sale, where community members can purchase used electronics, furniture, etc.

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):
The Fanshawe Student Union has a marketplace on their website where students can post items for sale or trade. For employees, the College has launched "Red Pages Buy and Sell" where they can post items for sale or trade as well.

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):
Faculty are limited to the number of in-office print job they can do. Everyone is encouraged to send large jobs to our reprographics department, who uses more efficient machinery for larger jobs. Printing in computer labs is not free, so students tend to limit excess printing because of this.

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:
FanshaweOnline (FOL) is the gateway to Fanshawe’s online teaching and learning environment. All students who are registered in a Program or Course will have a FanshaweOnline (FOL) account that provides access to a number of features including email, course content & lecture notes, a virtual locker, assignment drop boxes, gradebook and online quizzes All marketing materials are made available online, which has helped to reduce the amount of copies that get printed. The college does, however, still have print copies available, so we are not 100% online.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Fanshawe collaborates with Goodwill Industries every April to hold a move-out donation drive. This allows student to donate any used clothing, housewares, and electronics they do not want to take with them, instead of throwing it all in a dumpster, as in the past. During move-in, extra cardboard recycling bins are delivered to residences to ensure cardboard is not going to landfill bins.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The College works with Textbooks for change, who collects used textbooks and donates them to libraries in Africa and sells at affordable rates to underpriviledged. Through Terracycle, the College recycles used writing utensils, coffee pods, and cigarette butts.

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:
Additional URLS: http://www.fsu.ca/marketplace.php https://textbooksforchange.com/ https://www.govdeals.ca

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.