Florida Institute of Technology
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

The university first started the recycling program in the late 2000's so Facilities Operations wanted to have the baseline as the year prior to major changes in the campus collection schedule. The university's fiscal year 2015 represents May 1, 2014 - April 30, 2015. Starting in the summer of 2015, the University completed a waste generation study with our refuse partner, Waste Management. From this study, the university was able to recognize significant savings and waste diversion improvement by "right sizing" containers and optimizing the collection schedule. This is why May 1, 2015 - April 30, 2016 was utilized as the performance year.

The university has donated office materials such as office supplies, office furniture/chairs, dry erase boards, and other usable materials to local community agencies or schools. The amount of these materials were calculated to the best of our ability. We have also sold equipment through GovDeals.com ranging from vehicles to heavy machinery.

The university is attempting to reduce overall contamination rates by raising awareness through the sustainability committee.

Calculated contamination percentage from contractor billings.

The university's Property Administration Office oversees a meticulous process for material disposal on campus. Communication regarding unwanted materials is channeled through the Facilities Departments via work tickets or emails. Each requested item undergoes a site survey to determine salvageability or appropriate disposal methods, including recycling or landfilling. Salvageable materials are either placed in surplus for campus reuse or donated locally, collaborating closely with entities like the Brevard County school system, local schools, and charities. E-waste earmarked for recycling is sorted by a local affiliate e-waste scrap company, ensuring usable items reach individuals in need. Unsalvageable materials are redirected to local recyclers.

To enhance waste segregation, the university has introduced new exterior recycling waste bins, replacing outdated cement barrels. These bins feature clear color-coding and effective marketing, facilitating correct disposal.

Moreover, the Dining Facility efficiently collects cardboard boxes from shipments, flattening them for collection by contracted cardboard recycling services.

Facilities Operations recently replaced our recycling and trash containers. The new recycling containers have shaped openings to help to limit contamination.

The university provides multiple methods for sustainably recycling or diverting waste.

◻ Collaborative efforts between Property Administration and the Procurement Office involve surplus sales management via "Gov Deals," an online auction platform. This not only recovers residual costs but also prolongs the lifespan of items by engaging refurbishing enthusiasts across the entire nation.

◻ Secure paper recycling is actively promoted across the campus, facilitated by the deployment of shredding bins supported by Procurement. These bins, available in medium (25-30 gallon) and large (60 gallon) sizes, cater to various departmental needs.

◻ The transition to DocuSign in 2022 significantly reduced the reliance on physical paper signatures, thereby contributing to a substantial reduction in paper consumption across campus. • https://help.fit.edu/TDClient/39/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=1305

◻ The institution's adoption of the Workday ERP system has streamlined and minimized manual processes in Financial Management, HR activities, and Procurement, consequently decreasing the need for continual paperwork printing associated with budget management and approvals. https://www.fit.edu/workday/ Workday is committed to ensuring their reduced carbon footprint when providing services to customers like Florida Tech. See their sustainable report, https://www.workday.com/content/dam/web/en-us/documents/other/workday-global-impact-report.pdf?tlaAppCB

◻ A Sustainability Council comprising 40 members, including students, staff, and faculty, actively engages in educational initiatives and events focused on sustainability and environmental conservation.. Programs include, recycling electronics and other generatable waste during after residents leave campus. We hold recycling days where e-waste can be dropped off a convenient location on campus and collected by Property Administration to later manage through the e-waste scrap company.

○ Property Administration conducts comprehensive site visits across campus to assess areas where unused materials might be stored. Collaborating closely with offices and departments, they ensure efficient utilization of space and surplus materials. Any materials earmarked for disposal undergo a rigorous review process, ensuring appropriate management and minimizing unnecessary waste, as mentioned in the previous points.

The institution operates a surplus management program led by Property Administration, effectively educating the campus community about accessible surplus items. This initiative aims to discourage redundant procurement by highlighting existing surplus resources. As a result, it has significantly curbed the unnecessary purchase of furniture, classroom essentials, and lab materials. Users are encouraged to place in a Work Ticket to request for materials and delivery of them. They can email or call to inquire of available items, and a list is provided to them. We have pursued this by word of mouth, to gatekeepers at each college, and they support disseminating the information to other stake holders in their departments. Additionally, we work closely with the university's Facilities Project Managers and Designer to reuse available furniture or supplies in any refurbishing or remodeling project.

◻ The university uses a forum to support peer to peer exchange of any materials. It includes a variety of topics from event notifications, to leasing, but also the sale, exchange, or donation of any materials. This is a free forum that is email based and allows for anyone subscribed at the university to use it. The forum is mediated for safety, but overall open for all to use. https://it.fit.edu/accounts/email-lists/

New printers have been purchased that track paper use across campus and charges individual Departments for their printing. We will utilize this tool to foster behavior change in regards to printing.

• The university advocates for responsible printing practices by promoting released printing at copiers, facilitated by UniFlow software from NTWARE. This system discourages wasteful printing by collecting paper only when users intentionally release their print jobs, reducing the instances of unclaimed prints and promoting thoughtful printing habits.

A charge back process to each office is employed to ensure moderate usage according to available departmental budget. Misuse is addressed at the departmental level. This discourages bulk printing as well, as bulk items are encouraged to be printed at the Copy Center, where recycled paper and double sided printing is used. Students who print at the student printers are charged a comparable rate for printing, and they are encouraged to use electronic submission when able.

○ In 2022 the university installed a large signage board at the Denius Student Center building facia, to enable the advertising of events and activities on campus. Having the board has helped reduced the need to print posters and flyers, and more appropriately disseminating information on campus ore effectively.

○ The university is using the Engage Platform to support the dissemination of events on campus, reducing the need for paper flyers or other printed materials. https://floridatech.campuslabs.com/engage/

Each move-in/move-out, Facilities Operations orders larger recycle roll-off containers strategically placed around campus to facilitate recycling.

• The Office of Residence Life collaborates with the Housing Department to oversee the residence hall move-in/move-out process. At the conclusion of each semester, they organize an event aimed at salvaging usable materials left behind by students. These salvaged materials are either distributed to students in need or donated to local charities.

The Office of Property Management works closely with each office and Facilities Project Managers in campus clean-up/ reorganization efforts. A site survey of each area is conducted and a plan of action determined for the review of materials. Materials are stickered red for disposal, yellow for donate, or green for keep. The Property Management office will salvage all donate and keep items reutilizing what can be repurposed internally and donating to local community charities was is in good condition but not wanted.

Data derived from the Office of Institutional Research, Facilities Operations Department.