Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.09
Liaison Lissette Hernandez
Submission Date Aug. 22, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Florida International University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.24 / 8.00 Alexandra Dutton
Program Manager
Office of University 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 3,038 Tons 1,784 Tons
Materials composted 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 8.28 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 7,030 Tons 6,907 Tons
Total waste generated 10,076.28 Tons 8,691 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, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2011 June 30, 2012

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):
FY 2012 (July 2011 - June 2012) is used as the baseline year because it is the first full year that recycling data was available for the university.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,259 2,771
Number of employees resident on-site 7 7
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 30,620 28,947
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 7,203 5,031
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 8,394 5,371
Weighted campus users 22,888.25 22,149.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.44 Tons 0.39 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
30.23

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
30.23

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 No
Cooking oil No
Plant materials No
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) No
Laboratory equipment No
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal No
Pallets No
Tires No
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?:
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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:
Less than 10%

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:
Annual participation in RecycleMania.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
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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:
As a state institution, all state owned property not in use is inventoried and taken to surplus. Employees can visit the warehouse for furniture and equipment needs for their office. The surplus warehouse is located on the Modesto Maidique Campus and is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 A.M. until 3:30 P.M. A notice of available surplus is updated and listed on the university's controllers website. Visiting or checking surplus items available prior to purchasing new office furniture is one of the requirements in the Green Office Certification Program. We hope through this program, that offices get in the habit of checking surplus before purchasing new items. There are many offices on campus that check surplus regularly.

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):
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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):
None of the campus computer labs have free printing. In order to print in a computer lab or copy center at FIU, students must have funds on their PantherOne cards or purchase a visitor copy card. FIU's Student Government Association does have a program during finals week each year that offers free printing to students in the GC computer labs. There is however a maximum page limit.

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:
FIU's course catalog is only available online. Students can look through the course catalog and register for classes on their personalized myFIU accounts. Students schedules are also delivered electronically through myFIU. There are kiosks located around campus where students can look up their schedule if needed. Academic departments are also helping to decrease the amount of paper printed by making their syllabi available online in the departmental webpages. The FIU Phonebook (who.fiu.edu) is also only available online and employees are encouraged not to print.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Give and GoGreen is a waste reduction and charity donation program during student housing move-out week at the end of Spring semester. Students donate unwanted usable items to Goodwill trailers that are temporarily placed around the Housing Quad during that week. It is a collaborative program between Office of University Sustainability, Housing Facilities, and Housing & Residential Life. This program began in 2011 and now it is a part of the move-out culture on campus. In 2014 a non-perishable food collection was also added to the program that benefits the FIU Food Pantry. In Spring 2015, 17,232 pounds of items were donated to Goodwill and kept out of a landfill.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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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:
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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.