Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.36
Liaison Elizabeth Swiman
Submission Date Jan. 30, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Florida State University
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.70 / 5.00 Willie Wiggins
Assistant Director, Solid Waste & Recycling
Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Waste generated::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 5,826.95 Tons 1,419.05 Tons
Materials composted 775 Tons 549.79 Tons
Materials reused, donated or re-sold 14.50 Tons 12 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 3,098.83 Tons 2,715.29 Tons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 6,611 6,296
Number of residential employees 24 22
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 32,639 27,981
Full-time equivalent of employees 6,118 6,338
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 2,549.70 1,572.20

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2010 June 30, 2011

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:

Baseline year is previous STARS performance year.


A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:

A waste audit was performed in Spring 2013 by the FSU Environmental Service Program. This waste audit determined that 40.5% of materials in trash cans were recyclable, a decrease from the 49% of materials sorted in a 2008 waste audit.


A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:

n/a


A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

If an asset is no longer useful to a department but is still in working order it should be sent to surplus property. This transfer of surplus property is free to departments.

Florida State University's Property Accounting Services conducts surplus sales, in a live auction format, several times each year. These sales are generally held six times per year, usually on the first Saturday of every even month. Items offered include computers, electronics, furniture, office equipment, scientific equipment and vehicles.

Surplus data is not currently included in the university’s waste diversion data due to different data collection methods (item counts vs. weights). We are currently working to synthesize information into a consistent format across campus departments.


A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:

The Office of the Registrar has moved all major publications to online sources, including the General Bulletin and the course catalog. Additionally, online and smart phone applications have been created for faculty and staff directories. In July 2014, the university’s faculty and staff publication State reduced its printed circulation by about half, in an effort to increase its online presence.
http://www.fsu.edu/directory/
http://www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/

Additionally, online and smartphone apps have been created for faculty and staff directories.


A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:

Individual departments may impose limits per available budget. In an effort to better manage supply inventory, the program overseen by our Office of Business Services (OBS) enables automatic supply ordering for their campus copier (362) and student printer (41) fleet. The machine will place its’ own order for toner when it is near empty. The order is registered with our copier vendor who then dispatches delivery through a major shipping company. This ensures that only the supplies that are needed are delivered, they are delivered directly to the user who needs them, and eliminates the need for areas to stock their own toner. OBS in partnership with the Office of Sustainability makes sure that empty supply containers are recycled.

Copier machines can also be programmed to automatically default to double-sided printing, should departments choose this setting.


A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

Chuck it for Charity is a program of the FSU Sustainable Campus Initiative and Housing & Residence Life to collect all the “stuff” that is usually thrown out during student move-out. The material is weighed, sorted, and redistributed to Tallahassee area community agencies in support of their work and the people they help. Since 2008, we have collected and donated over 72 tons of "stuff."

Housing closed the Alumni Village (non-traditional and married student) complex this past year. Over 62 tons of furniture was donated through our Chuck it for Charity partnerships.


A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:

Reusbale to-go containers used in dining facilities.
Discounts for reusable mugs in dining & coffee facilities.
Donation of supplies and furniture when available.
Reuse of concrete materials for small pathways and retaining walls.
Green office certification waste minimization tips.


A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:

Each semester our Eco-Reps student group hosts a food audit in one of the dining halls. Food waste is captured before students return their plates for cleaning. Plates are weighed, food is sorted by category, and weighed again. Average waste per plate is between .16 - 2.4 ounces.

Longitudinal data will help identify the amount of food waste generated on a daily/annual basis to determine the best strategy to minimize.


A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:

FSU's food service provider, Aramark, uses batch cooking to control pre-consumer waste. Batch cooking allows Aramark to prepare food in suitable serving increments to ensure that we are offering fresh hot food without having too much left over at the end of service. Aramark uses production results from the previous menus to predict how much to prep.


A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:

Portion control is monitored by ensuring that the front line associate uses the correct serving utensil as listed on the recipe. Associates are trained to serve for that is level with the edges of the serving spoon, and not spilling over


A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):

Seminole Dining has adopted the use of an "eco clamshell" in the residential dining facilities. Participants pay a refundable deposit for a reusable to-go container and can return the container any time for a complete refund. Seminole Dining washes all containers to ensure proper sanitation between uses.


A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):

Both eat-in dining halls only have resuable service ware available - plates/bowls, utensils, cups.


A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:

Seminole Dining offers $.25 discount off of specialty coffee and $.99 refills for all fountain beverages when a reusable mug or cup is used.


A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:

Trayless dining has been in place since 2008.
Bulk food purchases when available.


The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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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.