Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Kathleen Hilimire
Submission Date March 3, 2020

STARS v2.2

Fort Lewis College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Kathleen Hilimire
Assistant Professor
Environmental Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 40 Tons 40 Tons
Materials composted 7 Tons 3.60 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 100 Tons 100 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 339 Tons 442 Tons
Total waste generated 486 Tons 585.60 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Period July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,351 1,314
Number of employees resident on-site 11 9
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,918 2,964
Full-time equivalent of employees 450.80 544
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,867.10 2,961.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.17 Tons 0.20 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
14.27

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
30.25

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
30.25

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 No
Plant materials Yes
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) Yes
Electronics Yes
Laboratory equipment Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal Yes
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:

All carpets at FLC are made of 100% recycled material and purchased from Interface. Interface collects their used carpet and recycles the material.


Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
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Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
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Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
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Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
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Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
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A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
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A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:

The Environmental Center hosts a Zero-Waste program that works hard to help Fort Lewis College keep solid waste out of landfills through recycling and composting efforts. Fort Lewis Physical Plant Services maintains the primary campus recycling program while our team continuously searches for new materials to recycle and new ways to reduce!


A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

Physical Plant Services audits the content of recycling bins. They report the ratio of trash to recycling in each container they pick up.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:

The IT department has lengthened the life cycle of electronics on campus, changing from a 3-year purchasing cycle to a 4-year one in 2013.


A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

FLC has a continuous, year-round surplus program that employs two full-time workers. It resells and gives away a large variety of campus items to the public, including furniture, vehicles, machinery, athletic equipment, and office supplies. The IT department also runs an initiative to resell electronics and usable electronic parts to the public.


A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
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A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:

There are measures in place to limit printing waste, such as double-sided printing and a dialog box that prompts the user before printing in order to avoid mistake print jobs.


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

FLC's course catalog, departmental directories, and employee directories are available online. All courses have websites where faculty can post syllabuses, handouts, and readings. Students can submit assignment to the course websites.


A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

The Environmental Center coordinates a move-in / move-out program that captures and resells discarded items left on campus at the end of the school year.


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

The Environmental Center also manages a "free store" during the academic year that is open for all campus occupants to drop off and take items for reuse.


Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Updated February 2020


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.