| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.75 |
| Liaison | Josh Lasky |
| Submission Date | Feb. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
George Washington University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.97 / 8.00 |
Kris
Ferguson Recycle Coordinator Facility Services |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 1,128.29 Tons | 713.70 Tons |
| Materials composted | 131.54 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 530.84 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 2,410.19 Tons | 3,128.30 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 4,200.86 Tons | 3,842 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
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):
The 2005 baseline was pre-determined through the STARS 1.2 version, which was submitted by GW in 2014. However, as of April 17, 2017, GW updated the baseline to match internal reporting for FY06 so that STARS reporting is consistent with GW reporting. For FY17, GW also updated the compost metric to include Yard Waste. GW's FY17 reported compost metric includes: bio-fuels, food waste from Mount Vernon Campus and Foggy Bottom Campus and yard waste, whereas previous years did not include yard waste. In FY17, the recycling metric included 44.4 tons of electronic waste.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 7,487 | 6,885 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 41 | 23 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 22,866 | 19,509 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 5,805 | 5,037 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,687 | 500 |
| Weighted campus users | 21,370 | 19,761.50 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.20 Tons | 0.19 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
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) :
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?:
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?:
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?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
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:
Housekeepers and Collection staff monitor before disposal.
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:
GW provides signage on trash and recycling across campus on all waste receptacles, and posts the information online. GW also participates in RecycleMania. Through the student led Eco-Rep program, GW students educate their peers on how to recycle and facilitate competition between residence halls.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The first campus waste audits took place in 2010. It was a communication and education strategy used to engage students is their overall behaviors with regards to properly disposing of waste and recycling materials. This practice has become more refined and outcomes of the audits are used to partner with local vendors who can help devise solutions to some of the waste problems we witness.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
GW's Office of Sustainability and Procurement Department have partnered to implement a sustainable paper procurement program which stipulates that all office print & copy paper procured by GW employees through "iBuy", GW's internal online purchasing system for most of the university's major purchase categories, must contain at least 30% recycled fiber content.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
GW's Reuse Program continues to grow both internally and externally. We repurpose office furniture throughout the university in an effort to upgrade furniture, divert items from landfills, and be fiscally sustainable.
Currently, the university is exploring the implementation of a campus-wide guidelines that would require all users to first investigate obtaining furniture from the reuse program prior to procuring new furniture from an outside vendor.
Any furniture not able to be reused within the university is donated to local charities and non-profits as a means to support their missions and assist those in need.
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):
In Spring 2016 GW students and staff joined together to create a pop-up reuse table at move-out specifically for cooking utensils, pots, and pans.
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):
GW does not provide any free printing for students. Students are required to pay for printing per sheet.
In the fall of 2017, the Student Association launched the Campaign to Save a Million, the biggest sustainability initiative in the history of the Student Association. This campaign aims to save one million pages of paper this academic year by encouraging students and faculty to print double-sided and minimize their printing whenever possible. The campaign is inspired by the recent change in printing prices, which now provides a discount for students when they print double-sided.
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:
In general, all of our academic information is provided online. It is only when limited, special courses occur that we provide materials in print.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
A well-established and award-winning program called Green Move-out is conducted each year. The objective is to collect a wide-variety of items (e.g., food, bedding, clothes) that students would otherwise leave behind in their residence hall rooms as waste and to transfer them off campus to many charities in an organized manner. The university attempts to track in a quantitative way what is collected through this program to contribute to the campus diversion rate. In 2017 GW donated more than 22 tons of clothing, books, non-perishable food items, and household goods.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
GW recycles e-waste including light bulbs, electronics, and batteries as described in the hazardous waste section.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://sustainability.gwu.edu/waste-recycling
GW published its Zero Waste Plan in Fall 2016. It provides:
1. An overview of GW’s current waste management infrastructure;
2. A discussion of the challenges and proposed methods for achieving the targets
laid out in the GW Ecosystems Enhancement Strategy to become a zero waste institution;
3. University and financial commitments needed to achieve Zero Waste goals; and
4. Appendices.
Regarding materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, GW has total numbers for re-use but its not known what percent is re-used on campus vs what percent goes to our charity vendors who re-use the materials off campus.
Reuse
https://facilities.gwu.edu/relocation-recycling-and-reuse
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/furniture-finds-second-homes-local-nonprofits
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2016/04/13/gelman-library-adds-lockers-to-fourth-and-fifth-floors/
Green Move-Out
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-move-out-recycles-43000-pounds-items-left-residence-halls
https://living.gwu.edu/green-move-out
https://living.gwu.edu/green-move
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-and-giving
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-good-bye
https://mediarelations.gwu.edu/gw-green-move-out-donations-help-sustain-local-charities
Recycled Content Paper Procurement
https://procurement.gwu.edu/select-our-environmentally-friendly-suppliers
https://procurement.gwu.edu/sustainability-gw
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/gw-switches-recycled-paper-0
Double-Sided Printing Initiative
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/02/08/sa-leader-proposes-double-sided-printing-program-to-save-students-cash/
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/09/11/sa-launches-campaign-to-save-1-million-pieces-of-paper/
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/gw-ecosystems-enhancement-strategy-unveiled
https://sustainabilitycollaborative.gwu.edu/student-associations-biggest-sustainability-initiative-history
https://www.tun.com/blog/george-washington-university-save-a-million-campaign/
http://gwcse.orgsync.com/org/sa/save_a_million
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2018/01/18/halfway-through-printing-campaign-sa-reaches-a-quarter-of-its-student-savings-goal/
https://sustainability.gwu.edu/waste-recycling
GW published its Zero Waste Plan in Fall 2016. It provides:
1. An overview of GW’s current waste management infrastructure;
2. A discussion of the challenges and proposed methods for achieving the targets
laid out in the GW Ecosystems Enhancement Strategy to become a zero waste institution;
3. University and financial commitments needed to achieve Zero Waste goals; and
4. Appendices.
Regarding materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, GW has total numbers for re-use but its not known what percent is re-used on campus vs what percent goes to our charity vendors who re-use the materials off campus.
Reuse
https://facilities.gwu.edu/relocation-recycling-and-reuse
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/furniture-finds-second-homes-local-nonprofits
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2016/04/13/gelman-library-adds-lockers-to-fourth-and-fifth-floors/
Green Move-Out
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-move-out-recycles-43000-pounds-items-left-residence-halls
https://living.gwu.edu/green-move-out
https://living.gwu.edu/green-move
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-and-giving
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/green-good-bye
https://mediarelations.gwu.edu/gw-green-move-out-donations-help-sustain-local-charities
Recycled Content Paper Procurement
https://procurement.gwu.edu/select-our-environmentally-friendly-suppliers
https://procurement.gwu.edu/sustainability-gw
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/gw-switches-recycled-paper-0
Double-Sided Printing Initiative
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/02/08/sa-leader-proposes-double-sided-printing-program-to-save-students-cash/
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2017/09/11/sa-launches-campaign-to-save-1-million-pieces-of-paper/
https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/gw-ecosystems-enhancement-strategy-unveiled
https://sustainabilitycollaborative.gwu.edu/student-associations-biggest-sustainability-initiative-history
https://www.tun.com/blog/george-washington-university-save-a-million-campaign/
http://gwcse.orgsync.com/org/sa/save_a_million
https://www.gwhatchet.com/2018/01/18/halfway-through-printing-campaign-sa-reaches-a-quarter-of-its-student-savings-goal/
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.