Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 33.18
Liaison Doug Oetter
Submission Date April 4, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Georgia College & State University
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.97 / 5.00 Doug Oetter
Professor
History and Geography
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Waste generated::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 19.54 Tons 1.60 Tons
Materials composted 2 Tons 1 Tons
Materials reused, donated or re-sold 0.10 Tons 0.10 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 847.17 Tons 492.52 Tons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 2,200 850
Number of residential employees 40 20
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 6,439 5,500
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,634 1,200
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 0 0

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 31, 2015
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2005 Dec. 31, 2005

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

We selected 2005 because we had entered into a new waste contract with a vendor who could report actual weights. Also, a class project conducted a waste audit that year and combined that information with data from our voluntary recycling program to give us a decent estimate of recycling rates.


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

The Environmental Science Club has led bi-annual waste audits of residential, academic, and grounds trash/recycling.


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

The University adopted a new recycling program in the summer of 2014 that allowed us to remove individual waste bins from classrooms and offices. Each office now only has a recycling bin, and the occupants are required to take their landfill waste to a community bin nearby.


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

The university surpluses all materials according to state law.


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

We stopped printing catalogs in 2012. Most purchase and procurement forms are paperless now.


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

Departments have budges for copying and must work within their allocation.


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

We have been successful with cardboard collection for move-in, and have attempted collection at move-out, but it has been spotty at best.


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

We have invested heavily in our recycling recovery, and recently placed 200 new paired bins in academic and support buildings, and also improved the design of our residential recycling bins to reduce consumer confusion.


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

The university purchased a large-volume industrial composter specifically to handle pre-consumer food waste from the cafeteria. We are hiring two part-time staff to collect, monitor, and operate the composter. The products will be combined with our landscape/yard waste composting program.


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

We provide eco friendly recycled to go forks, spoons, knives, and take out containers. They are not to be reused, but they are made out of and 100% recyclable.


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):

We provide eco friendly recycled to go forks, spoons, knives, and take out containers. They are not to be reused, but they are made out of and 100% recyclable.


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:

Refillable mugs are charged the price of one size smaller.


A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
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.