Overall Rating	Bronze
Overall Score	28.04
Liaison	Jodi Kennedy
Submission Date	July 5, 2022

STARS v2.2

Georgia Southern University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	6.95 / 8.00	Christopher Randle Environmental & Sustainability Specialist Facilities

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Materials recycled	296.47 Tons	494 Tons
Materials composted	0 Tons	0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold	1.50 Tons	1.50 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion	0 Tons	0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator	159.49 Tons	702.99 Tons
Total waste generated	457.46 Tons	1,198.49 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:

No additional information is available.

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Period	July 1, 2019	June 30, 2020
Baseline Period	July 1, 2018	June 30, 2019

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:

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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	5,133	5,741
Number of employees resident on-site	12	13
Number of other individuals resident on-site	3	5
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	24,478	24,992
Full-time equivalent of employees	2,976	3,355
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	3,482	2,820
Weighted campus users	19,268.25	20,588.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user	0.02 Tons	0.06 Tons

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

59.21

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

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

65.14

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

65.14

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)	Yes
Electronics	Yes
Laboratory equipment	No
Furniture	No
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste	No
Scrap metal	Yes
Pallets	No
Tires	Yes
Other (please specify below)	No

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:

N/A

Optional Fields

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:

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Recycling Management

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?:

Yes

Contamination and Discard Rates

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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Programs and Initiatives

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:

Recycling bins are placed all around campus for various types of waste, including batteries, plastics, paper, metal, cardboard, and printer ink and toner. Everyone on campus is encouraged to recycle as much as they are able to.

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

GSU has a software system, EHSA, that tracks how much hazardous waste is generated on each campus. EHS employees also manually track and records are kept both in physical and electronic form. Lab and studio PIs are also encouraged to use the EHSA system to track all chemical reagents that are used and stored in their respective lab or studio. All GSU employees that handle hazardous waste or oil must also complete annual training regarding proper handling and storage of these materials and must be familiar with all current laws and regulations.

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

We don't have one. However, Shoppers in GeorgiaFirst Marketplace will be able to find "green" or "sustainable" items in the marketplace. They can choose to buy those over other items not made sustainably.

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

Surplus items in good, reusable condition will be held physically at our two Surplus Warehouses (375 Lanier Drive Statesboro and 760 King George Blvd Savannah) for a reasonable period of time to allow campus departments to “screen” the material. These items are made available free of charge to departments and can be viewed in person at Lanier Drive between 8:00 a.m. – Noon and by appointment in Savannah. Any item selected at the physical showrooms must be tagged with the following information: individual’s name, department, telephone number, date, and item description. Selected items must be either picked up within five (5) working days by the requestor or a work order submitted for SEAL Team delivery or the material will again be available for screening or reported to State Surplus for redistribution within the State or sale to the public. Departments wishing to have the SEAL Team deliver the equipment are responsible for submitting a service request form through Facilities Services.

Online Surplus Equipment Showroom
Don’t have time to come out to browse for gently used items for your office or departmental needs? We are proud to announce that surplus property is now available for viewing and obtaining online in our Virtual Surplus Showroom. You will have the ability to select items, choose to either pick them up yourself or have them delivered via a work order through our SEAL Team (Surplus Equipment And Logistics), formerly ETS.

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:

GSU has a printer ink/toner recycling program where spent ink and toner cartridges are sent back to the manufacturer or taken to an ink recycling center. Scrap metal, paper, cardboard, and plastics are also recycled. GSU also has a Surplus department that repurposes working items that are no longer needed by Faculty and Staff.
SustainSouthern conducts regular waste audits to document and interrupt incorrect waste disposal by sifting and sorting and redisposing of waste.

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

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

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

Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:

https://students.georgiasouthern.edu/LeadServe/sustainability/sustainability-portfolio/waste/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

It is important to note that the performance period reported was also during when COVID-19 initially began and distance learning/working occurred for a period of time in 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.