Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.16
Liaison Scott Doyle
Submission Date Oct. 25, 2022

STARS v2.2

Ithaca College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.37 / 8.00 Scott Doyle
Director
Energy Management and Sustainability
"---" 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 192.20 Metric tons 658.62 Metric tons
Materials composted 154.66 Metric tons 320.24 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 611.96 Metric tons 819.19 Metric tons
Total waste generated 958.81 Metric tons 1,798.04 Metric tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Not applicable.

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period July 1, 2021 June 30, 2022
Baseline Period June 1, 2004 May 31, 2005

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:
We have historically used this baseline date for all our STARS submissions.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,618 4,173
Number of employees resident on-site 11 8
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 5,167 6,973
Full-time equivalent of employees 1,207 1,475
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 3.20 0
Weighted campus users 5,685.35 7,381.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.17 Metric tons 0.24 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
30.77

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:
36.18

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
36.18

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
Electronics Yes
Laboratory equipment Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal Yes
Pallets Yes
Tires Yes
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Ithaca College is very fortunate to be based in Tompkins County. The County heavily invests in waste diversion as part of its long term waste management strategy. It is traditionally one of the highest active recycling and reuse partners in the country. IC benefits from that infrastructure and community education benefits and is always striving to improve recycling and reuse.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

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

Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
10

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Eco Reps (student group) frequently CRT at large food events.

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Signage and Waste Student Leadership Institute training. IC also commonly promotes local "Reuse Trail of Tompkins County" which promotes local reuse and used retailers including the wildly popular Finger Lakes Reuse run by a IC graduate.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Our Eco Reps and staff members have conducted a multi-building audits over the years and do so as a part of new student move-in to help assess education needs for the year.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Some of our high volume electronics are now shipped in bulk rather than individual packaging.

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Office Supply Collection and Reuse program (OSCAR) has historically run through the Office of Energy Management and Sustainability. Departments can have surplus materials picked up by an Eco Rep, and then those supplies are put into a common space where other departments and faculty members can access them.

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
TIOLI (Take It Or Leave It) - Student run on campus free thrift store which has been very successful recently.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students must pay for their pritned materials, and duplex printing is required.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Course listings, schedules, and directories are all accessible online through the school's website. The Office of the Provost only offers the Ithaca College course catalog online.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Take It Or Leave It (TIOLI) is a free reuse center that stocks donated items that any college student would find useful. Clothes, lamps, furniture, electronics, household goods and many more items are all available to students who visit TIOLI. Managing TIOLI is one of the responsibilites carried out by Sustainability Project Assistants under the Resource and Environmental Management Program. The program diverts an estimated 3 tons of materials from landfill each year.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
IC constantly works to divert food through donations and composting through a number of programs.

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:
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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.