Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.72
Liaison Christie-Joy Hartman
Submission Date May 12, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

James Madison University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.12 / 8.00 Jason Rexrode
Recycling Manager
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization 

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 1,143 Tons 989 Tons
Materials composted 352 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 20 Tons 6 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 1,918 Tons 1,925 Tons
Total waste generated 3,433 Tons 2,920 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

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 (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 6,289 5,796
Number of employees resident on-site 8 2
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 20,877 18,287
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,177 2,925
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 342 0
Weighted campus users 19,358.25 17,358.50

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.18 Tons 0.17 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
44.13

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
44.13

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 Yes
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Plastic grocery bags are sent to TREX to be mixed with wood to make composite lumber.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

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) :
320 Tons

Recycling Management 

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?:
No

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?:
Yes

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?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
20

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:
All recyclables are sent to JMU's Main Street Recycling Center and are resorted to reduce contamination and ensure quality of recycled materials for vendors. If a vendor provides feedback on how to improve discard rates, JMU Recycling will account for that and seek to improve sorting methods.

Programs and Initiatives 

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:
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A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Upon the requests of classes or departments on campus, JMU Recycling will conduct a waste audit with students and/or faculty/staff so that all become aware of what was thrown in the trash and what of that could have been recycled. As a result of these audits, departments have ordered new recycling bins.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
JMU Policy 1701 covers Sustainable Procurement and includes several provisions aimed at preventing waste, ranging from buying products that are reusable, refillable, or contain postconsumer waste to specifying reclaimed materials (such as stone and brick) be used in many specific circumstances.

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
At no charge to departments on campus, JMU’s Surplus Property program facilitates the reuse of assets on campus by hosting a weekly open warehouse where departments can peruse for items, searching the warehouse for items requested by departments via email, and listing items online to give departments the ability to search current inventory.

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):
For items not reused internally, JMU’s Surplus Property program has established relationships with other nearby local and state agencies (ranging from school districts to police departments) to shepherd reuse by setting periodic appointments with these agencies to view items in the warehouse and get “wish lists” of what they need in case those items arrive in the future. Remaining assets are then sold on GovDeals. The university bookstore offers over 50% of its titles for rental through Rent-a-Text as well as offering offer digital textbooks through BryteWave.

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):
Libraries and computer labs charge students to print via their student ID cards and encourage limits on paper/ink consumption by defaulting to double-sided printing in most labs and charging students a higher rate to print single-sided copies.

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:
Since 2000 and 2011 respectively, course schedules and campus directories stopped being printed and are now only available online. Plans are in place to stop printing the course catalogs after the 2017-2018 academic year.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During move-in all trash collected during that period is sorted for items that are recyclable. For move-out, the Office of Residence Life runs the “Why Wait? Donate!" program to collect items including non-perishable food items for the Blue Ridge Food Bank; clothes, shoes, and small appliances for the Salvation Army; and, paper, notebooks, and other stationary items for local school children.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Beginning in 2015, JMU formed a new partnership with Mission Mulch to transform brush and logs destined for the landfill into shredded mulch through Mission Mulch's organic processes. Since the partnership started, over 320 tons has been diverted to Mission Mulch.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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.