| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.71 |
| Liaison | Christie-Joy Hartman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 13, 2024 |
James Madison University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.24 / 8.00 |
Nate
Brown Sustainability Analyst Facilities Engineering & Construction |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 452 Tons | 521 Tons |
| Materials composted | 191.60 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 9.20 Tons | 6 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 2,153.20 Tons | 2,365 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 2,806 Tons | 2,892 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2008 | June 30, 2009 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 6,141 | 5,805 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 11 | 3 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 21,301 | 18,225 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 3,336 | 2,925 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,555 | 255 |
| Weighted campus users | 18,849.50 | 17,123.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.15 Tons | 0.17 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 | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| 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:
Other materials include antifreeze, oil filters, motor oil, ink and toner cartridges and surplus furniture sold externally to JMU.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
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.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
JMU regularly updates signs and has Weigh the Waste challenges in residential dining halls. A policy and a training discuss waste-related behavior. JMU has an annual campaign as part of its participation in Campus Race to Zero Waste.
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 wasted 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:
JMU Policy 1701 covers Sustainable Procurement and includes buying products that are reusable and refillable, as well as contain post-consumer waste and 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 search the warehouse for items.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
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.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Libraries and computer labs charge students to print 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 available online by default rather than printing them:
Since 2000 and 2011 respectively, course schedules and campus directories are only available online.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During move in, all recycling containers are sorted for items that are actually 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 Mercy House, a local thrift store.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
JMU has a plastic bag recycling program. Whenever possible, clean plastic grocery bags and shrink wraps are collected and sent to Dave's Recycling in Harrisonburg.
Through the compost program, JMU collects and sends food waste to Royal Oak Farm in Evington, Virginia. JMU purchases final products from Royal Oak Farm.
JMU collects useable items during the moving out of students from residence halls at the end of the school year. Items are donated to local homeless shelters.
JMU collects damaged and/or non-standardized sized pallets. They are sent to a vendor that produces mulch with the materials.
Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The compost program at JMU began in January of 2010. For this reason, baseline figure for “Materials composted” in part 1 and 2 is 0.
Materials Recycled data comes from Jason Rexrode in Recycling and Meredith King at Aramark. The Landfill data was obtained directly from Rockingham County Landfill records which are used to bill the University.
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.