| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.24 |
| Liaison | Alicia Gowan |
| Submission Date | June 18, 2024 |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.94 / 8.00 |
Alicia
Gowan Sustainability Specialist Campus and Community Planning |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 142.12 Metric tons | 143.20 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 58.16 Metric tons | 48.46 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 | 216.69 Metric tons | 162.28 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 416.97 Metric tons | 353.94 Metric 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 | Jan. 1, 2023 | Dec. 31, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
KPU changed to a new waste hauler during the pandemic, and therefore the year 2022 was selected as the baseline and 2023 as the performance year. Maple Leaf Disposal is the name of the new waste hauler.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 13,101 | 12,328.10 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,526.20 | 1,453.90 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 10,970.40 | 10,336.50 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.04 Metric tons | 0.03 Metric 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 | Yes |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | No |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
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:
Waste stations with signage alerting the public as to what can go in what bin. Website with additional information https://www.kpu.ca/recycles
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
To align with KPU’s commitment to sustainability across all five campuses, discarded paper towels used in all KPU washrooms are composted through KPU's green waste collection stream. Based on 2022 data, this sustainability initiative is estimated to redirect 6217kg of discarded paper towels and 25,000 garbage bags annually from local landfills. Organic materials collected from KPU campuses are taken to a local facility, where the material is broken down into contaminate-free, nutrient-rich compost. Signage placed in all washrooms showcase and advise the KPU community on this new initiative.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A waste audit and report was created by students of the ENVI 2310 Solid Waste Management course in April 2023 at the Langley Campus. The audit took place on one day in February 2023 where students collected waste from east, west, and south buildings, including all hallway and cafeteria bins, one floor's bathrooms and some select classrooms. A series of recommendations emerged from this wate audit including the following:
1) Improve the consistency of waste bins
2) Removing classroom bins
3) Education on proper disposal
4) Implementing reusable or compostable cutlery
5) Removing paper towels in washrooms
6) Incentives for reusable coffee cups
7) Add more 5-bin system locations
Please find the attached report below.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
When applicable, procurement requests details for how a contractor will address sustainability in their application. This is catered specifically to each Request for Proposal.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
KPU's Tech campus also has an informal free-store/re-use program through the Kwantlen Student Association where Trades & Technology students can pick out used hard hats, boots, and other equipment that have been left by previous students year over year.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Efforts have been made to reduce emissions and overall consumption from paper supplies, including setting KPU’s fleet of copiers and printers to default double-sided printing to reduce paper consumption and to ensure that paper supplies purchased contain recycled content and are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
KPU's test centers make an effort to conduct testing online rather than using paper products. This inevitably helps reduce the paper use related to testing.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
N/A - KPU does not yet have any residence/student housing.
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:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The weighted campus user is misaligned between the academic year and the calendar years. More specifically, the waste data for the calendar year 2022 is aligning with weighted campus user data for the academic year 2021 to 2022, whereas, the waste data for the calendar year 2023 is aligning with the weighted campus user data for the academic year 2022 to 2023. This is due to the ways data is collected for enrolment versus for waste. Additionally, the years were selected as employee enrollment data is provided from the spring semester only due to data collection processes (i.e. the 2022 calendar year coordinates best with the academic year 2021 to 2022 due to the spring 2022 data for employees aligning).
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.