| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.63 |
| Liaison | Dwayne Doornbosch |
| Submission Date | June 24, 2021 |
Langara College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.93 / 8.00 |
Raymond
Yeung Manager Facilities Services Facilites |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 103 Metric tons | 167.79 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Metric tons | 0 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 | 132 Metric tons | 130.20 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 235 Metric tons | 297.99 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 | April 1, 2018 | March 31, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | April 1, 2012 | March 31, 2013 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
A 2013 baseline year was used as this is the baseline year identified in Langara's Waste Management Plan and was the first year that comprehensive detailed data was collected.
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 | 11,246.97 | 8,408.84 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,113.76 | 661 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 182.97 | 162.70 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,133.32 | 6,680.36 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.03 Metric tons | 0.04 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) | No |
| 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:
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
With funding provided by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Langara has introduced a new and enhanced recycling station in the cafeteria. In addition to the regular recycling streams (organics, mixed containers, mixed papers and refundable bottles & cans) students and employees will now be able to recycle: soft plastics, cardboard, glass, as well as electronic waste and batteries. All these are then picked up by an external contractor, Urban Impact, to be diverted away from landfills and recycled. Urban Impact is Langara's custom recycling solution for our regular recycling streams and for the new recycling station.
Langara introduced a Zero Waste Event checklist in 2018 as part of an APAG5 initiative to empower our campus community to incorporate more sustainable practices when hosting events. Event planners can download a checklist and by following recommended practices and making decisions that create less waste, event hosts can submit the checklist to Facilities for awarding of a Zero Waste Event certification level. Once awarded, they are allowed to display a seal on all of their print and online materials to highlight the dedication and good work that they are doing in planning an environmentally responsible event.
Sustainability Ambassadors are student and employee volunteers that assist with engagement and promotional activities regarding sustainability. Sustainability Ambassadors are deployed at large events or during orientation weeks (wearing green T-shirts), to help their fellow students sort items at recycling stations, staff promotional booths, and hand out surveys.
Facilities, in collaboration with the VOLT office (Langara's student volunteer program), created a part-time student co-op position from Sept 2016 – Apr 2017 and again from Sept 2017 – Apr 2018 to drive student engagement as the college’s Sustainability Coordinator. Working out of the VOLT office, the coordinator position recruited and trained volunteers, organized events and engagement campaigns, and participated in student orientation events. Working closely with our Communications & Marketing department, the position has also played an integral role in deploying our new recycling signage and implementing our coffee cup recycling campaign.
Bring Your Own Mug Incentive/Coffee Cup Recycling, is all about raising awareness on the waste generated at Langara that come from coffee cups. The initiatives teach employees and students how to recycle coffee cups properly as well as promoting the use of reusable mugs for beverages, which Starbucks and Tim Horton's offer a small discount on if customers bring their own mugs.
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 was completed in 2013, which assisted in the launch of the recycling program that Langara currently operates. Plans are being made to conduct waste audits every other year, either conducted by a third party or through collaboration with academic staff. These waste audits will assist in gaining better insight into contamination levels and user behaviours.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Future planned initiatives include a furniture reuse marketplace. With limited space on campus for storage, keeping surplus furniture on campus is difficult and as a result leads to functional items being discarded and new furniture bought. The college is considering developing an internal online market space dedicated for employees to request surplus furniture.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Langara's mailroom has a designated space for employees to return stationary and office supplies that they no longer need or want for others to take. Langara provides new stationary and office supplies using an order form system in the mailroom. This storage cabinet gives employees the option to check for a recycled item first, but still allows them the choice to request for a new item.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Langara College has replaced its entire fleet of Canon printers/copiers with new Ricoh multifunctional devices with PaperCut MF technology for better resource monitoring.
Additionally, the College initiated the use of Sugar Sheet copy paper, which is made from the waste from sugar cane processing and farming. It functions the exact same as traditional papers, but is more eco-friendly to produce.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Langara College does not have any residence halls. However, when employees need to move offices, reusable moving totes are provided instead of cardboard boxes that would otherwise be discarded.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Computers with reasonable useful life are "scrubbed" (e.g., degaussing any data from it if applicable), and donated to Computers for Schools Plus* (CFS+).
*The Computers for Schools Plus program allows the extended use of electronic equipment, helps reduce the environmental impact of E-Waste and offers practical work experience to young Canadians to develop digital skills for the Canadian job market.
For more information on the Computers for Schools Plus program:
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cfs-ope.nsf/eng/home
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:
Langara's Waste Management Plan currently only tracks two main waste streams: disposed and diverted. The "diverted" category represents anything that is not sent to the landfill, and includes both recycled and composted materials. It is not separated out further between recycled and composted. For the purposes of this credit, we reported the "diverted" (e.g., both recycled and composted) values in the "recycled" field in the reporting tool.
Langara's Waste Management Plan currently only tracks two main waste streams: disposed and diverted. The "diverted" category represents anything that is not sent to the landfill, and includes both recycled and composted materials. It is not separated out further between recycled and composted. For the purposes of this credit, we reported the "diverted" (e.g., both recycled and composted) values in the "recycled" field in the reporting tool.
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.