Macalester College
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Macalester's Sustainability Office adopted its sustainability plan in 2009, a year after Macalester's President signed the climate commitment that gives Macalester a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2025. As part of you Sustainability plan, we also set a goal for zero waste by 2020 thus making our waste generation baseline from the year 2008.

Waste audits were performed with the guidance of Minnesota Waste Wise in 2010 and in 2014.

All disposable dishware, take out containers, and catering supplies are compostable where ever possible.

MacFree Swap is an online listing service that allows students, faculty, and staff to post unwanted items online and arrange for pick-up. In 2011, the MacFree Swap expanded into a physical space as well next to the Sustainability Office where all members of the Macalester community can pick-up and drop-off items.

The catalogs are available online for students. Course schedules are not printed and are only available online for students. The college directory is also available online.

The Library and Media Center student workers launch a 'Ponder Before Printing' awareness campaign once a semester to discourage student printing on campus. PDF markup software is offered, printing tips and alternative ink-efficient fonts are promoted, and professors are asked to consider fewer printed assignments or readings. Finally, the Library has a printing tracking system that, in addition to providing use data, limits student print jobs to two at a time to discourage mass printing.

In response to the traditionally overwhelming amount of waste generated when students move out the dormitories, a collaborative program was set up by the Zero Waste Committee to capture useable material for a fall garage sale, and promote recycling. The recycling rate jumped from 17% in 2008 to an impressive 46% in 2009 (including e-waste). Two rooms of material were stored on campus for resale at the fall Habitat for Humanity garage sale. Since then, an extensive Move Out program has been instituted. The garage sale has continued and useable items are donated to Goodwill.

2008 -present: Graduation Gown Donation Program: Mac grads donate graduation gowns to MN Internship Charter High School 2008 - present: Greening Reunion: Zero Waste Picnic incorporated, started email outreach instead of postcards, water coolers instead of water bottles. 2008 -present: EcoClamshell: Reusable carryout containers available at the Grill 2009 - present: Papercut software: ITS installed Papercut software to count pages printed by student 2009 - present: 100% Recycled Letterhead: Letterhead changed to a 100% post consumer waste recycled paper 2009 - present: Printing awareness week: Library starts annual printing reduction outreach 2009 - present: Student Account eBilling: Switched from paper bills to eBilling 2009 - present: Move Out: Extensive recycling and reuse program put in place, Recycling rate jumped from 17% in 2008 to 46% in 2009 2010 - present: Onesies: Reused one sided paper notebooks, “onesies” given to all first year students from the Library in 2010 2010 - present: CFL and ewaste recycling on campus: Bins available in the Sustainability Office for student, staff and faculty 2010 - present: Reusable dishware and dishwashers: MCSG bought a set of reusable dishware for student organizations 2010 -present: MacFreeSwap: Listing service on 1600 Grand and free stuff table in Kagin Commons 2010 -present: 100% Recycled Copy Paper: 100% recycled copy paper standard started as campus standard 2010 -present: Print release stations: Reduces accidental printing 2011 - Reuse of Macalester Pipe Organ: Macalester Pipe Organ donated to local church 2011 - Holiday Light Recycling Program: Collaboration with the Recycling Association of Minnesota to collect discarded holiday lights and electrical cords 2012 - Recycled Art and Craft Fair: Student recycled art and craft fair hosted 2013 - Composting started on campus 2014 - Catering and Food Service start using all compostable dishware 2014 - Compostable dishware promoted to departments

Macalester is scheduled to have a dining service waste evaluation this October 2014 with Minnesota Waste Wise.

Bon Appetit makes all their food in small batches as needed to prevent having leftovers. Food will be prepped in large quantities and cooked on an as need basis so the prepped ingredients can be used again in different meals. When large amounts of food do end up being leftover from large events, the prepared foods are donated to Second Harvest Heartland, a local hunger relief organization.

The dining hall hosts has removed all trays from the cafeteria to reduce water usage. This initiative was prompted by the Sustainability Office in 2012.

Customers at the Grille can request an EcoClamshell container for to-go meals, which they then return to be washed. Except for foil wrappers on granola bars and condiment packets etc., all packaging and silverware at the Grille is compostable.

The Dining Hall offers only reusable dishes. Customers at the Grille can request reusable dishes if they are dining on site, otherwise food is always served using compostable ware.

Bon Appétit sells reusable mugs on campus for $5.00, which entitles the owner to discounted coffee refills with the mug. For $1.50 purchasers can have unlimited coffee for the day.

Sustainability student workers organize regular Clean Plate Days once a week, where volunteers would help individuals scrape their own food waste into the correct bins after dining to help raise awareness about food waste. In addition, the bins were then weighed to determine how much food waste was being produced, and it was determined that the amount of waste was substantially less on Clean Plate Days, when individuals were responsible for disposing of their own scraps, than on other days.

Macalester switched vendors in 2012 to allow for composting.