Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	61.29
Liaison	Bonnie Dong
Submission Date	Aug. 31, 2018
Executive Letter	Download

STARS v2.1

MacEwan University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	3.53 / 8.00	Stephen Luyendyk Senior Manager Operations Operations

"---" 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	178.66 Metric tons	274.93 Metric tons
Materials composted	0 Metric tons	0 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold	93.73 Metric tons	8.70 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion	0 Metric tons	0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator	440.38 Metric tons	289.41 Metric tons
Total waste generated	785.70 Metric tons	631.67 Metric 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:

MacEwan University sends its waste and recycling to the City of Edmonton Waste Management Centre of Excellence (EWMCE). All materials that go through recycling are hand sorted at the facility. Organics (including pre-consumer food waste) are placed into the waste stream, separated out of the waste at the EWMCE, and then sent to the Edmonton Composting Facility to be mixed with biosolids and converted into compost. There is no tracking of how much of MacEwan's waste is composted. Furthermore, 1.95 tonnes of refunables (mainly bottles and cans) were recycled in 2016/17 and in 2017/18, 1.80 tonnes were recycled through the bottle depot.

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):

	Start Date	End Date
Performance Year	July 1, 2017	June 30, 2018
Baseline Year	July 1, 2016	June 30, 2017

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):

Comparable data was only available for the past 2 years.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site	594.10	539.10
Number of employees resident on-site	2	2
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds	482.30	452.60
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment	12,914.93	12,914.93
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty)	1,389	1,419
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education	382.88	386.86
Weighted campus users	11,072.11	11,048.17

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:

	Performance Year	Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user	0.07 Metric tons	0.06 Metric tons

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

Part 3: Waste Diversion

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

38.22

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

38.22

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	No
Plant materials	No
Animal bedding	No
White goods (i.e. appliances)	Yes
Laboratory equipment	No
Furniture	Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste	Yes
Scrap metal	No
Pallets	No
Tires	No
Other (please specify below)	No

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:

MacEwan Residence recycled 900 matresses (56lbs each) in 2017 and donated/sold its lounge furniture (see attachment).

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) :

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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?:

Yes

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?:

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?:

Contamination and Discard Rates

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

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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:

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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:

Outreach is done by the Office of Sustainability to raise awareness for correct recycling/waste diversion behavior (e.g. through Master Recycler Challenge). A strong preference for no single use containers and reusable dishware is communicated for all catering services. During events, the Office of Sustainability advocates for waste-reduction/waste-free behavior.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

---

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):

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A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Asset Management is guided by policy D3100 to ensure accurate records, tracking, and valuation regarding the use and disposition of the capital assets. The Capital Planning and Asset Management (CPAM) area of Finance is responsible for administering the policy as well as the budget for central asset replacement and has cooperatively implemented procedures to maximize the reuse of assets within MacEwan University and sustainable disposition where reuse is not possible. In 2009 the Furniture Committee was formed, current members include representation from, Facilities Operations, Facilities Planning, Health Safety and Environment, and CPAM. The Committee has developed and implemented a successful furniture reuse program on campus. The Committee meets regularly to review requests for furniture and re-deploys furniture whenever possible. When a request for replacement furniture is received there is a physical assessment of the current furniture and space to ensure health and safety requirements are met. The request needs to demonstrate a clear “need” for furniture replacement versus a “want”. Requests purely for aesthetics purposes are denied. When a request is approved the Committee will explore recovering or repairing existing furniture when financially viable or will look to re-deploy from the furniture surplus inventory before an order for new furniture is issued. The Committee also ensures that any new purchases are made following the current University furniture standards. Following these standards increases the ability to re-deploy surplus furniture over the long term. CPAM is also partnering with the Information Technology Services department with regards to the re-deployment, useful life, disposition and standardization of technology assets to ensure maximum use of these assets within the University and disposition which enables reuse where possible. Currently there are a number of avenues used for the disposition of furniture or equipment which is deemed unsuitable for reuse within the University. During renovation projects, surplus millwork identified to CPAM is assessed to determine whether it can be sold. If sale by MacEwan University is unlikely, Habitat for Humanity is contacted to explore the possibility of sale or use by their organization. The main avenue for asset sales is through Alberta Government Surplus (AGS). Furniture and equipment identified for sale is assessed to determine if it is suitable for sale via the AGS on-line auction site. Sale on this site eliminates the need to transport the asset to AGS as the buyer picks up the asset directly from MacEwan University. Assets which are not suitable for on-line sale are delivered to AGS for sale and reuse in the broader community. Electronic equipment is tested to ensure that it is in working order and ready for reuse prior to delivering to AGS.

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):

A free store is offered by SAMU for different occasions (e.g. Sustainamania). During Residence Move-Out ("Suite Score"), students are encouraged to exchange unwanted items. All items are collected in crates and can be accessed by students and staff.

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):

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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:

Blackboard as a way for faculty to post course syllabuses and materials online. Academic journals are available on online databases. Board of Governors uses online storage software to avoid printing meeting packages.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

At the end of each term students are invited to donate unwanted reusable items in the lobby of residence. Items such as clothes, electronics, non-perishable food, and other household and school supplies are accepted. Items are sorted and kept in crates in the the lobby, where they can be accessed by all MacEwan community members. Some items will be collected for starter-kits for international students and all remaining items will be donated to community members (e.g. Goodwill, Bissel Centre, YESS).

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:

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

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

OP 19_Recycled_Sold and donated items 16.17 17.18.xlsx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

- The Waste Management Centre was shut down between October 2017 and May 2018. Part of MacEwan's recycling was recorded as landfilled waste. As a result, recycling numbers dropped, while numbers for landfilled waste rose significantly (in November and December 2017). Hence, creating a slightly distorted image with respect to recycled materials. Responsible Party for re-sold and donated waste: Panno Olson, Colleen Manager/Project SME Finance, Capital Planning Asset Management 780-497-4219 Panno_OlsonC@macewan.ca

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.