| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.32 |
| Liaison | Karen Oberer |
| Submission Date | Dec. 11, 2020 |
McGill University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.76 / 8.00 |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 540 Metric tons | 357.43 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 340 Metric tons | 11.59 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 | 1,458 Metric tons | 2,045.72 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 2,338 Metric tons | 2,414.74 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, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 |
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 | 3,321 | 3,260 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 52 | 15 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 17 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 32,754 | 31,755 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,293 | 6,979 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 41 | 32 |
| Weighted campus users | 30,864.75 | 29,845.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.08 Metric tons | 0.08 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 | Yes |
| Furniture | No |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| 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:
McGill's new recycling collection contract, which will go into effect in 2020, include a 17-point audit of the recyclng sorting centre receiving recyclable materials from the campus. A team from McGill visited facilities to ensure that (amongst other factors) they resold the majority of materials within the North Amercian market, and employed best practices in Health and Safety.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
McGill has a student waste educator program which runs in the cafeterias in the first month of each semester. In 2019 for the first time a parallel student waste educator program was also run in the academic buildings for the entire school year. Teams would table in building lobbies and then visit classrooms and make short presentations about proper waste sorting on the campus. In the 2019-2020 school year the waste educator team reached over 6000 students and campus stakeholders.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
In the 2018-2019 school year, three waste audits were performed at McGill. One audited the waste from the school's cafeterias, another focused on the Athletics facilties, and a third sampled waste from 11 major academic buildings (aiming to span multiple building uses). Since multiple major waste system improvements will be implemented in 2020, follow up audits are planned in the coming years to assess progress.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
McGill's Procurement Policy (Section 3.3.3) states that "it brings about the duty to source exclusively from suppliers who demonstrate a steady record of compliance with all environmental regulations and an organizational commitment to responsible environmental management, by minimizing waste and promoting environmentally friendly products and services." In this way, McGill is ensuring that suppliers are committed to waste minimization. Furthermore, McGill Procurement Services encourages buyers to order items in bulk, especially with regards to office supplies, such as to minimize packaging waste and transportation costs.
Source/Link: https://www.mcgill.ca/procurement/files/procurement/procurement_policy_en.pdf
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:
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
McGill University offers a campus-wide copy and print management service that allows any student with a valid McGill ID card to send a print job to the central print queue, and pick it up from the uPrint device of their choice.
Some of the benefits include:
- A single pricing system, with printing and copying charges billed directly to your student fee account on a monthly basis.
- Direct scan to email (no charge).
- No need to carry around copy cards or change, all you have to do is swipe your McGill ID card to use the uPrint device.
- Default double sided printing and copying - contribute to McGill's sustainability efforts.
- Stapling and sorting functionality.
All of our printers and copiers use 100% recycled paper and are defaulted to double-sided printer settings. In addition, most machines also provide users with the ability to scan documents directly to a USB key or to email the document directly to themselves.""""
Furthermore, McGill ratafied a new Paper Use Policy in 2019 which institutionalizes these measures and encourages the centralization of all University printing in the McGill Printing Services unit, who maximizes post-consumer recycled paper content.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The University no longer prints or distributes telephone directories, pay stubs, or invoices. Course Catalogs became available online as of the 2008-2009 school year. McGill Libraries is also working to digitize course material so that course pack printing could be dramatically reduced.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
"Residences staff recuperate reusable materials from student residence hall move-outs and this is reused where feasible.
Also, Campus Swaps is a student-run social enterprise, created to reduce student waste and encourage a cyclical system of ownership within the student communities.
Finally, Trash2Treasure, another student intiaitive, collect materials during the move out period and donate them to various charitable organizations to keep them from simply being put out for collection by city waste management services.
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 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.