| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.93 |
| Liaison | Joanne Wong |
| Submission Date | June 20, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Mills College
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.69 / 5.00 |
Nicole
Gaetjens Sustainability Coordinator Campus Facilities |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 91.40 Tons | 21 Tons |
| Materials composted | 93.90 Tons | 67 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 22 Tons | 5 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 157.20 Tons | 362 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 614 | 491 |
| Number of residential employees | 18 | 18 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 1,405 | 1,270 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 388 | 356.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 0 | 0 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Our baseline is FY2006. In this fiscal year, there was very limited recycling, compost had already been fully implemented in the dining halls, and there was an extended infrastructure of dumpsters across campus. During this time, a Recycling Manager was hired and the College invested staff time and resources in implementing a campus-wide recycling program. In the years that followed, compost was expanded across campus and many of the dumpsters were downgraded to smaller carts. The performance year of July 1 2014-June 30 2015 differs somewhat from the Fall 2015 data reported in IC 3, resulting in some discrepancies between the two credits.
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
Staff and students have conducted waste audits in the dumpsters outside of a residence hall. These audits demonstrated a high ratio of paper towels, which pushed forward the initiative to implement a compost program throughout the residence halls. After the compost program was implemented and before the RecycleMania competition, students and staff conducted an audit of the residence hall compost bins to obtain an accurate volume to weigh conversion ratio.
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
There are several ways that the College goes about reusing and exchanging office supplies. Departments may contact Facilities to take unwanted items, which are stored and made available to other departments upon request. The student-run Re-Use Depot accepts items such as office and school supplies, which are quickly redistributed to the community. Many departments have a reuse area in their supply closet so workers within a department can exchange supplies. Lastly, the Re-Use Depot is a student-run space where Mills community members can donate and/or take gently used items for free.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The College has migrated all course catalogs, course schedules, and directories to online sources and does not provide printed copies.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
GoPrint is a centralized printer management system. At Mills GoPrint is deployed in student computing labs to monitor printing and charge for usage above the free allowance assigned to each student. GoPrint is also tracking usage on networked printers outside of student labs so Mills can better analyze and track printing across campus.
GoPrint is being implemented as part of an effort to curb waste for both environmental and fiscal reasons. Many institutions that have implemented printing systems have found that making users aware of the cost of their printing results in a significant decrease in printing. Such a decrease would help support sustainability goals and reduce rising costs.
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During move-out, the Reusables Drive provides the opportunity for students to donate the items they do not need, directing them toward the Re-Use Depot or local non-profit organizations. This program keeps our resources in the community and extends their useful life. Developed over many years, this program is extremely successful at diverting useful material goods away from the landfill.
Donated storage pods, labeled Reusables Drive, are placed in the parking lot directly next to each residence hall to be used as collection rooms. They provide students with a dry, enclosed location to donate their items. They are available to students the last week before move-out. The Re-Use Depot closes the Friday before the last day of instruction in order to make room for the Reusables Drive operations.
The Sustainability Coordinator and a team of student workers collect the donated items, sort them according to their appropriate destinations, and direct them to either the Re-Use Depot or local organizations.
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
After the student group Earth CORPS ran a campaign in the fall of 2008, Mills College adopted a trayless meals program at the beginning of the semester in spring 2009. Trays are still available to students with disabilities.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
Almost all to-go items provided by dining on campus are in compostable packaging. This even includes challenging materials such as coffee cup lids and straws. There is a high standard that has been set and followed through on for many years now. The only exception is glass or metal beverage containers. There has been a dedication to providing beverages in glass and metal, limiting the selection of beverages available in plastic.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
In the main dining hall, the only option is to use reusable dinnerware and utensils. In the dining area that has to-go options, all customers have the option of eating at the location with reusable dishware.
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
Customers receive a $0.20 discount for bringing in their own mugs for coffee.
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The performance year of July 1 2014-June 30 2015 differs somewhat from the Fall 2015 data reported in IC 3, resulting in some discrepancies between the two credits.
The performance year of July 1 2014-June 30 2015 differs somewhat from the Fall 2015 data reported in IC 3, resulting in some discrepancies between the two credits.
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.