| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.36 |
| Liaison | Allison Maxted |
| Submission Date | Feb. 17, 2022 |
Mohawk College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.33 / 8.00 |
Nicolai
Strabac Sustainable Programs and Services Coordinator Sustainability Office/Facilities Services |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 308.31 Tons | 246 Tons |
| Materials composted | 191.07 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 319.91 Tons | 185 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 819.29 Tons | 431 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
N/A
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, 2007 | Dec. 31, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
As identified in the Mohawk College Environmental Management Plan 2.0, Mohawk College is committed to manage generated waste on campus through the development of a College-wide Waste Management Strategy.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 340 | 350 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 21,017.33 | 11,750 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,709 | 1,100 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 901 | 398.70 |
| Weighted campus users | 16,454.00 | 9,425.97 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.05 Tons | 0.05 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 | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Mixed Metals
Mixed metals, mainly from everyday maintenance procedures are deposited into a designated collection container which is supplied and serviced by Wentworth Metals as required.
E-waste from IT department and Mohawk community (employees and students)
Batteries from Mohawk community (employees and students)
IT Equipment donated to the Eva Rothwell Centre
Re-sold tires, protective floor tarps and potters wheels on GovDeals.net
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:
Coffee Cup Recyclers around campus where students and employees can properly dispose of their coffee cups and liquid. Other behaviour change initiatives include information booths on recycling and waste and outreach campaigns for coffee cup waste. All bins have informational signage to help students determine what stream their waste should go into.
Mohawk Sustainability also hosted a training on waste management on campus to student leaders. Students learned about the concept of zero waste, how they can contribute to proper waste management and how they can educate other students about wast on campus.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
-Annual Water Fountain Audits (Track amount of plastics bottles waste diverted thorugh water fountain trackers)
-Comprehensive review of current waste management system (quantitative and qualitative)
- 2016, 2017 and 2018 Fennell and Stoney Creek Audits completed by GFL and students for capstone projects
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Mohawk College has a "Single Use Plastics" policy
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Facilities Planning Department houses all unused office furniture and redistributes the furniture when and where it is needed.
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:
All printing runs at a minimum cost of 15 cents per page. All printers are defaulted to print black and white and double sided to reduce paper use.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
-Mohawk has moved away from printing its course calendar for full-time programs and offers a comprehensive program overview online.
-Paperless News Initiative
This new program was launched in September 2013, seeking to improve access to local news and reduce waste generated on campus. Any staff, student or faculty member with a Mohawk College account can access the daily news on their computer, tablet or smartphone. The move from hardcopy to free, paperless access will help reduce Mohawk’s carbon footprint by eliminating 18.94 tonnes of waste yearly.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During Move-out various donation bins for clothing, food and other items that are no longer wanted are collected and dropped off at various donation sites. The Residence also has a donation bin all year round for small appliances and clothes that students want to donate. This helps to reduce the amount of waste generated as well as to support the surrounding community.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
-Introduction of a Single-Use plastics ban
-Commitment to only offer 4-stream waste receptacles throughout campus to encourage diversion and total waste reduction
-Enhanced signage and waste diversion information
-Improvements to Electronic Waste Management program with new signage and a storage cabinet
- Hosting more frequent e-waste drives.
-Improvements to battery recycling by expanding program across the college.
-Coffee cup recycling program introduced in 2017.
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.