| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.23 |
| Liaison | Jody Jones |
| Submission Date | March 18, 2024 |
Mount Royal University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.92 / 8.00 |
Jody
Jones Project Analyst Facitities Management |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 81 Tons | 143 Tons |
| Materials composted | 138 Tons | 96 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 2 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 237 Tons | 278 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 458 Tons | 517 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
---
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2019 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
It was deemed 'representative' of a fiscal year with typical operations for which reliable data is available.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 720 | 858 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 2 | 5 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 60 | 120 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 11,139 | 9,165.69 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,221 | 1,626 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 405 | 65.96 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,206.75 | 8,380.05 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.05 Tons | 0.06 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
19.37
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
48.25
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
48.25
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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Book Buyback program in which students can return gently used textbooks and recoup some of the initial cost of the textbook. The textbook is then resold to the next cohort of students at the discounted price.
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
0
Tons
Recycling Management
Yes
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No
Contamination and Discard Rates
41
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Sensors are deployed on high volume waste containers to monitor collections and for contamination.
Programs and Initiatives
MRU runs a program called "Ask for a Straw" which changes the default protocol to not provide straws with drinks unless asked by customers.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
MRU contracts a third party consultant to audit all waste generated at MRU. This audit includes a thorough analysis of garbage, recycling and reuse streams over the course of a week to provide data such as waste diversion. The audit also provides more detailed information on waste composition and contamination, infrastructure and collection protocols, and procurement.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Mount Royal's Sustainable Purchasing Guideline addresses how individuals can select products in a sustainable way.
Supply Chain Services contributes by assisting departments in the procurement of goods and services that fully meet or exceed business requirements while:
a. Minimizing resource consumption (including energy).
b. Reducing or preventing the generation or release of waste, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants to air, water and land.
c. Managing waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
d. Protecting health and well-being.
In section 3 - General Guidelines, disposal, durability and re-usability, energy efficiency, locality, packaging, recycled content, total cost of ownership, toxins, water efficiency, energy conservation, transportation, and waste management and recycling are all included with recommendations on how an individual should proceed with procurement.
Supply Chain Services contributes by assisting departments in the procurement of goods and services that fully meet or exceed business requirements while:
a. Minimizing resource consumption (including energy).
b. Reducing or preventing the generation or release of waste, greenhouse gases, and other pollutants to air, water and land.
c. Managing waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
d. Protecting health and well-being.
In section 3 - General Guidelines, disposal, durability and re-usability, energy efficiency, locality, packaging, recycled content, total cost of ownership, toxins, water efficiency, energy conservation, transportation, and waste management and recycling are all included with recommendations on how an individual should proceed with procurement.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Environmental Services will pick up and redistribute office supplies at the request of departments who are moving or just have surplus office supplies.
Some departments will put a table outside of their office with outdated or no longer relevant supplies for staff, students, and faculty to help themselves to. The tables are generally empty within a couple hours!
Some departments will put a table outside of their office with outdated or no longer relevant supplies for staff, students, and faculty to help themselves to. The tables are generally empty within a couple hours!
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Surplus furniture is available for purchase (very cheap) at Shipping and Receiving.
Our students association offers book consignment multiple times a year for textbooks to be reused with potential discount prices for students.
Our students association offers book consignment multiple times a year for textbooks to be reused with potential discount prices for students.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Employees are required to swipe their employee card on large Lexmark copiers. Department printing numbers are forwarded to management for review to ensure overprinting/costs are within reason. Computers and printers default to black/white, double sided across campus.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Mount Royal offers all course catalogs, schedules, and directories online at mtroyal.ca as the internet reaches a broader audience and can be updated quickly if needed as opposed to printed documents.
The MyMRU online platform houses blackboard learning and other resources, including timesheets, for staff, students, and faculty.
The MyMRU online platform houses blackboard learning and other resources, including timesheets, for staff, students, and faculty.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
MRU Residence participates in Eco-move out. Each April, donation bins for non-perishable food and clean clothing are placed on the ground floor of each building in West Residence and in the East Community Centre. In April 2017, 1500 – 1800lbs of food was collected and donated to the Calgary Foodbank.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
MRU's Grounds department keeps rocks, logs and other natural materials found on site for landscaping purposes.
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:
http://www.mtroyal.ca/CampusServices/LivingonCampus/IncomingCurrentResidents/MovingOut/index.htm
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.