| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.75 |
| Liaison | Jauna Vitale |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2025 |
New York University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.00 / 8.00 |
Jauna
Vitale Assistant Director, Sustainability NYU Office of Sustainability |
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 1,652.50 Tons | 1,820 Tons |
| Materials composted | 528.50 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 | 3,662.83 Tons | 4,005.99 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 5,843.83 Tons | 5,825.99 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 | Jan. 1, 2023 | Dec. 31, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | Sept. 1, 2005 | Aug. 31, 2006 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The baseline year was chosen because this is the baseline year from NYU's 2011 STARS Report.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 11,323 | 11,106 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 1,450 | 1,000 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 1,943 | 1,526 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 56,805 | 33,919 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 11,711 | 8,739 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,689 | 84 |
| Weighted campus users | 55,256.50 | 36,483 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.11 Tons | 0.16 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
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 | No |
| Animal bedding | Yes |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | No |
| 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:
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
Recycling Management
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?:
Contamination and Discard Rates
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
NYU Grounds department sets annual diversion rate goals and tracks progress monthly. To reduce comtamination landfill and mixed recycling bins are paired and signage is placed above and on the bin for easy identification. In addition, education campaigns take place throughout the year. Custodial staff all receive a waste management training and the NYU community has access to an online training module on how to recycle at NYU.
Programs and Initiatives
The Office of Sustainability hosts a variety of behavior change initiatives to create a culture of sustainability. An example is 2040 Now where NYU community was asked to envision and act as living in 2040 when NYU's carbon goals were met. As part of that initative the community was asked to create zero waste for the week. This week-long event challenged students, faculty and staff to reduce their waste as much as possible and featured zero-waste educational and interactive events.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
NYU's Grounds Management performs regular waste audits in NYU buildings to understand NYU's recycling and waste diversion performance as well as overall waste footprint. This information is used to inform strategies to increase NYU's diversion rate and set annual targets. In addition, NYU's dining service provider conducts at a minimum two waste audits an academic year to identify improvements and set target diversion rates for all dining facilities.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Contracts with NYU's office supplies and IT equipment suppliers designate right size packaging. This ensures items being shipped to NYU are not overpackaged.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
NYU's Asset Management department facilitates the distribution of surplus materials. Through the completion of the Asset Surplus Form, Asset Management is able to inspect surplus goods, determine its recyclable value or designate it for disposal. Asset Management uses the information from the Asset Surplus Form to update its online inventory database where any NYU department can claim the item.
NYU's Capital Projects and Facilities department works closely with Asset Management to successfully relocate or donate used furniture and equipment ahead of major renovation work.
Items donated are not reported in the figures above.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
NYU's Asset Management maintains an online inventory list of all available furnishings and other goods that are available to NYU departments and schools. The platform includes photos and description of the items.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
NYU limits the total number of pages a student can print for free through the use of the student's ID which keeps track of the total pages printed. Double-sided printing is default on NYU printers. Additionally, NYU removed personal printers across campus and implementated print technology on multi-function devices that requires an ID tap or code before a print job is printed. All of these measures optimized printing practices and has drastically reduced paper and ink purchases.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
NYU primarily provides materials on courses online, through the Albert web system, and shares course materials via an online platform.
Most NYU schools have discontinued printing hard-copy course catalogs.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
NYU's Green Apple Move Out program is intended to reduce residence hall move-out waste. Items collected include un-needed items such as clothes, bedding, small appliances, books, and un-opened non-perishable food. These items are then donated or recycled.Items donated are not reported in the figures above.
In addition, residence halls without kitchens or overhead lighting hold refrigerators and lamps on-campus, so that they may be re-used by entering students.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Discarded frying oil from NYU's dining halls is recycled into biofuel by a third party contractor. Discarded oil, however, is not reported in the figures above.
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.