| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.56 |
| Liaison | Mari Acob-Nash |
| Submission Date | Oct. 30, 2021 |
North Seattle College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.19 / 8.00 |
Adam
Maurer District Sustainability Coordinator Finance and Ops |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 84.24 Tons | 108.72 Tons |
| Materials composted | 18.55 Tons | 68.40 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 | 72.98 Tons | 146.08 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 175.77 Tons | 323.20 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, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2016 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
2016 was the first year we were able to collect and accurately estimate compost, recycling, and garbage.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 3,485 | 3,827.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 483 | 560.20 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 106.60 | 114.70 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,896.05 | 3,204.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.06 Tons | 0.10 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 | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | No |
| 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:
Separate bins for garbage, recycling, and compost are located throughout campus. Outreach includes updated signage, table tents, and participation in orientations to educate new incoming students.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
- Goal to reduce waste percentage by 2020.
- Separate the trash streams by providing different bins for different types of disposables: garbage, recycling, and compost.
- Introducing more compost bins gradually
- Best practices brochures are given out to students during quarterly welcome back events to encourage students to live greener.
Green Student Competition:
+ Eco Challenge Competition (2019)
+ Yearly Earth Day events
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Landfill Diversion Initiatives:
+ In 2015, North Seattle College introduced 8 water bottle filling stations throughout the campus. NSC has diverted over 30,000 bottles going to landfill since.
+ North Seattle College has used compostable utensils since 2015.
+ Increased the number of compost bins from 3 to 29, now every break room will have a Billi Compost Bin, and larger common area will have Slim Jim Compost Bins.
Green Student Initiative and Incentive:
+ Students are offered a $0.25 discount on beverage purchase if they bring their own cup.
+ To encourage students to bring their own utensils, $0.10 is charged for purchasing of each at the cafeteria.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The college has recycled old furniture, tables, chairs, etc. via various non-profit agencies:
Neighborhood House
Intergenerational Innovations
Partners for Success in Schools
Tiny Tots Child Development
Literary Program
Ingram High School
Nathan Hale High School
The college recycles useable computers, printers, equipment and furniture through State of Washington Surplus.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
+ Free Textbook Exchange every quarter
+ North Seattle College text books exchange Facebook page where students can exchange or buy school books
+ Students can donate their books every quarter.
+ There is a rent-a-text-book option in school and is highly recommended by the instructors at North
+ Recycling of graduation caps and gowns
+ Donation of clothes
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students cannot print for free due to resource use, they must pay five cents for each page printed. Limited resources for media center materials usage, only available upon requested
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
While there are some mailers sent out to the greater community, all student registration materials are dealt with online, with course catalogs and all registration related materials being published primarily online. Canvas is wildly use by all the instructors, where most the course materials, syllabus, and assignments are posted.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
N/A
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.