Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.42
Liaison Dayna Cook
Submission Date March 3, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Northern Arizona University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.18 / 8.00 Ellen Vaughan
Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 456.94 Tons 800 Tons
Materials composted 61.04 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 19.96 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 2,463.03 Tons 1,700 Tons
Total waste generated 3,000.97 Tons 2,500 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2005 June 30, 2006

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):

The baseline year was adopted because it was the first year that amounts were accounted for.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,733 6,053
Number of employees resident on-site 34 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 1 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 28,657 11,140.76
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,185 2,297
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 7,464 581
Weighted campus users 20,226.25 11,155.82

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.15 Tons 0.22 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
33.79

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
17.93

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
17.93

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
Laboratory equipment Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
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:

Housing and Residence Life recycled 42,840 pounds of mattresses with LRP Recycling in July 2016.

Housing and Residence Life participates in multiple Terracycle programs. We have diverted 12,648 items from the landfill. We collect the following items: Mouthwash bottles and caps, deodorant containers and caps, toothpaste tubes and caps, soap packaging, floss containers, toothbrushes, Hair care packaging such as shampoo caps, conditioner caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray triggers, and hair paste caps. Skin care packaging such as lip balm tubes and caps, soap dispensers and tubes, body wash caps, lotion dispensers and caps. Cosmetics packaging such as lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eye shadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils. Plastic cereal bags and box liners, all used writing utensils, and Family-size snack bags, individual snack bags, and multipack snack bags.

We also have collection stations for used batteries and ink cartridges in all residential communities.


Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
---

Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
13.90

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:
---

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
---

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

On October 20, 2013, Facility Services in coordination with Campus Dining audited the waste stream from the homecoming football game. Various waste streams were inventoried and weighed. All recyclables were recycled properly.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):

The NAU Purchasing department has established policies that address sustainable purchasing in the "Contracting and Purchasing Services Policy Manual." Among other items, when possible, practical and feasible, the University will strive to select products that are: Durable as opposed to single use or disposable, Non or minimally toxic, preferably biodegradable, Contain a high recycled content, especially post consumer recycled content, highly recyclable at the end of the life-cycle, and shipped responsibly by combining shipments with other shipments to the University or region with
minimal packaging consistent with care of product made from recycled and/or recyclable materials. The full policy can be found here: http://nau.edu/Contracting-Purchasing-Services/_Forms/Policies/204/


A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Northern Arizona University is required by law to maximize use of all assets and, when it has no further use for them, maximize returns on their sale. We are not allowed to give surplus property away. The Property Surplus Department is the only NAU department authorized to dispose of surplus property. The primary role of the Property Surplus department is to ensure that the excess property generated by NAU will be handled in a method that both maximizes the return to the University and meets the disposal requirements of the state and federal governments.

Departments may use Property Surplus to obtain used materials on campus and when materials are not used within the University, they are sold to the public.


A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):

Although nothing formal is in place, EcoReps often will host clothing and personal item swaps in the residence halls throughout the year.


A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):

In the library and computer labs on campus there either is no printing or charged printing. Free printing is limited to some Graduate Assistant Offices only. Facility Services has implemented three major changes to printing on most centralized printers; default duplex printing, default black and white instead of color printing, and enabled a secondary setting that reduced toner consumption by lowering the print density.

Facility Services was also awarded a Green Fund grant to purchase 12 tablets for building inspectors to reduce the need for printed plans. That translates to almost 600 plans a month that no longer need to be printed due to digital access with the tablets.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:

Course catalogs are available at: http://catalog.nau.edu/

Course schedules available through the student online LOUIE system.

Directory is found on the front page of the NAU website: http://nau.edu/


A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

During move-in, we provide additional roll offs for cardboard recycling. Temp staff is hired to ensure that cardboard is collected and that other materials are diverted to the other dumpsters. We diverted 20.54 tons of recyclable materials from the landfill during the 2016 Fall move-in.

The "Leave Green" campaign is the marketing effort to enhance the existing residence hall move-out waste diversion program benefiting local, not-for-profit agencies. Students can donate their unwanted goods during spring move-out that go to benefit non-profit partners. Leave Green completed its seventh year in Spring 2016, and has partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Sunshine Rescue Mission. Items that are collected include gently used clothing, furniture, small household items and electronics, books, cleaning supplies, and non-perishable food. Since the program’s inception, almost 240,000 pounds of items have been donated with over 38,000 pounds donated in the Spring of 2016.


A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:

At the University Union and Dubois center people can drop off batteries and printer cartridges to be recycled. Batteries can also be recycled at Facility Services as well as light bulbs. There is also a central drop-off location location for glass in parking lot P62B.

Housing and Residence Life participates in several Terracycle brigades in an effort to divert additional items from the waste stream. These include used personal care containers, used writing utensils, and snack bags and liners. Since starting in 2015, we have diverted over 8,000 items from the waste stream.

Residents in the Residence Halls can drop off used batteries and ink cartridges at the front desk of their residence hall. They are then taken to Facility Services, which coordinates the recycling of them.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Performance year FY2015.


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.