| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.07 |
| Liaison | Michael Chapman |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
Nova Scotia Community College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
7.09 / 8.00 |
Martha
MacGowan Project Assistant- Sustainability Facilities & Engineering |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 77 Tons | 252.90 Tons |
| Materials composted | 128.20 Tons | 162 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 | 88.70 Tons | 302.30 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 293.90 Tons | 717.20 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Sept. 4, 2018 | Sept. 4, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | Sept. 7, 2011 | Sept. 7, 2012 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
During the 2011/ 2012 academic school year it was decided that a college wide waste audit should be conducted to begin the process of monitoring our waste management practices. This is the first year we have a solid baseline for data at all 13 NSCC campuses.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 120 | 180 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 12,703 | 10,215 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,845 | 1,619 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 737 | 70 |
| Weighted campus users | 10,388.25 | 8,868 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.03 Tons | 0.08 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 | No |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
NSCC recycles as many materials generated on-site as possible. In regions where disposable paper coffee cups are not recycled, "Tim Horton's" brand cups are collected and returned to the Tim Horton's restaurant where they are recycled internally to make cup trays. NSCC also has greenhouses at certain campuses and those campuses complete their own on-site composting of food waste. Sawdust at many campuses that have carpentry programs is also saved and local farmers collect it to use for animal bedding and farming.
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:
The campuses follow the "Pack it in, pack it out" program where no classrooms or offices have waste bins. Hallways and common areas have quad stream sorting stations (landfill waste, compost, plastic/glass recyclables, paper). This encourages staff and students to use the sorting stations and not have "catch-all" type garbage bins. Some campuses also do secondary sorting, the facilities staff remove the waste from the sorting stations and go through and do a final sort before ultimate disposal.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
NSCC campuses follow the "Pack it in, pack it out" program, where no classrooms or offices have waste bins. Hallways and common areas have quad stream sorting stations (landfill waste, compost, plastic/glass recyclables, paper). This encourages staff and students to use the sorting stations and not have "catch-all" type garbage bins. The signs for the sorting stations are photos of common waste items on campus to make it easier to sort your waste.
Waste audits are conducted bi-annually (once a semester) at every NSCC campus. At many campuses students participate in the audits and assist with the sorting. Students then take on waste diversion as class projects and will have education sessions on campus, including information booths set up at lunch time and students stationed at waste sorting stations to assist with sorting, as well as social media campaigns to promote waste sorting.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Waste audits are conducted every semester at every NSCC campus. The sort and weigh method is used and a projection formula is used to determine annual amounts of each waste category.
Waste is weighed for each category to determine the campus' diversion rate (what percentage of total waste is being diverted from landfill), capture rate, and waste reduction rate.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
According to the NSCC procurement policy's section on sustainable procurement (copied below) waste impact must be considered when purchasing products.
3.1.7 Sustainable Procurement
Sustainable Procurement involves taking a holistic approach to obtain best value for goods and services. NSCC, where economically viable and operationally feasible, shall ensure that sustainable procurement criteria are embedded in all purchasing decisions. Sustainable criteria may include, but are not limited to:
Environmental Considerations: Greenhouse gas impact, waste impact, recycled content, re-usability/ end-of-life disposal requirements.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Nova Scotia Community College is committed to ensuring stewardship in the management and use of its resources. It is College policy that all assets of the College are properly recorded, tracked, used, and safeguarded. The Director of Facilities is responsible for the execution of this policy. Any assets that have become surplus are offered to other NSCC campuses, schools, or provincial departments. Items that remain unused by any of these departments are sold through public notice.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
NSCC campuses have an office supply exchange program, where other employees are encouraged to leave supplies they don't need or use anymore such as empty binders, staplers, file folders, etc they are left in a certain area (i.e. a table outside of the main offices) and other employees can take them to use them.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Each student has been allocated printing credits to the equivalent of $50 for the school year. These credits are provided to cover printing errors, such as ruined prints due to low toner conditions, prints lost because of power outages, etc. No further credits will be allocated free of charge. Printing credits can be accessed from the Campus computer lab, or any computer workstation in the Library. Credits will be deducted based on:
• 10 cents / page for black and white laser output prints;
• 50 cents / page for color laser output prints;
• Costs of plots will be based on plotted area.
If a student uses all their printing credits it is possible to purchase additional credits from the Campus Business Office [or Campus Bookstore], during regular office hours. A minimum purchase of $5 is required.
The college also has all printers set at default double-sided printing college-wide.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Although course catalogs are printed, potential students are encouraged to visit www.nscc.ca to view course information as it is more accurate than the printed catalogs. Course schedules and directories are available exclusively online through "MyNSCC" on the NSCC website.
For NSCC staff the College uses "Connect", an intranet service that provides all forms, documents and information the staff requires. These files are not printed and distributed.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The NSCC campus in Truro is currently the only NSCC campus with a residence hall. At Truro campus we have a seven-tiered waste disposal system and that is implemented in the dormitories. When students are moving out they have waste disposal facilities available to them.
The Compost, recyclables, metal and cardboard are all taken away on a weekly basis making it more convenient for the students to properly dispose of their waste.
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.