Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.07
Liaison Jonathan Miller
Submission Date Oct. 27, 2022

STARS v2.2

Nova Southeastern University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.99 / 8.00 Seth Mangasarian
Director
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 255.15 Tons 182.95 Tons
Materials composted 0 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 2,491.54 Tons 2,359.96 Tons
Total waste generated 2,746.69 Tons 2,542.91 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Single stream process used in collection.

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, 2017 Dec. 31, 2017

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,500 1,475
Number of employees resident on-site 10 6
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 18,071 18,000
Full-time equivalent of employees 3,954 3,846
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 3,790 0
Weighted campus users 14,303.75 16,754.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.19 Tons 0.15 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
9.29

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
9.29

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 No
Cooking oil No
Plant materials No
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) No
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:
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Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
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Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
10

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
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Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Nova Southeastern University is actively attempting to improve the recycling program across the university community. Through participation in the AASHE RecycleMania competition, educational material is dispersed throughout student and staff areas as well as at the annual Community Fest celebration. Additional efforts are occuring in the Office of Residential Life and Housing to improve recycling education in the residential halls, as well as in the Office of Student Life and Civic Engagement to improve environmental education and recycling programs within the student organizations.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
During FY 18, NSU commisioned a waste audit through the services of Rubber Maid. In FY 19 and FY 20, internal waste audits were conducted through the help of the Green Sharks Sustainability Club, student organization.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
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A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
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A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
NSU's bookstore rents, sells, and buys books. When renting, the books are very obviously reused by peers. The buying back of books achieves this same purpose. One may buy a book form the bookstore and sell it 6 months to a year later for around 80% of the purchasing price, incentivizing the use and reuse of textbooks at the university.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Most books offered for academic courses have online textbook options available through the NSU bookstore.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
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A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.