Occidental College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Sustainability
Office Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Management |
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 0 Tons | 209 Tons |
| Materials composted | 154.60 Tons | 100.70 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 8.44 Tons | 3 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 306.08 Tons | 441 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 469.12 Tons | 753.70 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
Note: recycling is not weighed by our waste hauler. Data for total tons recycled not available, but we do recycle.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2012 | June 30, 2013 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
All baseline years used in this survey correspond with the year of our first greenhouse gas inventory.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,552 | 1,676 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 40 | 10 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,992 | 2,170 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 503 | 660 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,269.25 | 2,544 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.21 Tons | 0.30 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 | Yes |
| Animal bedding | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| 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:
Programs and Initiatives
The main campus dining hall has a default all-reusable to-go box program instead of disposables.
Green Move Out encourages students to donate their unwanted goods at the end of the year instead of throwing them out.
The ongoing Touchdown Thrift store accepts donations during open hours to encourage reuse.
All campus dining halls and the student cafe offer discounts and incentives for bringing a reusable cup/mug or dining "for here" rather than to go.
Signage is posted above all campus waste receptacles.
The Occidental Student Compost Actions for Remediation club (OSCAR) attends events to help educate event goers on proper waste sorting habits.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
In the last three years, two waste characterizations and one food waste audit have taken place to better monitor campus contamination rates and waste sorting habits. These have led to recommendations for improved signage, orientation education, product swaps, and food waste reduction efforts.
Dorm compost bin contamination and weight data is collected on an ongoing basis by the Occidental Student Compost Actions for Remediation club (OSCAR). This data tailors signage and bin placement to better inform students living in the dorms and encourage better sorting habits.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Most disposable service items in our dining hall and other food options are compostable. We purchase/serve condiments in bulk containers to avoid waste from individual packaging.
While we still sell bottled water, the bottles must be made from non-plastic materials such as aluminum or boxed water.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
There is no formal program to facilitate the reuse of materials generally, however the Sustainability Office works with departments across campus to help them recycle unwanted (and unusable) items such as old furniture, books, and e-waste.
Facilities Management oversees a program for the reuse of all campus furniture. Departments with excess furniture, or departments looking for additional furniture work with Facilities to exchange furniture.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
The Touchdown Thrift store is a student-led initiative that encourages peer-to-peer exchange and reuse.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
All campus printers (excludes personal desk top printers) are set to automatically print double-sided.
Since 2010, all library printers have had a release-to-print function which ensures that every job printed is actually picked up. This program has saved 160,000 sheets of paper since January 1, 2014.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The institution has made a significant effort to make all resources available online, rather than in hard copy. Human Resources provides all employee resources, from the employee hand book to benefit information, online.
The academic program has shifted to using online platforms for class readings and assignment submissions, rather than using hard copies.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Green Move Out is a collaborative effort of the Office of Sustainability, Residential Education and Housing Services (REHS), and Facilities Management to divert as much of these items as possible from landfill and circulate them back into the local community.
Beginning the day after classes end in the spring, students may donate acceptable items to the Donation Stations located in each residence hall by sorting them into the appropriate donation bin! This helps to keep the bins from overflowing, and helps Green Move Out volunteers direct the donated goods to the appropriate recipient, including our on-campus Oxy Ecossentials Club, which hosts an annual Fall Move-In Thrift Sale, and the Critical Making Studio, as well as off-campus locations like local thrift shops and shelters.
2024 Impact
- 8,700 total pounds of donations
- 3248 lbs clothes
- 1470 lbs misc dorm goods
- 809 lbs books
- 293 lbs school & office supplies
- 237 lbs food
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Facilities Management keeps left over materials from construction/ renovation and maintenance projects in order to reduce waste and material costs. These materials are either used in the future for repairs, or are repurposed and used as needed throughout campus. Our carpenters are great at using left over materials to fabricate new items.
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.