| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.57 |
| Liaison | Brandon Trelstad |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Oregon State University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.33 / 8.00 |
Andrea
Norris Outreach Coordinator Campus Recycling |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 825.69 Tons | 607 Tons |
| Materials composted | 475.28 Tons | 196 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 560.13 Tons | 121 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 2,057.17 Tons | 3,105 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 3,918.27 Tons | 4,029 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2004 | June 30, 2005 |
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):
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,818 | 3,253 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 15 | 16 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 26,778.90 | 17,977 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 5,791.30 | 4,581 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 5,197.90 | 556 |
| Weighted campus users | 21,737.48 | 17,318.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.18 Tons | 0.23 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 | Yes |
| 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) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
In addition to the commodities in the previous question, OSU also works to divert:
Batteries
Books
Electronic storage media (CDs, VHS, floppy disks, etc.)
Electronics
Film plastic
Ink/toner cartridges
Packing peanuts
Styrofoam
Fluorescent light bulbs and ballasts
Motor oil
Graduation gowns
Resale includes additional categories such as computers, shoes/clothing/housewares, office supplies, tools, sporting goods, vehicles and more (http://fa.oregonstate.edu/surplus)
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?:
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?:
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?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
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:
Bottles and cans are sorted to remove redeemable containers; most contaminants are removed at this time. "No coffee cups" signs are on some but not all on-the-go recycling units. Our special event recycling program requires most event stations to be staffed.
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:
Waste Watchers
Campus Recycling operates a waste reduction-oriented volunteer club known as the Waste Watchers. Waste Watchers act as advocates for recycling and waste reduction by planning and hosting events and other forms of marketing to educate their peers.
Fall 2018 Recycling Guidelines Communication Plan
In fall term 2018, Campus Recycling carried out a multifaceted education campaign focused on informing the campus community that recycling guidelines had changed recently and the key elements of the current guidelines. This included public presentations, paid and unpaid social media content, posters, slides on campus screens, e-newsletters, an email to all university staff, a media release, etc. Signage in key spots on campus was also updated at this time.
Recycle Right Campaign
Waste Watcher club leaders trained volunteer members to give recycling how-to's presentations, which they in turn delivered to clubs on campus. Eco-Reps in the residence halls did door-to-door, events, and informational tabling in their halls to educate residents about proper recycling. These Eco-Rep efforts were preceded and followed by waste audits and recycling surveys to gauge the success of this outreach. A trilingual recycling guide was designed and distributed in the university's family housing complex.
Repair Fairs
Each term, the Waste Watchers hold Repair Fairs to foster a culture of repair and reuse over consumerism. The event allows students, staff, faculty, and members of the public to bring damaged items to receive free repairs. Repairs are given by volunteers - who teach attendees how to make future repairs, as well as fix the item - and cover a variety of categories: clothing, appliances, electronics, housewares, computers, and sometimes more.
RecycleMania
OSU is a long-time participant in the national RecycleMania recycling contest. OSU and University of Oregon utilize a socially instilled rivalry to host a localized recycling competition between the two universities during the national competition, in order to further promote recycling. During this timeframe, the results of the local competition and the how-to's of recycling are promoted in a variety of ways.
Master Recycler Class
Campus Recycling partners with Republic Services to coordinate a Master Recycler program for Linn and Benton counties in Oregon. This 8-week course educates community members about all aspects of waste reduction and is offered for free to anyone willing to volunteer for 30 hours after completion of the course. The Master Recyclers volunteer at OSU and in the community to educate others about waste reduction.
Other Outreach
Campus Recycling employs one full-time staff and two-to-three part-time student staff to work on outreach and the development of new programs, much of which focuses on behavior change. Outreach for recycling and composting occurs via educational events (RecycleMania, Beyond Earth Day, etc.), tabling at events, public presentations and workshops, collaborative partnerships, social media, etc.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The use of campus wide waste and recycling audit data was used to restructure recycling collection at residence halls. There was no campus wide audit conducted in FY19. A new biannual audit of the weight of trash collected will be implemented by OSU’s waste hauler, Republic Services. This data will provide a more accurate assessment of OSU’s overall waste generation.
Also in this performance year, residence hall Eco-Representatives (paid student employees who promote sustainable behavior in their halls), conducted two trial periods in their halls, in which they tested different outreach tactics and conducted audits of their halls' recycling and surveys of their residents to determine if they were effective. Their 12 audits per hall provided additional data on contamination rates in the residence halls.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
Section 307 of OSU's Procurement and Contract Services Manual addresses sustainable purchasing. Sections 307-001 and 307-002 relate to waste:
307-001: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover
OSU will use sustainable purchasing by applying the methodology of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover.” Whenever practicable, attention should be given to the environment through the evaluation of this methodology along with performance, life expectancy, quality, and value for money.
307-002: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policies
When purchasing goods and services, Oregon State University will strive to balance short and long-term costs, maintenance, life cycle, and costs to the environment. Oregon State University is committed to identifying goods and services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods and services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, and disposal of the product. Oregon State University is also committed to identifying companies that utilize environmentally preferable products and services. Companies that are able to supply environmentally preferable products and services (especially post-consumer recycled materials) that meet performance requirements will be encouraged to offer them in bids and proposals.
Source: https://fa.oregonstate.edu/pacs-manual/300-purchasing/307-sustainability
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
All property no longer needed by an OSU department is REQUIRED by OSU policy to be sent to Surplus Property for proper disposition.
Surplus Property's mission is to recycle or transfer excess or surplus property back to OSU departments, state and local governments, and qualified nonprofit organizations within the State of Oregon. Surplus property not sold to departments are offered for sale to the general public. Most items are offered through OSUsed Store sales and online auction sites. Some items may be offered through sealed bids or contract bids. The OSUsed Store hosts sales open to the public twice per week.
All office supplies and housewares that are $5 or less are offered to OSU departments free of charge, allowing OSU to offer office supplies for reuse within the university, without the need to facilitate a separate office supplies exchange program.
Binders are offered free for all.
Source:https://surplus.oregonstate.edu/surplus/public-sales/osused-store
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):
As noted in another section, at the Surplus Property store, all office supplies and housewares that are $5 or less are offered to OSU departments free of charge, allowing OSU to offer office supplies for reuse within the university without the need to facilitate a separate office supplies exchange program. Surplus also has a process to transfer property directly between departments at the university.
An Adopt-a-Bottle program recirculates reusable bottles to students by periodically collecting unclaimed bottles and mugs from Lost & Found and giving them away at a couple stands on campus.
The Human Resources Services Center provides a textbook lending library with hundreds of books available as well as 120 graphing calculators.
A program called Grads Give Back collects gowns right after the Commencement ceremony as well as at the Memorial Union throughout the year. In the spring, gowns are redistributed for free to students, with communications about the giveaway targeting students who would not otherwise be able to afford participating in Commencement.
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):
Oregon State University does not offer free printing to students. All student computing facilities and the OSU Valley Library charge on a per page basis for printing using a print tracking system called BeaverPrint. Students can release their print job at any printer by swiping their ID card, and the print job(s) is charged to their account.
Double-sided printing is not required, but is incentivized through reduced costs, as is black-and-white printing.
Pricing:
Black & White Single-Sided $0.07/sheet
Black & White Double-Sided $0.09/sheet
Color Single-Sided $0.25/sheet
Color Double-Sided $0.40/sheet
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:
A small number of registration information handbooks are available to students who visit the Office of the Registrar, but course catalogs and schedules are only offered online (and not in print) at catalog.oregonstate.edu.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In 2007 a campus wide initiative to reduce move-in and move-out waste was started. Campus Recycling, Surplus Property, and University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) join together in a coordinated effort to reduce move-in and move-out waste.
Residents receive 1-2 small recycle bins in their rooms upon move-in. Campus Recycling adds expanded polystyrene (a.k.a. Styrofoam) collection on move-in day and increases the service rate of cardboard. Furthermore, UHDS encourages students and parents to unwrap and unbox their belongings and leave the packaging at home rather than bringing on move-in day.
The annual Res. Hall Move-Out Donation Drive runs May through June. Marketing begins approximately one month in advance of move-out week. Residents receive announcements about how the move-out process works and can pick up extra bags at the front desk in their res hall for sorting donations. Labeled donation bins are located in every res. hall lobby, along with the recycling unit starting week 9 of the term.
While a portion of the donations go to the OSUsed Store to recoup costs from the donation drive, the majority goes to local nonprofits. In 2019, the following donation materials were collected and processed:
9,980 lbs. of housewares
9,034 lbs. of clothing, linens and shoes
~400 lbs. of reusable scrap wood
3,119 lbs. of food, toiletries and school supplies
A total of 22,533 lbs were donated.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Repair Fairs
Each term, the Waste Watchers hold Repair Fairs to foster a culture of repair and reuse over consumerism. The event allows students, staff, faculty, and members of the public to bring damaged items to receive free repairs. Repairs are given by volunteers - who teach attendees how to make future repairs, as well as fix the item - and cover a variety of categories: clothing, appliances, electronics, housewares, computers, and sometimes more.
Surplus Property
Our surplus program is well-established in our state, and we sell used items to departments, agencies, non-profits and the general public (the latter of which we sell to at our twice weekly public sales). This program accounts for a substantial amount of materials diverted from the landfill. Surplus also disassembles and recycles products that cannot be resold, landfilling only the items that are neither resellable nor recyclable.
Grads Give Back
A program called Grads Give Back collects gowns right after the Commencement ceremony as well as at the Memorial Union throughout the year. In the spring, gowns are redistributed for free to students, with communications about the giveaway targeting students who would not otherwise be able to afford participating in Commencement.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.