Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.55
Liaison Michelle Larkins
Submission Date Dec. 20, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Pacific University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.15 / 8.00 Michelle Larkins
Director of the CSS
Center for a Sustainable Society
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 64.79 Tons 47.89 Tons
Materials composted 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 4 Tons 1.50 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 221.14 Tons 233.11 Tons
Total waste generated 289.93 Tons 282.50 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:

n/a


Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015

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):

n/a


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,000 1,042
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,690 3,572
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 868 738
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 23 11
Weighted campus users 3,651.25 3,484.75

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.08 Tons 0.08 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
2.05

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
23.73

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
23.73

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 No
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:

Batteries and Electronics


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?:
Yes

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):
15

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:

There's a final spot where the materials enter the compacter, but employees self monitor and pull out the materials on their own.


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:

We have a mug library set up outside of Starbucks so that reusable mugs are readily available and circulating through campus.
All of our bins have signs on them denoting what materials can go in each bin.
In the residence halls where residents have personal kitchens, there are composting bins for every dorm room.


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

We have a tracking system that the waste facilities uses to keep track of how much waste is produced each month as well as how much is recycled each month. We will be doing a waste audit of our campus next school year.


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

We buy in bulk.


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

n/a


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):

The Center for a Sustainable Society on campus hosts events throughout the year to encourage reuse and reduction of waste. Our Give N Go event helps to redistribute uneeded furnishings to shelters and other community partners.


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):

Starting February 1, 2011 printing credits for students, faculty, and staff changed from monthly credits of $5.00 to a yearly credit of $60.00 per person. Any charges over the $60.00 credit are billed in December and May to the student’s University account or the faculty and staff member’s department. Accounts are reset in June when a new $60 credit is applied for next year.
The printers default to double sided printing in black and white.

In addition, pricing is set to encourage duplexing. The fee for printing is $.05 (black-and-white)and $.25 (color) per piece of paper, whether or not jobs are printed on both sides of the paper.


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:

Pacific no longer prints the class schedule and the catalog is not available to the public in print form. Directories are not printed; online directories are available through MyAccount and the Pacific webpage.


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

For several years, Pacific University’s Department of Housing and Residence Life coupled with the Office of Facilities Management have tried to reduce or eliminate the amount of reusable items that end up in the waste stream. We have continued to build partnerships with many on-campus and off-campus organizations to help redirect unwanted materials when students pack to head out of the residences. During Move-Out, we provide areas in each of the residence halls where students can donate items such as non-perishable food, clothing, school supplies and books, and household items that have then been donated to local agencies or organizations who find them a new home.


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

There are a few clothing swaps throughout the school year that collect clothing that would otherwise be thrown away and provide it to people in need. Our yearly Give and Go event collects items that students would be throwing away when moving off campus and works with community partners to give them to those who are in need of them.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.