| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.88 |
| Liaison | Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel |
| Submission Date | June 3, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Polytechnique Montréal
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.80 / 8.00 |
Matthieu
Décoste Chef de secteur entretien et stationnement (Maintenance and Parking sector manager) Service des immeubles (Building Management) |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 230.21 Metric tons | 112.48 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 18.43 Metric tons | 11.14 Metric tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 118.05 Metric tons | 247.49 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 404.21 Metric tons | 409.08 Metric 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 | May 1, 2017 | April 30, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | May 1, 2014 | April 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):
In the previous STARS report, the baseline year was 2011-2012 because of data availability and the performance year was 2014-2015 because it was the last period for which data were complete.
We are now using 2014-2015 as a baseline.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| 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 | 6,806.80 | 6,428.93 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 1,529.36 | 1,422.96 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 6,252.12 | 5,888.92 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 366.69 Metric tons | 371.11 Metric 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 | No |
| Plant materials | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | No |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | No |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
We recycle small electronics and batteries but they are excluded from the calculation. Also cooking oil is diverted from landfill but we do not report this data in our sustainability reports.
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:
In 2012, an important waste characterisation was carried out. Around 20 students from Polytechnique and 10 students from Université de Montréal worked on the project. Since then, visual audits of the sorting system are carried out (though not on a regular basis). The last one was done during the fall of 2017 by a student.
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:
To help the community improve their waste management skills, the garbage collection bins were customized in 2015 when the new sorting system was deployed. Since then, when an item seems problematic, posters displaying this item are temporarily installed over the garbage bins to help in sorting. Multiple awareness campaigns (through Poly-TRI) also occur during the year. Student ambassadors actively participate in these campaigns. New signage for the main cafeteria was developed in 2018, using actual pictures of the different types of waste instead of pictograms. Dedicated posters showing the importance of recycling have also been deployed in 2018 in the graduate student offices.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Every year, during the summer, the data on the various amounts of waste generated is collected for the last complete fiscal year (May 1st to April 30th). The data is recorded to help monitor the efficiency of the system and find potential improvements, and is reported in Polytechnique Montréal's annual sustainability report, which is prepared by the Sustainable Development Office and presented to the community.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Polytechnique Montréal has an official procedure in regards to the disposal of goods and surplus (Procédure relative à la disposition des biens). The procurement department determines if a good can be reused, recovered, or must be sent to recycling or ultimate disposal. The procurement department will determine the disposition of the good according to the following priority:
1. Offer the good to another unit/department.
2. Offer the good externally if no unit or department has expressed an interest in this good and if it does not meet any foreseeable needs in the medium term.
3. Consider valorisation or recycling if it holds no residual value for Polytechnique.
4. Send to ultimate disposal if no residual value has been determined for Polytechnique, or if the resale value is lower than the cost entailed by its resale.
An email is sent to all Polytechnique employees when a surplus item is available.
More information at: http://www.polymtl.ca/sg/docs_officiels/1310bien.php
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):
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):
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 brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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.