Pomona College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Alexis
Reyes Assistant Director of Sustainability Facilities & Campus Services |
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 206.40 Metric tons | 435.45 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 316.30 Metric tons | 95.25 Metric tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 13.20 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 | 480 Metric tons | 634.12 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,015.90 Metric tons | 1,164.83 Metric tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2023 | June 30, 2024 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
06-07 has been used as a waste baseline for several years because it is the first year for which waste was accurately tracked by the college.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,674 | 1,382 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 20 | 11 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 1,735 | 1,545 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 850 | 545 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 2,362.25 | 1,915.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.43 Metric tons | 0.61 Metric 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 | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| 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
Pomona College has signage for recycling and composting on campus. Student EcoReps host waste awareness activities throughout the year.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A primary goal of the Pomona College Purchasing Policy is, "Reduced waste in the production and use of products, measured by reduced mass sent to landfills."
Environmentally-preferred products are selected for procurement with consideration to various objectives including "Waste/Disposal":
Minimal packaging
Waste minimization through durability
Minimization of hazardous and toxic wastes
Ability to be recycled or disposed of safely
Ability to return the product for refurbishing/reclamation at the end of its life-cycle
see: http://www.pomona.edu/administration/sustainability/policies-procedures/purchasing.aspx
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Sustainability Office and the materials reuse program (ReCoop) assist students, staff, and faculty with the collection of unwanted reusable items (including furniture, appliances, clothing/shoes, and school/office supplies) and give or sell them back to the campus community throughout the year. The Sustainability and ReCoop also run a materials reuse/exchange/donation program (Clean Sweep) for students during move-in and move-out in order to reduce the purchase of new items and the disposal of reusable items. The ReCoopOFFICE program is dedicated specifically to College-owned items and provides a free exchange of office products from file trays to desks and chairs. FreeCoop is a room from which students donate or take used clothing and shoes.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
EcoReps created a FreeRoom to exchange clothing, dorm items, and supplies. This space is managed by student employees and is open for several hours per week as a place to donate or claim items for free.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Pomona College allots students a printing credit of $5.00 per semester, and $10.00 per semester for Pomona seniors. Printing costs $0.02 per page, regardless of whether they are printed on one or both sides, which encourages double-sided printing. Pomona's Green Office Program encourages and enables offices to set printers to automatically double-side.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Pomona's ITS department has a staff position, Document Management Specialist, whose job it is to digitize business processes and support paperless initiatives. Pomona College course catalogs, the Student Handbook and President's Annual Report are completely electronic. Course registration has also been moved online. Most classes use the Sakai online collaborative learning environment to post syllabi and reading materials, allowing students to print the documents themselves or read them electronically. Payroll information and timesheets are filled out online and paystubs are received electronically (for those participating in direct deposit).
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The ReCoop program substantially reduces move-out waste with a team of 30 paid students workers for one week (three days before and three days after Commencement) collecting reusable items from the residence halls and through donation events. Every dorm room on campus is searched for reusable items left behind, and all items are cleaned, organized, and tested for resale. Previously, these items were sent to the landfill. This effort has more than cut in half landfill waste during the move-out period. Items with high resale value for the campus community are stored on campus over the summer and sold in the fall, and items valuable for community and charitable organizations (like clothing, shoes, bedding, books, and home supplies) are donated.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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.