Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.12
Liaison Daryl Pierson
Submission Date Feb. 21, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Portland State University
OP-18: Waste Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.99 / 3.00 Tony Hair
Waste Management Coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Materials recycled, composted, reused, donated, re-sold, or otherwise diverted :
880.30 Tons

Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
1,787.20 Tons

A brief description of programs, policies, infrastructure investments, outreach efforts, and/or other factors that contributed to the diversion rate:

PSU Recycles! is dedicated to creating a sustainable campus by reducing waste, expanding recycling opportunities, and increasing campus recycling and composting rates. During FY13, PSU Recycles! was responsible for diverting over 577 tons of paper, cardboard, plastic and metal; 32 tons of glass, 265 tons of organic material, and 2 tons of other materials such shredded paper, rigid plastics, and Styrofoam from the landfill.

Partnership with Sequential Bio-fuels to recycle all waste cooking oil into bio-diesel. Every gallon of waste cooking oil recycled into bio-diesel prevents 16 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released in to the atmosphere. Over 1 ton of cooking oil was recycled in FY2013.

Food waste is collected for composting in all dining locations, including a post-consumer station in Viking Food Court.

Food waste in many department break-rooms is collected for composting.

Toner cartridge recycling is offered across campus.

Styrofoam, miscellaneous plastics, plastic bags/film, batteries, and electronics are all collected for special recycling through the work order system.

The PSU ReUse Room redistributes donated office and school supplies for free to the campus community, and the Surplus Property Program redistributes reusable office and classroom furniture to PSU departments or the community. Approximately an estimated 1.2 tons of these items were saved for reuse in FY2013.

Chuck-it-for-Charity program collects reusable items from departing students each term and donates them to charitable organizations. In FY2013, 1.2 tons of reusable items were donated from the program.

Cardboard and Styrofoam recycling collection receptacles are provided during student move-in, and the waste hauler provides extra pickups.

Tray-less dining in Victors Dining Hall reduces food waste by 25-30% per person.

Water Bottle Refilling Stations around campus allow users to easily refill their water bottles with filtered water, reducing waste associated with purchased throw-away plastic bottles.


Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Performance year FY2013

Does not include e-waste recycling.


Performance year FY2013

Does not include e-waste recycling.

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.