Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.41
Liaison Susan Dorward
Submission Date April 14, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Raritan Valley Community College
OP-22: Waste Minimization

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.63 / 5.00 Susan Dorward
Sustainability and Energy Coordinator
Facilities and Grounds
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Waste generated::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 115 Tons 0 Tons
Materials composted 4 Tons 0 Tons
Materials reused, donated or re-sold 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 233 Tons 312.90 Tons

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of residential students 0 0
Number of residential employees 0 0
Number of in-patient hospital beds 0 0
Full-time equivalent enrollment 14,051 8,973
Full-time equivalent of employees 392 363
Full-time equivalent of distance education students 1,745 597

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014
Baseline Year July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:

It was adopted as part of our original STARS certification in 2011.


A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
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A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
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A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:

RVCC's searchable e-catalog is available online, accessible from the college's homepage. TPast e-catalogs are archived and searchable as well.

All instructors have access to WebStudy, and online tool supporting courses, where they can post materials so that they don't have to print them out.


A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:

Printing in computer labs is limited to 50 pages per job.


A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

N/A


A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
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A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:

We trained our kitchen staff to separate their organic waste into dedicated bins, which are emptied into the campus organics collection bins and taken (by our waste hauler) off-campus for composting.


A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:

There are 6 organics collection bins in the eating areas on campus. They have signs with instructions for how to sort waste. The organics bins are emptied into the campus organics collection bins and taken (by our waste hauler) off-campus for composting.


A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
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A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
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A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:

At both the cafeteria and the cafe, CulinArt offers a 15 cent discount on drink purchases to customers who use their own reusable containers rather than disposable ones.

For more information, visit http://www.raritanval.edu/community/forum/sustain/food_services.html.


A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:

Our dining services contractor is very conscientious about not wasting prepared food. Any trays of unserved food are saved or donated to a local soup kitchen.


The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Performance year numbers include demolition waste, which is recycled. Recycled tonnage is estimated based on container size and dump frequency. Somerset County collects our recyclables and does not report tonnage. Waste numbers for baseline year were calculated based on trend data from 2009-2011.


Performance year numbers include demolition waste, which is recycled. Recycled tonnage is estimated based on container size and dump frequency. Somerset County collects our recyclables and does not report tonnage. Waste numbers for baseline year were calculated based on trend data from 2009-2011.

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.