| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.59 |
| Liaison | Maria Mendes |
| Submission Date | Aug. 4, 2022 |
Red River College Polytechnic
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.24 / 8.00 |
Amanda
Wolfe Zero Waste Coordinator Facilities Management |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 116.63 Tons | 105.79 Tons |
| Materials composted | 96.01 Tons | 94.90 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 651 Tons | 8.94 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 251.14 Tons | 360.42 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,114.78 Tons | 570.05 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
N/A
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2019 | Dec. 31, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2017 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Red River College Polytechnic took ownership of the main campus, Notre Dame Campus, in 2016. 2017 was the first full year of operation after taking ownership.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 58 | 50 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 8,394.60 | 8,418.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,494 | 1,370 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 339.30 | 227.90 |
| Weighted campus users | 7,176.48 | 7,183.17 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.16 Tons | 0.08 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 | Yes |
| Plant materials | Yes |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
We have a recycling programs for writing utensils (pens, pencils, markers, etc.), disposable masks, and a reuse program for plastic bags.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
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?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
The Recycling Team empties the recycling bins and sorts the material into large bins for disposal. They inspect the recycling and throw out contaminated materials.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
The College's Hall It! program removed waste and recycling bins from classrooms to encourage proper sorting in hallway waste and recycling stations. This encourages more thoughtful waste disposal.
The College promoted green options for events, such as RED Forum. Composting stations were provided and participants encouraged to use their reusable bottles and mugs for water and coffee / tea.
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:
In the College's Purchasing policy states that "its purchases will comply with the College's sustainability goals", as well as including sustainability as an evaluation criteria (5% to 20%) for quotes and proposals.
The College's Environmental Sustainability policy states that the College must "give preference to the acquisition of products that are recycled, recyclable and made from renewable resources" as well as "give formal consideration to the sustainability practices of those from whom we make acquisitions and those whom we form partnership agreements."
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The College's Purchasing Department coordinates the removal and redeployment of all College furniture. If items cannot be reused internally, the items are sent to auction or donated to local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity for reuse. The College's Logistics Coordinator tracks furniture and equipment auctioned or donated.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
- The library services department provides used books to staff and students by setting up tables in the hallway outside the library a few times per year.
- The Campus Living department has a reuse program for small household items. Items are donated by students moving out for new students moving in. The items are stored in shelves in the student lounge.
- The Sustainability office hosted the Great College Clean up in spring 2019, encouraging staff to cleanout their offices and drop off unwanted items. These items were made available the following week to staff for free.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
In 2018, the College implemented the Print Release feature on College Xerox devices. This feature requires all staff to login at the device to release their print jobs, which saves a lot of paper and ink. This saves the estimated 10% to 15% of all printed paper which is never collected from being printed.
In addition, printers are set to black and white printing by default.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The academic catalog is available online. Student registration is available online. The Staff Directory is available online. Staff news is emailed regularly. The College's main financial systems (invoices, staff expenses, etc.) moved to a secure online system in 2021.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The Campus Living department has a reuse program for small household items. Items are donated by students moving out for new students moving in. The items are stored in shelves in the student lounge. For move out and move in, additional bins and signs are set up for waste and recycling.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The College sends scrap metal for recycling. The College sends used cooking oil for recycling. The College sends e-waste for reuse and recycling. The College sends used household batteries for recycling. The College sends disposable masks for recycling.
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:
Waste data is only collected for the Notre Dame Campus and Exchange District Campus. We are not responsible for waste and recycling collection at any other campus.
2019 was selected as the performance year as it is the last full year of normal operations pre pandemic.
The numbers used to calculate Weighted Campus Users differ from PRE-5 and other credits because:
- Staff and students were only counted for the two campuses where waste data is tracked and reported (Notre Dame Campus and Exchange District Campus)
- Staff and student numbers in the performance year are from 2019, whereas in PRE-5 they are the most recent numbers available
Waste data is only collected for the Notre Dame Campus and Exchange District Campus. We are not responsible for waste and recycling collection at any other campus.
2019 was selected as the performance year as it is the last full year of normal operations pre pandemic.
The numbers used to calculate Weighted Campus Users differ from PRE-5 and other credits because:
- Staff and students were only counted for the two campuses where waste data is tracked and reported (Notre Dame Campus and Exchange District Campus)
- Staff and student numbers in the performance year are from 2019, whereas in PRE-5 they are the most recent numbers available
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.