| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.33 |
| Liaison | Enid Cardinal |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.51 / 8.00 |
Enid
Cardinal Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President Office of the President |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 568.78 Tons | 1,552.56 Tons |
| Materials composted | 162.15 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 39 Tons | 5.20 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,227.04 Tons | 2,196.59 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,996.97 Tons | 3,754.35 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2011 | June 30, 2012 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
FY2011 was established as the baseline year because it was the first full year with the current waste hauler. Prior to FY2011, data tracking was inconsistent.
Please note, the numbers in PRE are from FY 20. For this credit, FY19 is reported as the performance year as it is the last full year prior to the pandemic to make the data as comparable as possible. In March of FY 20 the university had to shift to remote classes and most operations. In FY 21 most staff and many faculty worked remotely and a larger than normal number of students were fully online.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 6,755 | 7,299 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 10 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 13,656 | 14,024 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 3,685 | 3,336 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 139 | 285 |
| Weighted campus users | 14,592.75 | 14,631 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.14 Tons | 0.26 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) | Yes |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
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:
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
RIT developed a comprehensive recycling FAQ: to help people understand how recycling works, where things go, and why things are or are not recyclable.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Every fall semester a graduate class in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability conducts a waste audit of the same 3 academic buildings, enabling longitudinal study of materials in those buildings.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
A faculty/staff list-serve is utilized to facilitate sharing of office supplies and equipment across campus.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Several RIT Facebook groups exist to facilitate the exchange of goods including Free and For Sale RIT and RIT FoodShare.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
In FY2015 a university wide print management contract was established. The program resulted in the elimination of desk top printers for the majority of offices on campus.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Directories and calendars are available for download online. Printed copies have to be order at the expense of the requester.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Goodbye, Goodbuy! is a move out collection program and move in sale. Items are collected from all RIT residence halls and apartments during spring move out. Those materials are sorted and stored over the summer and then sold to incoming students in the fall.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Any materials (office supplies, ink cartridges, furniture) that a department no longer wants, is posted to the RIT Faculty/staff listerv for reuse elsewhere on campus. Materials typically find homes within a few minutes of posting.
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:
In FY2012, the university decommissioned a large scale printing press. That resulted in a dramatic drop in paper use and by extension paper being recycled on campus (from 720 tons in FY2011 to 58 tons in FY2015).
In FY2012, the university decommissioned a large scale printing press. That resulted in a dramatic drop in paper use and by extension paper being recycled on campus (from 720 tons in FY2011 to 58 tons in FY2015).
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.