Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 71.99
Liaison Aaron Klemm
Submission Date Jan. 19, 2024

STARS v2.2

San Jose State University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.02 / 8.00 Debbie Andres
Utilities & Sustainability Analyst
FD&O
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 4,147 Tons 5,475 Tons
Materials composted 305 Tons 566 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 3.30 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 1,943 Tons 1,145 Tons
Total waste generated 6,398.30 Tons 7,186 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2022 Dec. 31, 2022
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The 2013 baseline was adopted because 2013 is the first year that all correct waste streams were accounted for.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 3,859 3,659
Number of employees resident on-site 128 81
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 27,165 26,796
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,291 3,819
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 5,152 0
Weighted campus users 19,224.75 23,896.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.33 Tons 0.30 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
69.63

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
69.63

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 Yes
White goods (i.e. appliances) Yes
Electronics Yes
Laboratory equipment Yes
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal Yes
Pallets Yes
Tires Yes
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
100% of our used cooking oil goes to off-campus Biodiesel production.

Surplus Property consists of university-owned items that are no longer needed by a department, including vehicles, computers, furniture, and office equipment. Items are then reused in the following ways: making property available to other departments on campus, donating items to local non-profit agencies and schools, sending equipment to a public auction under contract with the university, posting items on the Public Surplus web site, and dismantling property into separate components for recycling.

Construction debris is sorted and achieves a diversion rate between 75-90%.

Housing move out waste was diverted to clothing to the SJSU Clothes Closet, the SJSU Food Pantry, and savings household goods for the next move-in event.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
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Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
---

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
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Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
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A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
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A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A page on SJSU's has been created to provide guidelines and tips on how to prevent waste.

https://www.sjsu.edu/fdo/services/recycling/index.php

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The University is expected to dispose of usable equipment in a responsible manner under the guidance of Property Surplus. This is done via transfers on campus, to other universities, public sales, donations, recycling and salvage of parts.

The University steps for moving to zero waste are: 1)the use of products that minimize the volume of trash sent to landfill or incinerators; 2) participation in the CalRecycle Buy-Recycled program or equivalent; and (3) increasing recycled content purchases in all BuyRecycled program product categories.

For the CSU Sustainability Policy, please visit: https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/6987526/latest/

For the CSU Buy Recycled Program, please visit: https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/doing-business-with-the-csu/contract-services-and-procurement/Pages/Environmental-and-Social-Sustainability.aspx

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
A description and link to the platform is in the link below:

https://www.sjsu.edu/fabs/services/assets/other-services.php

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students must pay to print at SJSU. In the king library it costs 20¢ per B&W page. Individual departments and labs vary in the rates charged for printing. Associated students have computer labs, but students must pay to print in these facilities as well. Charging for printing limits the amount students choose to print.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
SJSU campus directories, course catalogs and course schedules are all available online. The online catalog is free while the printed catalog is only available for purchase in the bookstore. The online schedules and catalogs contain the most updated information. Additionally, information about International and Extended Studies online courses, Open University, Special Session, Professional Development and lifelong learning opportunities are also available online.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
There are special collection bins set up during move-out time that collects used notebooks, clothes, left over detergent and other items that students would usually throw away during move out. The residence halls staff works with Sacred Heart and Salvation Army to coordinate this donation program.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.