| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.85 |
| Liaison | Aimee Lemrise |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.16 / 8.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 288.54 Tons | 504.10 Tons |
| Materials composted | 39.67 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 3.11 Tons | 2.88 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,556.96 Tons | 2,247.98 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,888.28 Tons | 2,754.96 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2016 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
2016 is the date for which we have all of the similar type data for employment/student enrollment as well as recorded waste data in our complete spreadsheet.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,280 | 4,698 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 10,013 | 15,326 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 2,706 | 4,930 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,263 | 1,511 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,162 | 15,233.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.21 Tons | 0.18 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0
Part 3: Waste Diversion
17.55
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
17.55
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 |
| Laboratory equipment | Yes |
| 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:
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Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
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Recycling Management
No
Does the institution use dual stream (two separate containers for recyclables, e.g. one for paper and another for plastic, glass, and metals) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Yes
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling (multiple containers that further separate different types of materials) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
No
Contamination and Discard Rates
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A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed, e.g. efforts to minimize contamination and/or monitor the discard rates of the materials recovery facilities and mills to which materials are diverted:
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Programs and Initiatives
For the past 3 years, we have given new students give-aways that have encouraged habits that reduce waste (reusable water bottles and grocery bags). This year, we also posted a slide on all of the TV monitors in the residence halls that reminded students to BYOB (Bring your own Bottle). In addition to over 30 Elkay Water refill stations, many of which have been funded by the Green Fund, we also now have a water station for outdoor events. Physical Plant Services designed and built this water receptacle- We encourage the campus to utilize the "Water Dawg" as appropriate. This contributes to less single-use bottles being used. Many of our weekly emails that go out also encourage individual behavior change. Currently, over 1,200 people receive those weekly emails. We also present in classrooms and various student training sessions (including RA trainings)- We always have a slide that lists actions that students can take everyday to contribute to sustainability, including waste reduction.
Every year, we participate in Recyclemania where we track and report our waste diversion statistics publicly (via employee newsletters, emails and social media). Student fellows develop outreach materials and table during this time, and also on America Recycles Day.
In 2019, we have also started to facilitate composting at various sized events on campus. We utilize the resource Drawdown to communicate the impact of food waste diversion, in addition to original signage that we have developed.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The Sustainability Office maintains a working relationship with the Grounds Department, Building Services, and our local Material Recovery Facility. We are able to track the waste in different areas of campus and see long term changes.
SIU’s Sustainability Office has been working with Building Services to relocated bins on campus and improve labeling. They collaborated to re-organize bin placement in the academic buildings so that bins are grouped together, to encourage better decision making by campus patrons and promote recycling. In addition, a total of 211 bins were determined unnecessary and removed from the buildings. We estimated that the bags in those bins were changed approximately 250 times a year, meaning that we use approximately 52,750 fewer bags a year because of that change alone.
In addition, there have been varied initiatives to improve labeling. New labels and signage have been created, as a result of a student initiative. These labels have been deployed in some locations, but are also available for download by campus patrons who want to label their own areas.
https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/recycling-program/
https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/recycling-program/signage-and-labels.php
The students also specifically designed signage for Touch of Nature Environmental Center to help educate about the importance of recycling. A photos of the signage can be found on the “signage and labels link. In addition photos from the student design team project can be found here: https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/sustainability-outreach/outside-the-classroom.php
University Housing agreed to group bins in main areas and add the large 11X17 educational signs to the majority of their common areas. The photos on the “outside the classroom” link were taken within University Housing common area.
Informal waste audits have been completed by Building Services team members throughout the process to determine impact.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
In 2005, the Chancellor of SIUC approved the following policy to save resource, reduce the waste stream and improve market for recycled materials.
1)Procurement of Products made with recycled materials
-When in the University’s best interest, the University will purchase products with recycled material content whenever cost, specifications, standards, and availability are comparable to products without recycled content. The University will identify those items that are frequently purchased for which items with recycled content can be substituted.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
1)Surplus Property has been established as the University's department for equipment that is no longer usable by its current department, and also redistributes this used equipment to any department on campus. Surplus property is also available within the state of Illinois system.
2)SIU’s Sustainability Office collects and redistributes unused toner and print cartridges among various offices and departments across campus.
https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/toner-and-ink-sharing-program.php
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse (e.g. of electronics, furnishings, books and other goods):
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A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption (e.g. restricting free printing and/or mandating doubled-sided printing in libraries and computer labs):
Students are required pay $0.10 per page to print in all libraries and computer labs, $0.15 for double sided print.
In addition, the College of Engineering utilized the Green Fund in 2018 to reduce paper and ink consumption in their advisement office. By switching to electronic signature pads during course consultations, they were able to save approximately 10 pages of paper per semester for every student.
The Dental Hygiene Program also leveraged the Green Fund to reduce waste by eliminating chemical and film waste from traditional dental radiographs. By obtaining a digital sensor, they were able to produce high quality images and transfer them securely through online portals.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials (e.g. course catalogs, course schedules, and directories) available online by default rather than printing them:
We no longer print course catalogs or course schedules. Brochures in the dining halls are also no longer printed.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During spring finals week and move out, the Sustainability Office collaborates with University Housing to conduct a ‘Give & Go’ collection, diverting clothes, bedding, small electronics, housewares, food, and cleaning products away from the waste stream and re-distributing the materials to community groups that can use them. University Housing promotes the collection via staff meetings, R.A. announcements, and check-out instructions.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/give-before-you-go.php
https://sustainability.siu.edu/participate/toner-and-ink-sharing-program.php
Paper and Printer Ink Waste Reduction: Round 15 Spring 2018: https://sustainability.siu.edu/green-fee/green-fund-projects/
Destined For Digital Round 15 Spring 2018:
https://sustainability.siu.edu/green-fee/green-fund-projects/
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.