| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.19 |
| Liaison | Veronica Johnson |
| Submission Date | May 28, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southwestern University
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.78 / 5.00 |
Joe
LePage Director of Physical Plant Physical Plant |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 59.26 Tons | 6.58 Tons |
| Materials composted | 94.88 Tons | 45 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 3 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 267.92 Tons | 916 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 1,178 | 1,072 |
| Number of residential employees | 2 | 2 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 1,523 | 1,309 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 434 | 438 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 11 | 29 |
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 | June 1, 2009 | May 31, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Student Capstone projects led to the waste generation baseline in 2010
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
Texas Disposal Systems, our waste haul and landfill contractor, sends annual reports of how much waste, compostable material and recycling the university generates. We keep this historical data and compare year to year
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
N/A
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
All unwanted office furniture is collected and warehoused then made available to other departments who have a need for. Annual garage sales are held to sell off any furniture or office equipment that is no longer needed by the university.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
n/a
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
n/a
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
• We partner with Goodwill to provide two trailers during move-out for collection of unwanted items the students leave behind
• Cardboard recycling collection stations are set up during move-in for empty moving boxes
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
Recycling containers are provided everywhere trash cans are located on campus. The recycling is collected by the custodians and sent to an off-site recycling center
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
We do not abide by a formal food waste audit. Because we compost all of our food waste we can monitor the waste daily by the volume of waste filled in the 55 gallon trash cans we use.
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:
• The majority of our food pre-consumer food waste in our dining services on campus is collected and composted by our Waste haul off provider (TDS)
• The remainder of our pre-consumer food waste is collected, composted and used in our community garden
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
We went tray less several years ago.
We practice portion control in our all you can eat dining hall and batch cook food to demand needs to eliminate waste.
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):
We use Eco Products sugar cane to go boxes and paper cups.
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):
We use EarthChoice cups, plates and Tatorware spoons, knives etc..
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:
We sell re-usable mugs in our retail outlet with discounts on refill packages.
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
We participate in one stream recycling and composting of all our products. We also integrate the importance of waste training into all of employee training.
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.