| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.84 |
| Liaison | Paulina Szlachta |
| Submission Date | May 6, 2024 |
St. Lawrence College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.67 / 8.00 |
Jadon
Hook Sustainability Officer Facilities Management Services |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 15.79 Metric tons | 12.77 Metric tons |
| Materials composted | 6.77 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 2.30 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 346.88 Metric tons | 150.80 Metric tons |
| Total waste generated | 371.74 Metric tons | 163.57 Metric 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 | Jan. 1, 2023 | Dec. 31, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2005 | Jan. 1, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
2006/2007 was selected because of accessibility of data. Since this time, SLC is tracking its waste generation and conducting an annual waste audit.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 703 | 703 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 11,000 | 4,834 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 594 | 144 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,000 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 7,371.25 | 3,909.25 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.05 Metric tons | 0.04 Metric 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 | No |
| Animal bedding | No |
| 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:
SLC's two student-run hair salons are partnered with Green Circle Salons (https://greencirclesalons.com/) which started collecting salon waste for the purpose of cleaning up oil spills. Since that time, Green Circle Salons has partnered with institutions and businesses to reduce waste generated in salons. As a proud partner, SLC works with the staff and students to make their salons up to 95% zero waste. The hair, products, and other hair salon related waste is sorted and sent to Green Circle to be turned into new products.
In addition, SLC runs an e-waste recovery program in partnership with the Electronics Recycling Association to collect and properly recyle electronic waste. This is collected on all three campuses through drop boxes and within a program run out of IT Services. The ERA regularly picks up e-waste from our three sites and in 2022-2023 alone diverted over 15 metric tonnes of e-waste from landfills. Please see OP-20 for further description.
The Sustainability Team also runs an annual food drive to reduce food waste and distribute food to community members in need. In addition, student clubs run multiple clothings drives per year to save used clothes from landfill and redistribute to students or staff in need. In these ways we are proud to support a circular economy approach in our sustainability-engagement activities on campus.
Finally, SLC composts food waste across its three sites in both front of house and back of house operations/collections.
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:
Over the past 3 years, SLC has improved sorting signage at all waste bins and improved our tri-campus communication. The goal is to have consistent messaging and waste collection bins throughout our departments and campuses. We have eliminated 45-gallon barrels in our parking lots as they were collecting just landfill waste from people's cars and have instead provided outdoor recycling stations to match our indoor signage/sorting.
We have provided recycling training and activities at our orientation events welcoming all the new students for each semester. We have provided green living guides to our residence-based students.
In conjunction with SLC's Behavioural Studies program, we have completed behavioural-based theses focused on consumer behaviour. This has provided research and implementation strategies for communicating our streams to our community. In March 2023 we launched our CANO reusable container and cup program alongside a 10 cents/off reusable mug program to encourage people to reduce our highest waste items: single-use coffee cups and food containers. This has 900 active users and has diverted over 3,500 containers+ cups. We have front-of-house composting now which started in Fall 2022 in high-traffic food areas which encourages the SLC community to further sort their waste.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Each year SLC's janitorial services team performs one tri-campus waste audit. Waste generated in a 24-hour period is tagged with the location, and sorted for sorted. Bags are sorted to determine the amount of waste and recycling in each stream. The sorting team opens every bag and sorts it by materials and contaminants. The sorted material and contaminants will be weighed. The results are used to make recommendations for improvement each year.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
In progress: SLC is moving towards reducing plastic waste. This year (2024) SLC is evaluating contracts with beverage and food providers with the aim of reducing and plastic consumption in collaboration with the Associate Director Procurement, Contract Management & Distribution.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Staff and faculty are encouraged to minimize printing as much as possible. One way this is enforced is by setting set printing limits each month. This is done by setting a monthly printing 'budget'. If a person exceeds their allotted printing budget, they will not be able to print anymore pages that month, unless they contact IT services and explain the reasons why they need additional allowance.
SLC's central printing service stations are calibrated by the IT Services team to default print as efficiently as possible (i.e. double sided, black and white settings).
Further, the IT Services Team has initiated the launch of both a printing reduction strategy and personal (in office) printer removal projects in 2024. As part of SLC's digital transformation (a strategic priority) these projects are forecasted to save printing costs, energy costs, and waste.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
SLC has moved to a online platform called SLC.me for students and faculty to login to their profiles to access their courses schedules, information, and all pertinent information. This centralized hub is meant to house information in one secure location and to reduce the need for printing any records, reference materials, department or contact information.
Faculty and students also utilize Blackboard for each course offered. This is a online platform houses all course information including outlines, course content, project instructions, and reading materials. This portal is also where students submit their digital assignments. Staff are asked to refrain from printing any learning outlines or course plans unless accommodations are needed.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
SLC has partnered with local thrift stores to collect unwanted items for re-sale. Collections are run when students move-out with the aim of reducing the number of items to be sent to landfill and giving clothing, books, and household items a second life.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The student-led group Repair Together accepts electronic waste donations (laptops, desktops, and other computer hardware and software) and works to repair and distribute these to those in need within the local community. This group is also a 2024 Climate Leadership Program winner and a 2024 Regionals Enactus winner in the Environmental Challenge category.
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:
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.