| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 50.74 |
| Liaison | Rachel Kornhauser |
| Submission Date | Feb. 17, 2023 |
State University of New York at Oneonta
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.61 / 8.00 |
Rachel
Kornhauser Sustainability Coordinator Finance and Administration |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 142.42 Tons | 331.95 Tons |
| Materials composted | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 10 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 614.18 Tons | 857.02 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 766.60 Tons | 1,188.97 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, 2021 | June 30, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,766 | 3,498 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 16 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 3 | 4 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 5,446 | 6,098 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 981 | 973.33 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 671 | 116.33 |
| Weighted campus users | 5,015 | 6,098.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.15 Tons | 0.19 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) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | Yes |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Recycling
Regular collection includes scrap metal, cardboard, single stream recycling and campus owned electronics. In addition, the campus recycles used cooking oil and mattresses and participates in some Terracycle recycling programs.
Materials donated:
- Typically, two tons of pre-consumer food waste per month is donated to local pig farmers to use for feed.
- Gently used clothes are collected from students in the resident halls throughout the year and are donated to the campus thrift shop.
- Gently used items are collected during students move out and donated to the community at the end of the year.
Re-sold
- There is an on campus thrift shop that re-sells clothes collected from the community and on campus. The thrift shop is fully student run.
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:
Recycling education is included in residential life training. There is standard signage around campus. At the start of each school year signs and info are sent to the campus community.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Our dining service sustainability interns conduct waste audits in each dining hall at least once a semester to increase awareness regarding food waste on campus, and to inform diners how they can reduce their waste when ordering.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
The institution follows the GreenNY Purchasing Requirements. Two of the specifications identifying approved product criteria is that products meet criteria that will minimize the volume and toxicity of packaging and maximize the use of recycled content and sustainably managed renewable resources.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Office of Facilities and Safety maintains an inventory of used office furniture for employees to use on campus instead of buying new.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
There is a campus "Yammer" page for campus employees to share about office supplies they are in need of or those that they have to share. It has been very successful!
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
The SUNY Print Initiative has established print defaults and standards and limits printing to essential items.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The institution provides course catalogs, schedules and directories online. Many instructors have transitioned to sharing syllabi online instead of print.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
There is an annual residence hall move-out program that collects gently use materials from students moving off campus. All materials are donated to the local community.
A new residence hall move-in program has been in place for 2 of the past 3 years. This program collects clean cardboard and polystyrene for recycling.;
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Bins in most residence halls collect gently used items to be re-sold in the campus thrift shop.
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.