| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.65 |
| Liaison | Melissa Cadwell |
| Submission Date | June 15, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Syracuse University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.28 / 8.00 |
Melissa
Cadwell Sustainability Coordinator Energy Systems & Sustainability Management |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 1,947.07 Tons | 2,159.56 Tons |
| Materials composted | 924.84 Tons | 405.36 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 65 Tons | 45 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 3,424 Tons | 2,448.21 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 6,360.91 Tons | 5,058.13 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
All materials picked up separately and weighed.
Baseline Year = 105 Yard Waste and 300.61 food organics
FY 15 = 336 Yard waste and 588.84 food organics
Materials Donated are from Ten Tons a Love our end of semester University wide student donation for reuse.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2014 | June 30, 2015 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2010 | June 30, 2011 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
This is the year we use for our greenhouse gas inventory.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 8,380 | 8,296 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 2 | 2 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 19,331 | 18,452 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 4,410 | 4,305 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,550 | 1,531 |
| Weighted campus users | 18,738.75 | 17,994 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.34 Tons | 0.28 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) | 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:
We sell all of our computers and laptops, dining center equipment and office equipment through Excess Property.
Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
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?:
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?:
Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
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:
Our waste management company has to ensure we comply with less than 5% contamination rate, per Onondaga County rules and regulations for all waste.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
• Every year we update our recycling pamphlet, which all new students receive, to include what they can and cannot recycle on campus. This pamphlet includes what is considered trash in our county also. .
• Table tent signage is created and displayed in all dining facilities.
• SU participates in RecycleMania.
• Earth Day clean up opportunities are available for all students to volunteer.
• All waste and recycling receptacles have clear signage.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Syracuse University has completed one residential and dining hall waste audit, one academic building waste audit, and has one workshop performing a campus waste audit.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The Excess Property Program is part of the Purchasing Office which has responsibility for the sale or disposition of University owned property. The program provides guides for handling excess property, and incentives in the form of credits to participating departments from sale proceeds.
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):
Alumnus Timi Komonibo created the Style Lottery, clothing swap, while a student at Syracuse University. Presently, a student group hosts one Style Lottery on campus.
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 provided a $20 credit at the beginning of each academic year in August (this $20 credit covers the next 12 months) for printing services in the ITS public computer labs. The University's online Print Quota Management System automatically deducts the cost of the printing service from the $20 credit until the $20 credit is exhausted. Any student who goes over $20 is charged per page.
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:
Syracuse University uses MySlice for class registration and class descriptions. If you would like a printed copy, you need to print it off from syr.edu. There are no course catalogs in print.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Through the generosity of students, faculty and staff, we collect clothes and household items and donate them to the First English Lutheran Church on James St. in Syracuse. All the items donated are given out to members of the larger Syracuse community. Last year we collected over 50+ tons of "stuff" to help almost 3000 families in the Syracuse area.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The Grounds crew and Campus Planning and Design have created a program to use product that would normally have been sent to the landfill. Here a few of them:
Repurposed 90 tons of #3 washed stone from NH2 roof replacement.
Repurposed 900 tons of road millings from the University Promenade project.
Repurposed 200 tons of crushed stone from the new football practice field project.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.