| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.55 |
| Liaison | Melissa Cadwell |
| Submission Date | Jan. 7, 2022 |
Syracuse University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.48 / 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 | 1,923.34 Tons | 2,159.56 Tons |
| Materials composted | 620.54 Tons | 300.61 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 | 2,984.91 Tons | 2,445.21 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 5,593.79 Tons | 4,950.38 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
All materials are picked up separately and weighed separately.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2010 | June 30, 2011 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
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 | 7,874 | 8,112 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 31 | 31 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 19,184 | 18,856 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 4,935 | 4,587 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,279 | 1,531 |
| Weighted campus users | 18,356.25 | 18,469.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.30 Tons | 0.27 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 |
| 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:
Fluorescent light bulbs
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:
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:
We offer waste and recycling education lunch and learn session to all our campus community. We ensure we structure the training to the specific area of campus we are working with.
We have been participating in Race to Zero Waste for many years.
We have a strong social media presence for recycling, compost, and waste messaging to our campus.
We also post information on the information screens in our student center, academic buildings, and our athletic facility.
In addition, we design recycling and waste cards specifically for our campus to ensure we are educating our community on what we typically need to recycle or throw out. Every student living in a residence hall receives this card.
We also have labeled waste and recycling rooms with posters to ensure students know what and where to place their items in the waste rooms.
We work closing with Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to ensure we are education and instituting the correct narrative per our local laws.
We also are NYSAR3 members to ensure we continue to promote accurate information for NYS.
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 academic waste audit at our waste facility on campus
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Our contract has language stating minimized packaging, and many of our purchased items in bulk.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
The University works with Auctions International to dispose of our excess property.
Deans, Directors and Department Heads may authorize the release of University property for donation, sale or disposal by signing a completed Excess Property Form.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Our students utilize Facebook Free Cycle.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students are provided a $40 credit at the beginning of each academic year in August (this $40 credit covers the next 12 months) for printing services in the ITS public computer labs.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Syracuse University uses MySlice for class registration and class descriptions.
Blackboard is used to submit papers for many classes.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Hendricks Chapel works with the residence halls to have students donate items for either the on campus food pantry's or sent to a local church that hands out the items to the community in need.
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.
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.