| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 88.31 |
| Liaison | James Gordon |
| Submission Date | May 31, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Thompson Rivers University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.83 / 8.00 |
James
Gordon Environmental Programs and Research Coordinator TRU Office of Environment and Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 354.28 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials composted | 181.66 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 7.61 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 4.74 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 220.78 Tons | 991 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 769.07 Tons | 991 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
TRU donates used cooking oil that is then converted to Biodiesel by a third party.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2005 | Dec. 31, 2005 |
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):
A 2005 baseline was adopted for the 2011 STARS Report; in order to be consistent, it will be used for this report.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 880 | 0 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 11,963 | 5,702.50 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 1,269 | 872 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 3,812 | 1,866 |
| Weighted campus users | 7,285 | 3,531.38 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.11 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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
The above covers all forms of recycling and waste diversion efforts at TRU.
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:
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:
TRU hosts a zero waste challenge to help educate students several times a year. The Green Guide available to students also includes a guide on how to sort waste and recycle more than what is accepted in the municipal mixed recycling stream.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
In the summer of 2014, small-scale waste audits were conducted by a co-op research student for the TRU Sustainability Office. The audits were conducted to compare the differences between contamination rates of single, stand-alone waste, recycling, and refundable bins compared to the use of a centralized Zero Waste station.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
At TRU, the identification of equipment and other reusable materials that need to be disposed of is undertaken by every TRU department on a regular basis. The actual disposal of such equipment is the responsibility of Procurement Services. There are several ways to dispose of equipment. If replacement equipment needs to be purchased, then every effort is made to obtain a reasonable trade-in-allowance for the old equipment by selling it. In this case, Procurement Services would negotiate with the vendors interested in supplying the replacement equipment. To sell old goods, personnel fill out a Disposal of Obsolete & Surplus Goods Form and send it to Procurement Services. The Procurement Manager will then do one of the following to dispose of the unwanted equipment or materials: re-use it within another TRU department; post the item for sale on BC Auction; offer the item to other educational institutions; donate it to charity, or dispose of it in an environmentally. Electronic waste goes to a recycling plant to be reused or disposed of environmentally responsible manner.
Raw materials (metals) are picked up and recycled. Paper documents and other paper related materials are recycled with the company Iron Mountain. All toner cartridges are recycled through Grand and Toy or sent back to the manufacturer.
Source: Julie Gemin, Procurement Manager, TRU
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
If the item on the Obsolete Surplus Goods form shows working condition, it is posted for sale through BC Auction. Surplus non-working obsolete items get recycled through Encorp Recycling Corp. who pick up the goods in TRU Stores as required.
Source: Lisa Fiset, Purchaser, TRU
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):
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):
Free printing does not occur at TRU photocopier stations in either the libraries or the Printshop. The current price per page is $0.10 and prints double-sided automatically. Students are required to bring their own paper to computer labs for printing, and can only print colour at the Printshop ($1.00 per page). All printing that occurs is doubled-sided by default and students are encouraged to use a size 11 font with one inch margins in order to reduce the amount of paper being printed. Students are also encouraged to read and edit journals online instead of printing.
Currently, no new desktop printers will be bought for any staff member, unless a special exception warrants it (for example, if there is a mobility issue). Once all of the 250 current desktop printers come to the end of natural life cycle, they will not be replaced. Instead, all staff members will be encouraged to use the large, centrally-located multi-function printers. It has been proven in other institutions that employing this cuts down on the amount of paper and ink used, since most people think twice before printing something.
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:
The university makes course catalogues, course schedules, and directories available online. Printed catalogues are available at an extra cost.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Residence halls on campus currently run many programs to control waste at move-in and move-out. There is a donation bin outside of the main entrance year-round and during peak times the number of pick-ups increase. They host food drives for all leftover perishable food items and provide an 'item swap' event for students. They continually search for new ways to reduce waste produced during these times.
Source: Jacquie Saucier, Residence Services Supervisor.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
TRU has signed onto the new pan-Canadian National Zero-Waste Council, and is taking aggressive steps to achieve the goal of becoming a zero-waste institution. It recently spend approximately $60,000.00 to buy 90 new zero-waste stations (with a 4 or 5 bin waste stream set-up) in order to help achieve this goal. In early Sept. 2014, it hosted its first zero-waste event during the main student Orientation event. A comprehensive campus-wide zero-waste educational campaign is planned for early 2015 and continuing into the 2015-2016 school year.
Many offices around TRU use the simple ”Free box” strategy, by placing a cardboard box in the hallway outside their office with a "Free" sign attached to it. It is then filled with usable but unwanted items. Anyone is welcome to take what he or she wants
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:
Regarding the question for the Baseline Year ‘Number of students resident on-site?’ (in Parts 1 and 2 in the section ‘Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”’) TRU did not have student housing or students living on campus in 2005. The first student residence building was completed in 2008.
Regarding why zero was reported for the 2005 Baseline year. Zero has been reported for both 2011 and 2015 STARS reports as TRU had no recycling, composting or reuse systems in place on campus. 2005 Data related to our waste streams measured total tonnage of waste to landfill but zero tonnage reported in any recycling or organics stream and no reuse programs were in place.
Waste Generated
Materials Composted: composting was introduced to campus in January 2014 and data was collected for 31 weeks on how much compost was being collected. This covered the winter semester (January to April, at 1053.41 kg) and summer period (May to August, at 821.63 kg). As data was not collected from September to December, 2014, the winter semester values were doubled to account for this time period. The composting value also includes campus yard clippings.
Materials Recycled: this is a combination of cardboard recycling, curbside mixed recycling, electronics recycling, and scrap metal recycling. TRU has the potential to place out 70 recycling carts twice a week (each cart with a volume of 240 L), but not all carts are used each time. In order to calculate how much was recycled, an average from the carts was taken (240x2/2). This accounts for each cart being full at least once per week, multiplied by 52 weeks.
2005 baseline figures for FTE for employees provided by Paul Archer, Manager, TRU HR Services.
Regarding the question for the Baseline Year ‘Number of students resident on-site?’ (in Parts 1 and 2 in the section ‘Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”’) TRU did not have student housing or students living on campus in 2005. The first student residence building was completed in 2008.
Regarding why zero was reported for the 2005 Baseline year. Zero has been reported for both 2011 and 2015 STARS reports as TRU had no recycling, composting or reuse systems in place on campus. 2005 Data related to our waste streams measured total tonnage of waste to landfill but zero tonnage reported in any recycling or organics stream and no reuse programs were in place.
Waste Generated
Materials Composted: composting was introduced to campus in January 2014 and data was collected for 31 weeks on how much compost was being collected. This covered the winter semester (January to April, at 1053.41 kg) and summer period (May to August, at 821.63 kg). As data was not collected from September to December, 2014, the winter semester values were doubled to account for this time period. The composting value also includes campus yard clippings.
Materials Recycled: this is a combination of cardboard recycling, curbside mixed recycling, electronics recycling, and scrap metal recycling. TRU has the potential to place out 70 recycling carts twice a week (each cart with a volume of 240 L), but not all carts are used each time. In order to calculate how much was recycled, an average from the carts was taken (240x2/2). This accounts for each cart being full at least once per week, multiplied by 52 weeks.
2005 baseline figures for FTE for employees provided by Paul Archer, Manager, TRU HR Services.
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.