Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 56.01
Liaison Suzanne Wood
Submission Date Aug. 16, 2023

STARS v2.2

UMass Chan Medical School
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.05 / 8.00 Kortni Wroten
Sustainability and Energy Manager
Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 1,531.56 Tons 416.75 Tons
Materials composted 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 24.50 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 2,890.69 Tons 2,738.96 Tons
Total waste generated 4,446.75 Tons 3,155.71 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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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 Jan. 1, 2006 Dec. 31, 2006

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
CY2006 was used as it was the first year data was available.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 0 0
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 421 400
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,300.67 982.80
Full-time equivalent of employees 7,176.80 7,599.67
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 18.78 0
Weighted campus users 6,765.02 6,836.85

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.66 Tons 0.46 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
34.99

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
34.99

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 No
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:
UMass Chan partners with Partners for World Health to donate surplus medical supplies.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
0 Tons

Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
10

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Waste hauler's assigned Resource Manager conducts regular audits of recycling infrastructure and reports back to each site making recommendations for improvement and areas of contamination.

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Area-specific recycling and waste signage has been developed to make the identification of recyclable items easier. Housekeeping, the Sustainability Office, and the waste haulers Resource Manager conduct trainings for department and units by request. Bi-monthly newsletters and annual Earth Month Celebration are used as ways to promote campus recycling.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
As part of our contract with the waste hauler they agree to provide annual trash audits of all compactors. Waste audits include a written report and pictures. Additionally, Waste hauler's assigned Resource Manager conducts audits of recycling infrastructure and reports back to each site making recommendations for improvement and areas of contamination.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
We have pursued moving away from desktop printers in favor of networked multi-function devices. UMass Chan follows the system wide procurement policies outlined in the UMass System Sustainability Policy: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/sustainableumass_reportsplans/17/

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:
Students have created a self-managed reuse tool using a shared Excel file where furniture, office supplies, and even lab reagents are listed as surplus for pickup from others on campus.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
The university charges to print from library computers.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The majority of schools/departments choose to distribute course material and directories online. UMass Chan also uses DocuSign to eliminate unnecessary printing for the signing of forms and contracts.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
N/A UMass Chan Medical School does not have residence halls

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
UMass Chan Medical School works with a local farm to donate food waste. Additionally, UMass Chan partners with Partners for World Health to donate excess medical supplies.

Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
https://www.umassmed.edu/sustainability/recycling/
+ Date Revised: Nov. 29, 2023

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.