| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Kira Stoll |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Berkeley
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Kira
Stoll Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 1,971 Tons | 2,374 Tons |
| Materials composted | 1,630 Tons | 783 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 1 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 4,097 Tons | 6,385 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 7,699 Tons | 9,542 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2000 | June 30, 2001 |
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):
The baseline year is a year that both waste and residential student data is available.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 8,369 | 6,349 |
| 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 | 42,103 | 32,128 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 15,475 | 14,371 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 45,275.75 | 36,461.50 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.17 Tons | 0.26 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 | Yes |
| 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:
Classroom and office furniture.
The campus also participates in Recyclmania.
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:
By using multi-stream methods the campus aims to reduce contamination.
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:
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The campus Waste Audit Team perform waste audits for different buildings on campus. The team conducts multiple day long audits to get a full assessment of a building's waste stream to better address ways the building can improve their waste sorting and decrease the amount of waste produced. The team goes to the building, collects the landfill waste, and then sorts through the material. The waste is sorted into six categories: landfill, mixed paper, cardboard, compost, metal and glass, recyclable plastics and non-recyclable plastics.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
Cal Zero Waste and our Green Labs works with our procurement department on identifying and buying more products that prevent waste.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
ReUSE focuses on pulling reusable items (e.g. stationary, binders, books, and clothes) out of the waste stream and recirculating them both on-campus and within the Berkeley community. In order to achieve this goal, ReUSE has a number of projects, including ReUSE Stations, move-outs, Refills Not Landfills, and the Eco Bike.
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):
The campus now has a reuse store open in the student union.
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):
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:
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The ReUSE Program holds a Move-Out Reader and Clothing Collection in the residence halls every May. ReUSE places a canvas cart for clothing and a tall plastic toter bin for readers, on the ground floor of every building with signs and labels directing residents to donate their gently-used materials in the appropriate receptacles. Students are also encouraged to post their larger items on the campus online materials exchange (exchange.berkeley.edu) to give away to others in the campus community for free rather than throwing reusable materials away. Over the summer, ReUSE student volunteers help organize collected clothes and readers to distribute back to the campus community at the beginning of each semester.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Refills not Landfills is a program that aims to promote refillable mugs on campus in an effort to reduce the number of single-use coffee cups.
The campus has a student run Zero Waste Research Center that targets upstream materials and aims to find alternatives for these items. The campus also participate in the plastic disclosure project.
The goal of the EPP Road Show is to promote environmentally preferred alternatives to common office supplies. The Zero Waste Research Center chose products that produce less waste than their counterparts or are made out of recycled content. For example, Pilot’s B2P (Bottle to Pen) is a pen made out of recycled plastic water bottles, which means it is a #1 PET plastic and is readily recyclable. Also, it is refillable which allows for the continual use of the pen while only throwing away the empty ink.
Mail Services and others work with vendors such as Ecological Mail and Intra Mail network to reduce unwanted mail.
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.