University of Denver
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.96 / 8.00 |
Chad
King Sustainability Coordinator Sustainbility |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 171 Tons | 209 Tons |
| Materials composted | 159 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,279 Tons | 4,621 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,609 Tons | 4,830 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
This baseline aligns with the energy baseline.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,689 | 2,180 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 6 | 6 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 10,068 | 8,741 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 2,754 | 2,117 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 930 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 9,592.75 | 8,690 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.17 Tons | 0.56 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) | No |
| Electronics | Yes |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| 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:
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:
Meetings with 3rd party waste haulers. Audits performed by Sustainability and Facilities. Visual audits by custodial and grounds crews, landfilling clearly contaminated bins.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Signage on all bins, educational events hosted quarterly in the library during high use times, lunch and learns with waste haulers, education in orientation.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The Center for Sustainability student staff with volunteers and classes help sort and weigh waste for building level data on current and potential diversion rates. Building bin audits are used to provide recommendations for improving operations by reducing total number of bins while increasing recycling and compost paired bins..
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
To go materials in food service areas are all recyclable or compostable.
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:
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students are provided a set amount of print money each quarter at shared printers. They are required to pay out of pocket if they go over that amount.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The University of Denver's course catalogs, course schedules, and directory are available online; our default is to not print these materials.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The Center for Sustainability hosts a spring move out collection program as students move out of the residence halls at the end of the year. The students living in the residence halls donate belongings. These are then sold at highly discounted rates during fall move in to students arriving at DU. Several hard to reuse materials such as bedding are recycled through specialty recyclers. This program reduces the amount of end-of-the-year waste significantly.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Partnerships with nonprofit networks in the area allow for donations of furniture from the University to these nonprofits.
Banners from campus marketing are collected by the Center for Sustainability and turned into shopping bags.
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.