| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.32 |
| Liaison | Andy Mitchell |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2021 |
University of Illinois Chicago
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.34 / 8.00 |
Cynthia
Klein-Banai Associate Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 3,675.50 Tons | 1,761.77 Tons |
| Materials composted | 198.80 Tons | 255.87 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 | 4,038.55 Tons | 6,528.69 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 7,912.85 Tons | 8,546.33 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, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The waste generation baseline chosen is from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007. This baseline was chosen because we wanted to compare our most recent data to that of the 2006-2007 Academic Year. This was one year prior to the formation of the Office of Sustainability and what we have used for previous STARS Reporting.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,385 | 3,800 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 11 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 20 | 477 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 30,594 | 21,129 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 12,683 | 10,781 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 583 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 32,889.50 | 25,359.50 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.24 Tons | 0.34 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 | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Batteries, nitrile gloves, writing instruments, office supplies, lab supplies
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:
Labels and signs at all recycling stations in buildings & outdoors; training of building service workers; periodic audits
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Introduction of recycling and composting at new student events
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Annual waste audits; 2019 audits of 15 activity zones on campus by Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Purchasing has prioritized paper with recycled content
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Property accounting operates surplus program; used, but useful, surplus equipment and furniture can be redistributed at a university warehouse which is near campus. PSPM has maintained a growing office supply program "Free Store" for almost 30 years, and an annual Great Stuff Exchange. OS also maintains a Lab Share program, mainly consisting of used glassware.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Rheaply app for lab supplies introduce in 2018. Departments also post to campus listserves when they have furnishings and other equipment that may be of interest to other departments.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Departmental efforts to mandate double sided printing and use of electronic tools. The U-Print system at UIC limits each student with fifteen dollar limits. There is also an incentive for double sided printing instead of single sided printing. Double sided is charged at three cents a page while a single sided sheet is priced at eight cents a page. The printers automatically default to 2-sided printing.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
All paychecks are direct deposit; Medical Records digitized; widespread campus and departmental efforts. UIC's course catalogs, course schedules and directories have been available online for several years now, but policy now is to not to print the course catalog, instead referring students to the online resource. The printed catalogs are readily available to academic advisers, however, due to the nature of their position. All registration is completed on-line as well. Students have access to an on-line course schedule through the portal. The Campus Directory is available free on-line from the UIC home page, although a printed version is made available for purchase by departments.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Goodwill brings collection boxes to Housing during move-out; PSPM works with Housing for cardboard recycling during move-in.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Food Recovery expanded greatly through partership between PSPM and student organization Food Recovery Network. PSPM runs a Great Stuff Exchange and Lab Exchange program where they collect excess office and lab supplies (non-chemical, non-electronic). Campus community can drop off or "shop" anytime. There is an annual Great Stuff Exchange at the beginning of the school year and most of the materials are redistributed to students.
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.