| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.28 |
| Liaison | Jamie Jacquart |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.76 / 8.00 |
Jamie
Jacquart Assistant Director Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 266 Tons | 887.44 Tons |
| Materials composted | 23.74 Tons | 22 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 0 Tons | 10 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 25.20 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,364 Tons | 1,934 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,653.74 Tons | 2,878.64 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
The University works with a bio-diesel producer who collects all of the fryer oil.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2019 | June 30, 2020 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2015 | June 30, 2016 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
2016 was the first year of our new garbage hauling contract that contained specific criteria for required reporting. All data before that time was guesswork, at best.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,028 | 3,651 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 11 | 14 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 8 | 5,936.75 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,342 | 7,558 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,178 | 1,204 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 628 | 741 |
| Weighted campus users | 5,936.75 | 12,868.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.28 Tons | 0.22 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 | No |
| 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 | No |
| 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:
Green Navigators (Eco-Reps) conduct waste audits in a variety of locations each year. This includes sorting the materials, analyzing the error rates, and communicating that back to the building occupants.
We have also conducted these at the waste hauling facility in conjunction with our hauler and professional recycling staff person. We have compared an academic building VS a residential building to understand the differences between them.
A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
The staff in the Campus Sustainability Offices worked with a Computer Science Junior level course to survey students about their waste/recycling behaviors. As a result of the spring 2020 survey, we decided to update the signage affiliated with our bins. This included mimicking the "Recycle Smart" guidelines provided by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protections and branded with school colors. It also included replacing vertical signs on the backs of the most prevalent bin style on campus.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
In the spring of 2019 we hosted the Post-Landfill Action Network's Points of Intervention tour. We held a 4 hour workshop with the Green Navigators and members of the Dining Services staff. There were several items identified "upstream" as a way to reduce the amount of materials going to trash. Notably, this included the waxed paper cups supplied as a part of the beverage contract. This is an on-going discussion with both Chartwells and Pepsi regarding what options are available within our contract and fit within our budget. COVID has put a suspension on this issue, which we intend to revisit this next year.
We have also pursued moving away from desktop printers in favor of networked multi-function devices. That program needs to go through its own optimization process, which COVID put a delay in its implementation, and we intend to revisit this next year.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Green Navigators created the first office supply swap closet in the spring, 2 weeks before COVID hit. The roll out of that will need to wait until we return to a less fear based item sharing time period.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
The plan is to use an internal Facebook group to share information regarding surplus materials that are available and can be more easily highlighted.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
The campus moved to a print-less solution in 2012. This included providing all students a printing allotment. This past spring we created a similar program for faculty and staff, which was delayed due to COVID. We intend to revisit that in the fall. Each print job is sent to the printer, which then needs to be released at the print station, thus reducing the amount of mis-prints.
All copy machines on campus are set to print on both sides (duplex) and in Black & White. Color printing needs to be selected in order to be utilized.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Faculty have been migrating to more materials on-line. This is partially as a reaction to the high price of textbooks, but also to reduce the amount of printing. Many faculty are only accepting assignments from students electronically.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In the fall of 2018 we moved to employ Green Navigators as recycling assistants during move in. This included staffing the garbage bins and redirecting families to place all cardboard in a roll-off dumpster and ensured that all packaging materials were properly disposed of as garbage.
Our Green Move Out program has been in operation since 2014. It includes a series of bins in the lobby of every residence hall with signage indicating which items are acceptable to donate. Our student staff empties these bins daily for the 10 days leading up to the campus closing. It also includes regular monitoring of the garbage dumpsters to make sure that any obvious mistakes are addressed (electronics, household items).
In 2019, the Green Navigators partnered with several other student organizations to conduct a clothing swap one month before the end of classes. This allowed students to be able to be the first beneficiaries of clothing no longer wanted by their original owners. We also worked with our Transgendered students an opportunity to participate at no cost in an effort to help them expand their clothing collection.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
We tried a pallet collection system at a lower rate from our garbage hauler that was stopped due to too much contamination from the general community. We have also explored the possibility of sending them directly to a wood pellet manufacturer, though that needs to be revisited. Often, members of the trade staff take them and make reclaimed furniture from them.
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:
Jamie Jacquart
Jamie Jacquart
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.