| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45.79 |
| Liaison | Larry Cook |
| Submission Date | Dec. 4, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of South Carolina
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.54 / 8.00 |
Dameon
Hopkins Recycling & Waste Manager Facilities |
Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 891 Tons | 368.75 Tons |
| Materials composted | 177 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 22 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 25 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 4,200 Tons | 4,184 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 5,315 Tons | 4,552.75 Tons |
A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
Used cooking oil is collected by Green Energy Biofuels and converted to biodiesel. There should be no sorting required.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2017 | June 30, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2006 | Dec. 31, 2006 |
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):
To align with previous STARS reporting.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 14,338 | 12,947 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 35 | 12 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 34,731 | 27,390 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 5,670 | 4,894 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 2,131 | 60 |
| Weighted campus users | 32,295.75 | 27,407.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.16 Tons | 0.17 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 | No |
| Cooking oil | Yes |
| Plant materials | Yes |
| Animal bedding | No |
| White goods (i.e. appliances) | 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) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Cardboard, Mattresses, motor oil, oil filters, ink/toner
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:
Mixed paper and cardboard recycling streams are taken directly to the recycling center from campus. These streams have dedicated collection containers that reduce contamination. Paper bins in common spaces are consolidated into 64 and 96 gallon roll carts and Recycling Staff monitor the bins for contamination. All other collected material goes through the campus sorting center to separate by commodity and remove contamination. The University has worked with our recycling partners to supply the grades and quality of material that they desire and we have not experienced our recycling partners discarding our material. We stay in close communication with our recycling partners to make sure that the relationship is beneficial for both parties and collected materials are actually reaching markets.
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:
The University participates in RecycleMania each year to raise awareness of our sustainability program. We continually work to improve access to recycling collection infrastructure (paired waste and recycling bins, making recycling easy) and to update signage to reflect acceptable materials.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The University regularly performs (generally 2/year) waste audits on target buildings chosen either by student interest or for program improvement reasons. Waste audits are generally performed in public to raise awareness of the activity.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
A set of sustainable purchasing guidelines is utilized by USC's purchasing department.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Campus Surplus collects materials donated from offices and makes them available to the campus community. Items that are not reused on campus are taken to State of South Carolina Surplus Property and are sold to the general public. University Recycling has instituted a office clean-out program to easily recover reusable household, office, and other items for donation or reuse.
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):
N/A
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):
There is a charge associated with printing in most libraries/labs on campus. In the Thomas Cooper library, 10 cents/page, or 25 cents/page for colored ink. Some do not provide paper as well.
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:
Course information is provided online for all University courses. Print versions are still available but discouraged and not readily distributed. Paper submissions for student assignments (such as an essay or lab report) are becoming less common, in favor of online submissions.
http://registrar.sc.edu/default.stm
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Each year University Housing coordinates the Give It Up for Good program during the last 2 weeks of the semester. Donation centers are set up at almost every residence hall, smaller halls share locations. There are boxes for clothing, food, household goods, and small appliances and a bulk collection center for carpet, loft wood, and furniture. Staff from University Housing and University Facilities collects donated materials daily. The majority of the materials are sold to the public at a yard sale that benefits Central Midlands Habitat for Humanity. Leftover items from the sale are distributed to local charities such as Harvest Hope Food Bank (all donated food), Goodwill, Teen Challenge Super Thrift, and others. We also collect plastic grocery bags as part of this program.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
The University has started to collect nitrile gloves from introductory science lab classes through the Kimberly Clark recycling program. The University has started limited plastic film recycling. The University implements special recycling collections as needed to address one-time disposal of bulk items, for example: microfiche discarded from the law library and books withdrawn from the Medical School Library.
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.