Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.54
Liaison Jay Price
Submission Date March 2, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
OP-23: Waste Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 3.00 Preston Jacobsen
Sustainability Manager
Facilities Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Materials diverted from the solid waste landfill or incinerator:
2,994.11 Tons

Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator :
8,931.04 Tons

A brief description of programs, policies, infrastructure investments, outreach efforts, and/or other factors that contributed to the diversion rate, including efforts made during the previous three years:

The UT Recycling Office has been working to maximize waste diversion for several years. Some of these efforts include: providing recycling bins in all buildings, starting a compost program (including an investment in $230,000 wood grinder), a campus-wide initiate to eliminate single-use containers called The Mug Project, and the annual participation in RecyclMania and Recyclympics, among many other projects. Additionally, the UT Zero Waste Campaign for the football stadium has greatly increased the overall waste diversion of the campus.


A brief description of any food donation programs employed by the institution:

The Food Recovery Network is a student run initiative that works to collect left over food from dining locations across campus to donate to local soup kitchens and food pantries. This club also works with vendors after football games to capture and donate any left over food.


A brief description of any pre-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:

Pre-consumer compost is collected by the Recycling Office at all dining hall locations across campus. This pre-consumer waste, along with post-consumer waste, is combined with wood chips at the UTK compost site to break down into usable compost. This compost is used mostly as a soil amendment at UT Organic Farm.


A brief description of any post-consumer food waste composting program employed by the institution:

Post-consumer waste on campus is collected in the form of paper towels from many administrative and academic buildings, food scraps from select offices, and coffee grounds and food scraps from some franchises on campus, including Starbucks, Panda Express, Raising Cane's. Additionally, used cooking oil is collected to make biodiesel for UT biodiesel vehicles.


Does the institution include the following materials in its waste diversion efforts?:
Yes or No
Paper, plastics, glass, metals, and other recyclable containers Yes
Food donations Yes
Food for animals Yes
Food composting Yes
Cooking oil Yes
Plant materials composting Yes
Animal bedding composting Yes
Batteries Yes
Light bulbs Yes
Toner/ink-jet cartridges 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
Motor oil Yes
Tires Yes

Other materials that the institution includes in its waste diversion efforts:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.