Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.21
Liaison Gary Cocke
Submission Date Sept. 11, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The University of Texas at Dallas
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.01 / 8.00 Gary Cocke
Sustainability Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 674.20 Tons 682.80 Tons
Materials composted 33.30 Tons 30.16 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 18.60 Tons 21.70 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 1,665.60 Tons 1,396.90 Tons
Total waste generated 2,391.70 Tons 2,131.56 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
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Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Sept. 1, 2017 Aug. 31, 2018
Baseline Year Sept. 1, 2016 Aug. 31, 2017

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):

For this baseline and performance year, the data was readily available.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 5,278 4,768
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 21,677 20,856
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 3,277 3,188
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 589 612
Weighted campus users 19,593.25 18,766

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.12 Tons 0.11 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
30.36

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
30.36

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
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:

UT Dallas has a Hearing Aid Recycling Program (HARP).
http://www.utdallas.edu/calliercenter/evaluation-and-treatment/hearing/

Styrofoam Packing Peanuts, #6 Polystyrene, Ink & Toner Cartridges, Batteries, Lamps, Wood Pallets, Binders, Plastic Film, Non-PCB Ballasts, Shoes & Clothing


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) :
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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?:
Yes

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?:
No

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?:
No

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
7.60

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:

The Office of Sustainability manages a website where information on what is acceptable in the recycling programs are available. Recycling bins on-campus have the recycling symbol and tape located on them to help differentiate recycling from trash. It is also required that our waste hauler apply and manage signage on outdoor trash/recycling dumpsters that indicate what is acceptable in the single stream recycling. Recycling dumpsters are green and trash is blue.


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 Office of Sustainability manages the UT Dallas participation in RecycleMania on an annual basis.


A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:

The Sustainability Coordinator performs campus waste and recycling audits in the form of building and campus walk-throughs to ensure that locations of and the conditions of the waste and recycling containers are satisfactory. UTD’s recycling team performs daily recycling pickups and audits the condition and location of indoor and outdoor recycling and waste bins.

Facilities Management (FM) performs a small scale waste and contamination audit within FM. This is managed internally as FM transitioned to smaller clip-on trash bins within the larger blue recycling desk-side bins. This reduces custodial labor hours allocated to emptying trash bins in FM therefore reducing the need for plastic trash bin liners.


A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):

The University Sustainability Committee adopted the Sustainable Procurement Guideline – 201802. This guideline encourages the purchasing of office supplies, tools, equipment, and other products that possess and “environmental preferable” designation.


A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:

Surplus (Property Administration) can pick up most types of smaller technology-related equipment such as desktop computers, laptop computers, docking stations, monitors, desktop printers, desktop scanners, desktop copy/fax/print machines, keyboards, speakers, mice, cables and servers. The Move and Events team can pick up larger equipment such as furniture (desks, chairs, file cabinets, bookcases), books, server racks, large copy/fax/print machines, large televisions and pallets of mixed items (e.g.: computers mixed with furniture).

Inventory and Surplus designates specific sales periods that are announced on the Auxiliary Services website throughout the year that allow students, faculty and staff to purchase certain properties, such as furniture, bicycles and computer equipment.


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):

UT Dallas Student Government offers a book exchange/sharing opportunity for students. The university bookstore also offers a book buyback program.

Clothing Donation for reuse: The Comet Closet seeks to supply students with business professional and business casual attire. Our purpose is to help students land interviews for their first internship(s) and/or job(s).


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):

The Eugene McDermott Library offers printing services for a small charge per page. Departments that do offer free printing, limit the printing pages to 20 at a time and allow only black and white. Certain departments allow $20 free black and white printing/year.


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:

UT Dallas has all institutional policies available online. Each policy is available in PDF format to discourage printing.


A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:

Every Fall semester during move-in, The Office of Sustainability and Housing partner to host the annual Move In Cardboard Recycling event to reduce the cardboard sent to the landfill.


A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:

Waste minimization is encouraged through materials readily available in online formats. For example, shared drives are used among university staff to reduce the need for individual printing.

The Sustainability Office, in partnership with Trex Recycling, has implemented a recycling program that targets plastic wrap and film materials at UT Dallas.

Trex Recycling Program Website
http://www.trex.com/recycling/recycling-programs/


Operation Upcycle, hosted by the Office of Student Volunteerism, allows students to participate in the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value.


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:
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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.