| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.93 |
| Liaison | Kevin Salfen |
| Submission Date | Oct. 21, 2024 |
University of the Incarnate Word
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.97 / 8.00 |
Kevin
Salfen Co-Director, Office of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 19.01 Tons | 20.12 Tons |
| Materials composted | 2.04 Tons | 0 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 | 767.95 Tons | 789.02 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 789 Tons | 809.14 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
N/A
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | June 1, 2022 | May 31, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | June 1, 2021 | May 31, 2022 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The annual report from Waste Management is from June-May, which encompasses an academic year. The baseline year is the year immediately preceding the performance year used throughout the rest of the University of the Incarnate Word's STARS report.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 1,080 | 1,025 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 64 | 64 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,140 | 6,802 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,402 | 1,336 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,329 | 788 |
| Weighted campus users | 4,945.75 | 5,784.75 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.16 Tons | 0.14 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
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 | No |
| 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 | No |
| Pallets | No |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Clothing, trees cuttings/brush (mulch)
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
Recycling Management
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?:
Contamination and Discard Rates
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
https://www.uiw.edu/eccl/sustainability/where-do-i-recycle.html
Quality-control mechnisms include 1) signage, 2) trainings for students through Sustain (student sustainability organization) in proper recycling, 3) Resident Assistants, 4) Aramark training housekeeping associates.
UIW has single-stream recycling, with some exceptions. Throughout campus, there are bins for waste/trash and bins marked recycling including:
- Clean glass
- Clean plastic (hard plastic only – bottles, etc.)
- Clean paper (any sort—newspaper, white paper, colored paper)
- Clean aluminum (cans, etc.)
- Clean cardboard
Programs and Initiatives
- Campus Waste to Zero Waste
- Basketball/Football green games
- Sustain programming to educate students about recycling
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
City of San Antonio - ReWorks ratings (https://gis.sanantonio.gov/SWMD/CommercialRecycle/index.html)
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Reuse of furniture
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Cardinals' Cupboard (food & essentials pantry), clothing available through Career Services for job interviews, etc.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Charging fees for printing, double-sided printing as default
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Move to Access program (textbooks), university-wide policies distributed through Learning Management Software (not print), encouragement for employees to go paperless (W-2, etc.), online catalogs, schedule of classes online, performing arts moving to digital instead of print programs
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Green Moveout program, with 11 8x5 plastic containers filled at the end of Spring 2024 semester, given directly to Goodwill
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
N/A
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:
Sources:
Coventional waste disposal data: Waste Management
Recycling data: Recycle America (WM)
Compositing data: Compost Queens, contracted through UIW Community Gardens / Sustainability Advisory Board
Other data and responses crafted in coordination with Dr. Ben Miele, Chair, Sustainability Advisory Board
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.