Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.88
Liaison Alex Frank
Submission Date April 14, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Wisconsin-Madison
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.42 / 8.00 Alex Frank
Sustainability Analyst
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 2,575.99 Tons 2,820.45 Tons
Materials composted 772.33 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 356.73 Tons 816.83 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 4,830.07 Tons 6,633.72 Tons
Total waste generated 8,535.12 Tons 10,271 Tons

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:

N/A


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, 2006 June 30, 2007

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:

FY07 was adopted as the preferred baseline year for STARS data reporting as it represented consistent data availability across the majority of credits.

FY20 was chosen as the performance year since campus operations were limited during the majority of FY21. Weighted campus user figures reported in this credit are for FY20.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,956 7,259
Number of employees resident on-site 178 178
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 41,159 37,237
Full-time equivalent of employees 19,765 16,255.20
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 206 0
Weighted campus users 47,572 41,978.40

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.18 Tons 0.24 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
26.67

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
43.41

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
43.41

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
Electronics 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:

Other materials recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold not captured above include:
- Books
- Styrofoam Packaging
- Electric Motors
- Wire
- Materials repurposed through Surplus


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?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
---

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
---

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
---

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:
---

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

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
---

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
---

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
---

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

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

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:

Data reported above does not include the weight of Fluorescent, HID, Incandescent, Flood, and U-Tube Lamps as weight data was not available for the performance or baseline year. All of these materials are recycled and their weight is expected to be minimal compared to total campus waste.

Additionally, data reported above includes estimates from FY07 for paper recycling from the on-campus print shop (https://printing.wisc.edu/), land-filled materials from the Memorial Union, and all materials re-purposed through SWAP (https://swap.wisc.edu/). Trending data from 2018 to the earliest reported data (ranging from 2008 to 2013) were used to produce these estimates. Trends were relatively consistent and should be reliable estimates for these waste streams in our baseline year.

FY20 was chosen as the performance year since campus operations were limited during the majority of FY21. Weighted campus user and floor area figures reported in this credit are for FY20.


Data reported above does not include the weight of Fluorescent, HID, Incandescent, Flood, and U-Tube Lamps as weight data was not available for the performance or baseline year. All of these materials are recycled and their weight is expected to be minimal compared to total campus waste.

Additionally, data reported above includes estimates from FY07 for paper recycling from the on-campus print shop (https://printing.wisc.edu/), land-filled materials from the Memorial Union, and all materials re-purposed through SWAP (https://swap.wisc.edu/). Trending data from 2018 to the earliest reported data (ranging from 2008 to 2013) were used to produce these estimates. Trends were relatively consistent and should be reliable estimates for these waste streams in our baseline year.

FY20 was chosen as the performance year since campus operations were limited during the majority of FY21. Weighted campus user and floor area figures reported in this credit are for FY20.

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.