| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.17 |
| Liaison | Mark Klapatch-Mathias |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
OP-22: Waste Minimization
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.24 / 5.00 |
Bill
Connolly Farm Director Laboratory Farm |
Waste generated::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 242.15 Tons | 268.18 Tons |
| Materials composted | 512.50 Tons | 475 Tons |
| Materials reused, donated or re-sold | 33.52 Tons | 75.32 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 701.68 Tons | 715.02 Tons |
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”::
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of residential students | 2,380 | 2,322 |
| Number of residential employees | 4 | 4 |
| Number of in-patient hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
| Full-time equivalent enrollment | 7,071.11 | 7,192.12 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 675 | 675 |
| Full-time equivalent of distance education students | 559.23 | 51.17 |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | Jan. 1, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 |
| Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2013 |
A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted:
The waste generation baseline was adopted for the year of 2013 due to improved tracking of waste generation by UWRF. Previous year's data does not truly reflect the actual tonnages of waste produced.
A brief description of any (non-food) waste audits employed by the institution:
A brief description of any institutional procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
A brief description of any surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
UWRF houses a surplus department and office supplies exchange program and provides those for use by other departments. Regular online auctions and monthly sales are provided to campus and the wider community comprising all collected items (including electronics). All items are offered at no charge to departments before being sold to the general public.
A brief description of the institution's efforts to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
UWRF course registration is done online and the course catalog is available exclusively online. The campus directory is available online, although it is also provided in hardcopy format to faculty and staff by request.
A brief description of any limits on paper and ink consumption employed by the institution:
PaperCut is a print management software used on campus to manage student printing. PaperCut allows students to print from any computer, tablet, or phone connected to the internet as well as from university computer labs and kiosks. One of the primary aims of PaperCut is to reduce printing levels by changing a user's printing behavior. Implementing monitoring, quotas and charging are a good way of drawing a user's attention to their habits. The default setting on PaperCut printers is duplex printing.
A brief description of any programs employed by the institution to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Facilities provides recycling dumpsters for move-in and move-out days.
Residence Life also hosts "Don't Throw it, Donate It". The program runs the weekend before finals and provides a conduit for students to donate a large amount of food, clothes, furnishings, and other accessories to local charities instead of throwing it out.
The May 2014 totals include:
FOOD
753 Pounds
*River Falls Community Food Pantry
CLOTHING
35 Winter Coats
20 Winter Scarves
15 Pairs of Gloves
30 Winter Hats
580 Women's Shirts
193 Pairs of Women's Pants
13 Fashion Scraves
212 Men's Shirts
55 Pairs of Men's Pants
107 Pairs of Shoes
16 Belts
*Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls
**Note: Many clothing items not accepted by Treasures of the Heart/ Second Chances were donated to Caring and Sharing Hands in Minneapolis
PERSONAL MISCELLANEOUS
2 Sunglasses
20 Purses/ Bags
1 Bike Helmet
1 Watch
1 Jewelry Box
*Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls
ELECTRONICS
1 Dell Inspiron Laptop Computer
1 Dell Keyboard
4 Computer Cables
3 Computer Mouses
2 Headphones
3 Power Strip/ Surge Protector
3 Cell Phones
*Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls
BOOKS/CD's/DVD's
50 Books
4 DVD'S
5 Music CD's
*Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
10 Spiral Notebooks
25 Binders/ Binder Sheet Protectors
2 Packages of Loose Leaf Paper
10 Folders
1 Three-Hole Punch
30 White Envelopes
2 Notecard Packs
4 Pencil Cases
1 Electric Pencil Sharpner
4 Pencil Sharpners
3 Erasers
75 Pencils/ Pens/ Highlighters
10 Backpacks
3 Calculators
2 Travel Drives
2 Scissors
3 Bottles of Elmer's Glue
2 Boxes of Paper Clips (Box of 100)
*Treasures of the Heart and Second Chances in River Falls
* Various items were saved and stored for UWRF International Students
HOUSEHOLD MISCELLANEOUS
20 Coffee Cups
25 Drinking Cups
30 Plates
45 Bowls
2 Water Pitchers
20 Water Bottles/ Travel Coffee Mugs
125 Pieces of Silverware/ Kitchen Utensils
4 Coffee Pots
4 Hot Water Pots
15 Pots/Pots with Lids
1 Toaster
3 Cutting Boards
1 Ice Cube Tray
1 Beverage Dispenser with Spout
1 Thermos Jug
1 Small Crock Pot
8 Pot Holders
2 Cookie Sheets
1 Muffin Pan
2 Metal Tins
1 Candy Dish
1 Shower Curtain
1 Window Curtain
1 Curtain Rod
2 Cork Boards
12 White Boards
1 Garbage Can
2 Brooms with Dustpans
1 Laundry Basket
3 Storage Organizers with Drawers
6 Full Length Mirrors
1 Over the door Clothing Hooks
3 Wicker Baskets
3 Chairs
1 Wall Clock
1 Alarm Clock
1 Double Window Fan
1 Humidifier
1 Pair of Crutches
2 Tera Cotta Planters with Stands
2 Wall Shelves
2 Jar Candles
2 Glass Vases
6 Blow Dryers
6 Shower Caddies
20 Towels
4 Laundry Bags
1 Clothes Steamer
150 Plastic Hangers
5 Hanging Closet Organizers
1 Ironing Board
1 Iron
10 Sheet Sets
27 Blankets/Quilts
3 Decorative Pillows
4 Rugs
6 Desk Lamps
1 End Table
1 Yoga Mat
60 Children's Toys
4 Dish Racks
1 Table Lamp
2 Floor Lamps
1 Lava Lamp
A brief description of any other (non-food) waste minimization strategies employed by the institution:
The waste stream in all campus buildings is sorted to separate recyclable products from waste.
The University Center and Rodli Hall LEED certified hand dryers are used to eliminate the waste of paper towels and the use of fossil fuels for its transportation.
Water bottle filling stations in the library, University Center, South Hall, North Hall, Hagestad Hall, CSH and KFA academic buildings are provided to encourage customers to refill water bottles instead of disposing of plastic bottles.
A brief description of any food waste audits employed by the institution:
A brief description of any programs and/or practices to track and reduce pre-consumer food waste in the form of kitchen food waste, prep waste and spoilage:
A brief description of programs and/or practices to track and reduce post-consumer food waste:
UWRF/Sodexo has been trayless since August 2007. One of our more visible and significant sustainability initiatives is trayless dining. The primary goal of trayless dining is to significantly reduce food waste. Trayless is a national trend that has documented more than 40% reduction in food waste.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable and/or third party certified compostable to-go containers for to-go food and beverage items (in conjunction with a composting program):
The Freddy 2Go Program allows meal plan participants to take meals "to go" in a reusable 2Go container from Riverside Commons Monday through Friday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2Go beverage bottles will be given out to all residence hall students at the beginning of the semester. Off campus meal plan participants may pick up a 2Go beverage bottle at the UC Information Desk while supplies last. By providing a non-disposable option, University Dining Services and Sodexo continue to pursue our commitment to improving our sustainability initiatives.
A brief description of the institution's provision of reusable service ware for “dine in” meals and reusable and/or third party certified compostable service ware for to-go meals (in conjunction with a composting program):
Riverside Commons is the primary dining facility for meal plan participants and offers continuous dining throughout the day. Riverside Commons offers reusable service ware for "dine in" meals.
A brief description of any discounts offered to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in to-go food service operations:
UWRF has had a reusable mug program in place for 3 years. The program allows individuals with reusable mugs to purchase fountain and house products at a discount.
A brief description of other dining services waste minimization programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
For 2014, Bill Connolly, UWRF Farm Director, reports 244 tons of compost were sold, while an additional 231 tons of compost were put back onto the farm fields (a total of 475 tons of compost). The compost consists mainly of wood shavings and cornstalk animal bedding as well as solid manure. The Farm employs windrow/aerobic composting. It was sold to the public at $34/yard (2014 price). Joe McIntosh reports also that 150 cubic yards of yard waste is collected annually from campus grounds as reported in our Annual Recycling report. Using a conversion chart with the assumption of 4 cubic yards/ton (clippings, leaves, and brush), it would equate to 37.5 tons. Combined then for campus is 512.5 as noted above.
At the Campus Farm ~70% of the Horse manure with sawdust bedding is reused at the Mann Valley Farm as bedding for the livestock enterprises. This decreases the amount of bedding the MVF needs to purchase. Eventually the bedding and manure is either field spread for crop nutrient uptake or composted and sold.
From Mark Klapatch:
Materials Recycled includes: Single Stream recyclables, batteries where we have a weight, scrap metal, computer and e-waste, and food grease. The food grease is originally reported in gallons. Molly Breitmun and I found a conversion rate of 6.5 pounds/gallon to 7.5 pounds/gallon. We used the 6.5 pound/gallon rate to be conservative.
2013 Baseline year data for materials reused, donated, or sold was updated from the 2013 report to create a consistent process for data collection that will be used from now on. Mark Klapatch and Nate Beeman maintain an excel spreadsheet that will convert the data to tons consistently.
For 2014, Bill Connolly, UWRF Farm Director, reports 244 tons of compost were sold, while an additional 231 tons of compost were put back onto the farm fields (a total of 475 tons of compost). The compost consists mainly of wood shavings and cornstalk animal bedding as well as solid manure. The Farm employs windrow/aerobic composting. It was sold to the public at $34/yard (2014 price). Joe McIntosh reports also that 150 cubic yards of yard waste is collected annually from campus grounds as reported in our Annual Recycling report. Using a conversion chart with the assumption of 4 cubic yards/ton (clippings, leaves, and brush), it would equate to 37.5 tons. Combined then for campus is 512.5 as noted above.
At the Campus Farm ~70% of the Horse manure with sawdust bedding is reused at the Mann Valley Farm as bedding for the livestock enterprises. This decreases the amount of bedding the MVF needs to purchase. Eventually the bedding and manure is either field spread for crop nutrient uptake or composted and sold.
From Mark Klapatch:
Materials Recycled includes: Single Stream recyclables, batteries where we have a weight, scrap metal, computer and e-waste, and food grease. The food grease is originally reported in gallons. Molly Breitmun and I found a conversion rate of 6.5 pounds/gallon to 7.5 pounds/gallon. We used the 6.5 pound/gallon rate to be conservative.
2013 Baseline year data for materials reused, donated, or sold was updated from the 2013 report to create a consistent process for data collection that will be used from now on. Mark Klapatch and Nate Beeman maintain an excel spreadsheet that will convert the data to tons consistently.
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.