Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
---|---|
Overall Score | 66.38 |
Liaison | Olivia Shehan |
Submission Date | Nov. 13, 2018 |
Executive Letter | Download |
Wellesley College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
1.78 / 8.00 |
Dorothea
Von Herder Sustainability Coordinator Facilties |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Materials recycled | 214.82 Tons | 160 Tons |
Materials composted | 1,200 Tons | 357.03 Tons |
Materials donated or re-sold | 31.80 Tons | 7.28 Tons |
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 987.45 Tons | 1,184.96 Tons |
Total waste generated | 2,434.07 Tons | 1,709.27 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
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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 | Jan. 1, 2017 | Dec. 31, 2017 |
Baseline Year | Jan. 1, 2011 | Dec. 31, 2011 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
2011 was chosen as the base line year for our 2015 report, so we have kept it the same.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Number of students resident on-site | 2,069 | 2,179 |
Number of employees resident on-site | 15 | 13 |
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,419 | 2,222 |
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 1,141 | 1,032.62 |
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
Weighted campus users | 3,191 | 2,988.97 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.76 Tons | 0.57 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0
Part 3: Waste Diversion
59.43
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
59.43
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 | Yes |
Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
We have upgrading our recycling program by creating community awareness, student involvement, and paid student workers to conduct recycling audits. In 2012 Wellesley College instituted a styrofoam recycling program in addition to our regular recycling efforts. In 2016 the college recycled 440 pounds of polystyrene (Styrofoam).
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
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Recycling Management
No
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?:
Yes
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?:
Yes
Contamination and Discard Rates
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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:
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Programs and Initiatives
Each year we educate students on bringing less to campus and instead by from our Move-in Sale.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
ES 300, a class dedicated to researching environmental issues on campus, regularly conducts projects which include audits of waste and pollutant emission on campus. In 2012 this class audited the College's general waste stream (including primary materials, paper, plastics, organics, and durable goods such as electronics) and in both 2003 and 2008 this class conducted an audit of the College's greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, the class published a report called "We-Cycle: A Systems Approach to Improving
Recycling Practices at Wellesley College." The report can be seen here: https://www.wellesley.edu/sites/default/files/assets/departments/environmentalscience/files/es300-2018-we-cycle.pdf.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
We encourage bulk purchasing at the department level.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Office furnishings, as well laboratory equipment, old residential furniture, and other reusable goods are reused or donated. Our Distribution Center acts as a holding area where college personnel can obtain items. As much as possible all other useable items are donated. Much of what we dispose of is donated to local non-profit organizations. Also, the copy center collects paper that has only been used on one side and creates notepads out of this recycled paper.
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):
The Wellesley Free and For Sale Facebook page allows students to buy and sell used items to each other.
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):
Papercut ( a software program which manages common printing) has significantly reduced the consumption of paper and toner for printing. Duplex printing and copying copying is strongly encouraged and all-black printing is the default. All computers which can be printed from in the Student Center and Libraries have standard reminders about responsible paper use and students are given a limited number of printing credits each year, which can be reset upon request, but which forces them to keep their paper usage in mind before they choose to print.
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:
Everything is offered online, although some are still printed out if requested.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Every year in May since 2010, the Office of Sustainability has provided large bins and staffs extra custodial staff to each residence hall for students to donate dorm items that they are unable to bring home with them. Instead of being thrown in the trash, these items are donated and/or resold at the Sustainable Move-In Sale to students moving back to campus in the fall at a fraction of their retail cost. Items that are sold include containers, furniture, refrigerators, lamps, hangers, electronics, beauty supplies, books, bags, school supplies, home decor, games, kitchen supplies, and more. All proceeds of this event go towards sustainability projects on campus. Tons of items are collected to be resold, reused, and/or donated every year. Since 2017, Wellesley has partnered with the local nonprofit GradBag to provide low income first generation college students at Boston area schools with a low income kit. The three area colleges which donate to GradBag produced an estimated 45k value donation in 2017.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Wellesley partners with Utec in Lawrence, MA to recover and reuse materials from dilapidated student mattresses. Where possible we partner with local nonprofits to donate materials. For example, in 2018 two thousand pillows were used to package donations bound for Ghana.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
http://cs.wellesley.edu/~slee/sust/
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.