| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.16 |
| Liaison | Matthew Liesch |
| Submission Date | May 13, 2024 |
Central Michigan University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.11 / 8.00 |
Eric
Urbaniak Student Reviewer OID |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 360.32 Tons | 79.69 Tons |
| Materials composted | 362.54 Tons | 332.42 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 194.41 Tons | 136.27 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 16.79 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,080 Tons | 1,545.73 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 1,997.27 Tons | 2,110.90 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
Central Michigan University releases all of its used or unwanted cooking oil to a company called Darling, where it is converted into bio-fuels.
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2018 | Dec. 31, 2018 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The 2018 baseline was adapted because this was the year used for submittal in our prior STARS report. With this baseline, we can determine how our MSW practices have changed between three-year submissions.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,804 | 5,096 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 14 | 17 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 12,207 | 16,902 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 2,054 | 2,379 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 1,468 | 2,112 |
| Weighted campus users | 10,549.25 | 14,155 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.19 Tons | 0.15 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
45.93
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
45.93
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 | Yes |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Every year, CMU has a large surplus sale in which classroom, dorm, office, and facilities materials are resold to the general public.
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
194.41
Tons
Recycling Management
No
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?:
No
Contamination and Discard Rates
15
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
The following information was obtained from the Central Michigan University Waste Management Procedures and Guidelines. This document is attached below.
PROCEDURE:
Facilities Management will be responsible for implementing this policy by:
1. Organizing, funding, hiring, and all other activities necessary to implement a recycling program.
2. Coordinating with the Purchasing Department to ensure recycled content products are purchased when feasible and that criteria for recycled content products are included in the purchasing bid process.
3. Designating personnel in Facilities Management to ensure that all new construction includes designated areas for recycling and solid waste collection and removal.
4. Designating personnel to promote recycling and waste reduction in employee and student orientation events and materials.
5. Ensure proper training and oversight of all Custodial Services employees on recycling practices.
6. Provide outreach and education on recycling policies and processes for the CMU community.
7. Encouraging all contractors to adhere to on-campus recycling policies and procedures.
8. Taking other appropriate action necessary to implement this Policy.
9. Conduct an annual review of the recycling program to ensure continuous improvement.
PROCEDURE:
Facilities Management will be responsible for implementing this policy by:
1. Organizing, funding, hiring, and all other activities necessary to implement a recycling program.
2. Coordinating with the Purchasing Department to ensure recycled content products are purchased when feasible and that criteria for recycled content products are included in the purchasing bid process.
3. Designating personnel in Facilities Management to ensure that all new construction includes designated areas for recycling and solid waste collection and removal.
4. Designating personnel to promote recycling and waste reduction in employee and student orientation events and materials.
5. Ensure proper training and oversight of all Custodial Services employees on recycling practices.
6. Provide outreach and education on recycling policies and processes for the CMU community.
7. Encouraging all contractors to adhere to on-campus recycling policies and procedures.
8. Taking other appropriate action necessary to implement this Policy.
9. Conduct an annual review of the recycling program to ensure continuous improvement.
Programs and Initiatives
Central Michigan University is home to an immensely dedicated recycling team. A main focus of the Recycling department is outreach & education. Currently, CMU participates in the annual Recycle-mania tournament: a ten week recycling competition. Additionally, CMU clearly labels the top of all recycling bins with descriptions and pictures of what can be recycled in each bin, all while placing recycling bins in central locations. Finally, CMU advocates for student involvement in recycling through the Central Sustainability outreach programs such as sustainability themes, monthly meetings, and sustainability events
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The Central Sustainability Team conducts six waste audits per year of CMU dumpsters, to identify flaws and opportunities for growth (and measure progress. Additionally, the following information was retrieved from the Central Michigan University Waste Management Procedures and Guidelines. This document is attached below.
Minimizing Waste:
All members of the University are responsible for implementing operational practices that prevent waste from being produced. Examples include printing reports and documents on both sides of the paper; printing appropriate numbers of documents; using email rather than printed correspondence; and using products that are reusable, refillable, repairable, non- toxic, and recyclable. Items requiring the least possible packaging should be purchased when practical. Every effort should be made to prevent excess or unneeded materials from being purchased.
Encouraging Reuse:
All members of the University are responsible for reusing products whenever possible. Examples include obtaining office furniture from the University Purchasing Department or using dishes, glasses, and reusable flatware rather than disposable paper and plastic ware.
Maximizing Recycling:
All members of the University are responsible for separating identified recyclable materials and placing them in appropriate recycling containers. Campus Recycling includes aluminum cans, batteries, cardboard, glass bottles, hard back books, microfiche, mixed paper, news blend, office blend, plastic bottles, Styrofoam and peanuts, toner cartridges, transparencies, videotapes, and additional items as implemented.
Purchasing of Recycled Content Materials:
All University departments are responsible for taking efforts to purchase and use products manufactured from or containing recycled materials.
Minimizing Waste:
All members of the University are responsible for implementing operational practices that prevent waste from being produced. Examples include printing reports and documents on both sides of the paper; printing appropriate numbers of documents; using email rather than printed correspondence; and using products that are reusable, refillable, repairable, non- toxic, and recyclable. Items requiring the least possible packaging should be purchased when practical. Every effort should be made to prevent excess or unneeded materials from being purchased.
Encouraging Reuse:
All members of the University are responsible for reusing products whenever possible. Examples include obtaining office furniture from the University Purchasing Department or using dishes, glasses, and reusable flatware rather than disposable paper and plastic ware.
Maximizing Recycling:
All members of the University are responsible for separating identified recyclable materials and placing them in appropriate recycling containers. Campus Recycling includes aluminum cans, batteries, cardboard, glass bottles, hard back books, microfiche, mixed paper, news blend, office blend, plastic bottles, Styrofoam and peanuts, toner cartridges, transparencies, videotapes, and additional items as implemented.
Purchasing of Recycled Content Materials:
All University departments are responsible for taking efforts to purchase and use products manufactured from or containing recycled materials.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
The Central Michigan University Department of Diversity and Facilities Management is currently developing a 2020 Sustainable Purchasing Policy. This will be a detailed procedure to prevent unsustainable purchasing through a Life-Cycle Assessment approach.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Central Michigan University has multiple programs dedicated to diverting waste and reusing materials on campus and in the community. Within the purchasing department, Jeffery Peavy and Bradly Brookens are responsible for the resale and donation of surplus or used office supplies, infrastructural items, electronics, vehicles, machinery and other equipment. Each month an auction is held for the community, to allow individuals to purchase surplus and used items at extremely reduced rates. Additionally, every May, a large scale, everything must go, auction is held to clear out surplus inventory from the University storage space.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Many of CMU's departments has set up electronic pages, encouraging students to buy, sell and trade textbooks, as well as other materials needed for corresponding classes. Forums, facebook pages and other social media platforms have been created by, both the University and students, to create the space for the exchange of educational materials between peers.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
All public space printers are set on eco-friendly settings, utilizing black and white/grey scale printing. Most printers print in grey instead of solid black to reduce the total amount of ink used per print job. Unless specified, all printers will print double-sided in order to reduce total amount of paper used per print job. Additionally, each student receives a pre-determined allotted amount of printing credits. Once used, the student is required to purchase additional credits. This policy is in an effort to encourage students to reduce the amount of printing they do during their academic studies.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
All course catalogs, schedules and directories are available through the CMU portol inline at cmich.edu. Students can drop/add and manage their schedules from CMU's online services. These initiatives drastically reduce the amount of paper/materials created for mandatory student use. Additionally, CMU offers program syllabus information, class information and other required informative materials for ALL classes offered at the University through blackboard as well as through outlook email services found within the CMU portol.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The Central Sustainability team creates education and communications specific to move in and move out, which are communicated to incoming students during the orientation process.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Recycling containers collect peelings and scraps from food preparation and leftovers scraped from bowls and plates. Facilities Management picks up and trucks the waste to Morgan Composting in Sears, Michigan, three times a week. The food waste is then composted, and sold back to CMU as soil which is used throughout campus. This is a full circle process which recovers all food waste from dining halls.
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:
Every month, the Central Sustainability team collects MSW weights from all vendors and documents them internally. This data has been collected monthly since 2010.
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.