Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.93
Liaison Christina Erickson
Submission Date May 9, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Champlain College
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.78 / 8.00 Christina Erickson
Sustainability Director
Campus Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization 

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 133.00 Tons 155.45 Tons
Materials composted 332 Tons 189.55 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 1 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 312.31 Tons 291.96 Tons
Total waste generated 778.31 Tons 636.96 Tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility, including affirmation that materials are sorted prior to conversion to recover recyclables and compostable materials:
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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 July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year July 1, 2012 June 30, 2013

If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:

A brief description of when and why the waste generation baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Weights are based on amount of pick ups and size of containers, and not actual weights.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,085 1,153
Number of employees resident on-site 6 6
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 3,891 2,458
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 578 496
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 1,629 0
Weighted campus users 2,402.75 2,505.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.32 Tons 0.25 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
59.87

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
59.87

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:
Books - annual collection and donation via Better World Books Bicycles - annual round up of left behind bikes to be repaired and donated, or saved for parts Clothing - donated to our on-campus Swap Shop or larger volumes at year end to Goodwill Packing materials - reuse zone near our Campus Mailroom

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year (e.g. materials that are actively diverted from the landfill or incinerator and refurbished/repurposed) :
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Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling (a single container for commingled recyclables) to collect standard recyclables (i.e. paper, plastic, glass, metals) in common areas?:
Yes

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?:
No

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?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program (percentage, 0-100):
0

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:
When our waste hauler (Casella) brings items to the CSWD Recycling Facility or CSWD Compost Facility, they are visibly inspected for any large amount of contaminants. The load may be rejected if the volume of contamination is too great. Additionally, if a large volume of recyclables are found mixed into the trash at the transfer station, the load can be rejected and fines can occur. We have only received one notice of recyclables (cardboard boxes) mixed into a trash load.

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
Active student Eco-Rep program that focuses a lot on waste reduction + a student Waste Reduction Coordinator that runs our Swap Shop (reuse area) and Green Teams (event waste reduction staffing).

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Annual waste sorts conducted by Eco-Reps. See this spreadsheet for the annual results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UpzYwx6p-XbfNGktJnV4u4aXODqcKcX64t5RLMS_tWA/edit?usp=sharing

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
None currently.

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Champlain College Swap Shop - clothing, household items, office/school supplies www.champlain.edu/swapshop Surplus furniture at Physical Plant warehouse

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 College has a listserv "For Sale" that is open to faculty & staff that often includes items that are up for sale, swap, or for free. Students regularly frequent a Facebook Group "Black Market" to sell/swap/give away items.

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):
Most printers have the default setting for double-sided printing, when available. A current project is rolling out the PaperCut software, with goals of restricting free printing.

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:
The Champlain College Catalog is solely available online. http://www.champlain.edu/current-students/academic-information/registrars-office/college-catalog Champlain also uses a online Learning Management System called Canvas and requires faculty to at least post their syllabus, but strongly encourages, and provides training for, use for posting and submitting assignments and papers. The Center for Learning & Technology manages Canvas and provides training and support for faculty. https://clt.champlain.edu/

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Brief student RAs on recycling procedures for Move In Day. Have Eco-Reps and other student volunteers available on Move In Day recycling. Move Out Collection is much more formalized, with training RAs, Eco-Reps, doing outreach to all residential students, and working with our waste hauler to assist with material collection and donation delivery. 2018 Collection Statistics: * over 3,000 pounds of clothing and household items donated to Goodwill * 555 pounds of food were donated to the Food Shelf * over 250 pounds of books donated to Better World Books and current textbooks saved for Champlain students-in-need See full details at www.champlain.edu/MoveOut

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