Overall Rating Platinum - expired
Overall Score 85.56
Liaison Tonie Miyamoto
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Colorado State University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.32 / 8.00 Carol Dollard
Energy Engineer
Facilities Management
"---" 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 1,083.16 Tons 1,006.65 Tons
Materials composted 4,820 Tons 9,267 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 216.70 Tons 316.40 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 3,048.70 Tons 2,914.49 Tons
Total waste generated 9,168.56 Tons 13,504.54 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, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

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):
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Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 7,504 6,443
Number of employees resident on-site 148 603
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 25,373 24,888.04
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 6,522 6,521
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 3,012 3,218
Weighted campus users 23,575.25 22,904.78

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.39 Tons 0.59 Tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
34.04

Part 3: Waste Diversion

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
66.75

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
66.75

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 Yes
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:
CSU Surplus Property captures a broad variety of materials leaving campus & diverts them by redistributing, reselling, recycling & repurposing. While they do not have a scale at their facility, the weights of the items were generated from a detailed list of all the items processed.

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) :
0 Tons

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):
6

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:
CSU continuously works to control contamination of streams through labelling and an annual waste audit to raise awareness.

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:
Signage and Educational Sessions including a "recycling game" where participants have to separate items into recycle, trash & compost. CSU also participates in RecycleMania each year and sponsors Leave It Behind to collect unwanted items during move-out to reduce landfill waste. Campus-wide signage for recycling, compost, landfill, and techno-trash helps educate the campus community.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
The university conducts a waste audit every year in conjunction w/ RecycleMania. An entire truckload of trash is dumped on the plaza and volunteers (students & staff) sort it to better understand what is still in our waste stream. Specific weights are gathered to record what percentage of materials in the trash could have been recycled, composted, or donated.

A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
Environmentally and Socially Prefereable Procurement Policy outlines specific guidelines - http://www.procurement.colostate.edu/policy/documents/EPP.pdf

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Surplus Property, an institution on campus, is responsible for the handling and disposition of all property that the University no longer has a use for.  Their main objective is to provide an opportunity for the reallocation of still-usable items from one area of the University to other areas that have a need for them.  In addition, an outlet for the disposal of property that the University no longer has a use for is provided either through walk-in sales to the public, vehicle auctions and surplus auctions as needed, or recycling for items that no longer have a market value.

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):
Surplus Property, an institution on campus, is responsible for the handling and disposition of all property that the University no longer has a use for. Their main objective is to provide an opportunity for the reallocation of still-usable items from one area of the University to other areas that have a need for them. In addition, an outlet for the disposal of property that the University no longer has a use for is provided either through weekly walk-in sales to the public, vehicle auctions and surplus auctions as needed, or recycling for items that no longer have a market value. In addition, many departments on campus have listservs and/or a surplus table to encourage the exchange of unused/unwanted items from peer to peer within a department before the item is sent to Surplus.

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):
All printing labs set limits on printing per student except for the main library where students must pay for individual printing. The exact limits are defined by the colleges each semester.

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 University uploads almost everything from policy handbooks, to maps, to course catalogs online. Printed materials are only produced upon request and at a fee. Some materials, such as the (sizeable) course catalog, are no longer available in print.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In an effort to divert solid waste from the landfills, unwanted items are collected by CSU's Integrated Solid Waste Department, Surplus, the Live Green Team, and the Eco Leaders during residence hall and university apartment move out. Items collected include clothing, shoes, towels, dishes, lamps, desks, couches, coffee pots, plants, and more. The program, called "Leave it Behind" collects more than 20 tons of items that are then sold in a community sale during Ram Orientation in the summer to encourage incoming students to obtain used items rather than purchasing new. The net proceeds help support the Eco Leaders Program. During Move-In each year, the Eco Leaders host Cardboard Corrals to collect boxes & Styrofoam during move-in, most of which would be thrown away without this very visible collection program. In Fall 2016, more than 16 tons of materials were collected for recycling. Starting in Fall 2015, the stations now also collect styrofoam and plastic thin film for recycling.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Surplus Property, an institution on campus, is responsible for the handling and disposition of all property that the University no longer has a use for. Their main objective is to provide an opportunity for the reallocation of still-usable items from one area of the University to other areas that have a need for them. In addition, an outlet for the disposal of property that the University no longer has a use for is provided either through weekly walk-in sales to the public, vehicle auctions and surplus auctions as needed, or recycling for items that no longer have a market value. Unfortunately, Surplus Property has no mechanism to weigh items moved through their facility.

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:
CSU Surplus Property - http://cr.colostate.edu/main_surplus.aspx

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.