Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
---|---|
Overall Score | 77.06 |
Liaison | Laura Bain |
Submission Date | June 22, 2021 |
Furman University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
1.89 / 8.00 |
Laura
Bain Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment David E. Shi Center for Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Materials recycled | 279.32 Metric tons | 117.93 Metric tons |
Materials composted | 51.83 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
Materials donated or re-sold | 31.75 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Metric tons | 0 Metric tons |
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 731.13 Metric tons | 963.43 Metric tons |
Total waste generated | 1,094.03 Metric tons | 1,081.36 Metric 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 Period | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
Baseline Period | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
Furman's current waste hauler (Republic Services) provides an estimate of the total tons of trash per fiscal year by multiplying the number of cans, can size, and service frequency/week at each site, then using an estimated weight of 50 lbs per cubic yard (based on average weight of waste at Clemson University, since waste at Furman is not weighed directly), converts the sum to tons/fiscal year. Compactor data is collected by weight, so that was added to the scaled dumpster data to obtain a total for Furman.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Number of students resident on-site | 2,388 | 2,361 |
Number of employees resident on-site | 3 | 0 |
Number of other individuals resident on-site | 2 | 0 |
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 2,728 | 2,688 |
Full-time equivalent of employees | 940 | 841 |
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
Weighted campus users | 3,350.75 | 3,237 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.33 Metric tons | 0.33 Metric tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
2.26
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
33.17
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
33.17
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 | No |
Furniture | Yes |
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
Scrap metal | Yes |
Pallets | No |
Tires | No |
Other (please specify below) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Furman's student run Environmental Action Group periodically offers collection and recycling of additional materials, such as Clif bar wrappers, through a partnership with Terracycle.
Furman also collects abandoned bicycles at the end of the year, refurbishes them and resells or donates them to support the Paladins on Bikes program.
Recently, glass has not been recyclable in Greenville County, making our recycled materials lighter and landfill materials heavier. We hope to reestablish an internal glass recycling program in 2021.
Furman also collects abandoned bicycles at the end of the year, refurbishes them and resells or donates them to support the Paladins on Bikes program.
Recently, glass has not been recyclable in Greenville County, making our recycled materials lighter and landfill materials heavier. We hope to reestablish an internal glass recycling program in 2021.
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
0
Metric 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
5
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Signage, student handbook, magnets in all residence halls
Programs and Initiatives
Students conduct an yearly interactive food-waste audit to showcase how much food is wasted from the Dining Hall and encourage responsible food consumption.
EcoReps produced and distributed Recycling fridge magnets for all residences. EcoReps also launched a student Green Room certification in 2020.
EcoReps produced and distributed Recycling fridge magnets for all residences. EcoReps also launched a student Green Room certification in 2020.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
In addition to the food waste audit described above, we recycle paper towels in restrooms across campus with signage describing the program and why it is important.
Sustainability classes regularly conduct residential waste audits a part of the course.
Sustainability classes regularly conduct residential waste audits a part of the course.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
Furman's Green Purchasing Guidelines specifically encourages reduction and reuse of packaging and shipping materials and the potential for reuse and/or non-hazardous disposal in the purchasing decision matrix.
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Furman's surplus policy 371.1 states, "Periodically, the inventory of surplus assets will be communicated to the Furman community in an attempt to find a useful purpose for the surplus asset. Ownership rights to surplus assets are relinquished when it is declared surplus. If a department determines that it would like to obtain a surplus asset, a Fixed Asset Transfer Request will be completed. There will be no value attached to surplus items and cost to the department obtaining the asset."
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Furman Finds is a student-run organization where students can donate or sell to other students items that they believe will put them to better use instead of throwing them into the trash.
Students may post notices in an internal classifieds web platform.
The Shi Institute and Residential Life partnered to organize and host two employee clothing swaps, with leftovers going to a local non-profit.
Students may post notices in an internal classifieds web platform.
The Shi Institute and Residential Life partnered to organize and host two employee clothing swaps, with leftovers going to a local non-profit.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
There is a printing quota of 500 pages per semester for each student. All printers/copiers print double-sided by default.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Our online system, Moodle, allows teachers to put syllabi, readings, and schedules online; it even lets students turn in digital work and even take quizzes and test online rather than with printed paper. Furman's course catalog, course schedules, and directories are all online as well.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Furman has a move-in recycling program, where a group of students set up recycling stations outside of the dorms and collects the cardboard and boxes used during the move-in process.
During move-out, large donation boxes and/or trucks are available to collect donated items. Currently, donations go to the Dream Center, a local nonprofit that serves those in need with a hand up instead of a hand out by empowering them to grow towards becoming healthy and self-sufficient. The Dream Center’s homeless shelter program, The Opportunity Village, combines the comprehensive program with a village of 23 tiny houses used for temporary shelter.
During move-out, large donation boxes and/or trucks are available to collect donated items. Currently, donations go to the Dream Center, a local nonprofit that serves those in need with a hand up instead of a hand out by empowering them to grow towards becoming healthy and self-sufficient. The Dream Center’s homeless shelter program, The Opportunity Village, combines the comprehensive program with a village of 23 tiny houses used for temporary shelter.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Reporting FY 2019 waste data due to COVID-19 impacts on 2020 data.
https://www.furman.edu/sustainability-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/181/2020/05/Recycling-Page-from-GreenGuide.pdf
https://www.furman.edu/sustainability-2/wp-content/uploads/sites/181/2020/05/Recycling-Page-from-GreenGuide.pdf
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.