Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
---|---|
Overall Score | 70.78 |
Liaison | Amber Saxton |
Submission Date | Sept. 1, 2017 |
Executive Letter | Download |
George Mason University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
5.42 / 8.00 |
Mary
Liang Sustainability Analyst Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Materials recycled | 633.12 Metric tons | 632.32 Metric tons |
Materials composted | 0.45 Metric tons | 41.26 Metric tons |
Materials donated or re-sold | 27.03 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 | 1,930.80 Metric tons | 4,650.35 Metric tons |
Total waste generated | 2,591.41 Metric tons | 5,323.93 Metric tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
---
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 | Jan. 1, 2009 | Jan. 1, 2009 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The baseline year was adopted based on it being Mason's peak year for waste production.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Number of students resident on-site | 6,216 | 4,996 |
Number of employees resident on-site | 77 | 0 |
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 25 | 0 |
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 28,019 | 22,430 |
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 4,321.40 | 3,767.30 |
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 816 | 0 |
Weighted campus users | 25,241.55 | 20,896.98 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.10 Metric tons | 0.25 Metric tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
59.70
Part 3: Waste Diversion
25.49
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
25.49
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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
---
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
---
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?:
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?:
Yes
Contamination and Discard Rates
---
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:
---
Programs and Initiatives
---
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
---
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
---
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
George Mason University collects surplus equipment and furniture from departments all over campus. Reusable equipment and furniture are stored at the warehouse to be redistributed to any Mason department. After a period of time, the items get auctioned and the proceeds go to the state.
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):
---
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):
George Mason University's Print Services has recently partnered with Canon for follow-me printing which eliminates automatic printing, and requires all student, faculty, and staff to release print jobs at any kiosk on campus. These printers are also defaulted for double-sided printing. The university anticipates this new partnership to decrease the amount of unnecessary printing and paper usage across campus.
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:
George Mason University is a state institution of higher education within Virginia. As such, Mason follows and implements executive orders enacted by the Governor of Virginia. Within Virginia Executive Order 19 (2010) it states Virginia’s government must set the example in its use of all resources. Every effort should be made for publications of the executive branch agencies and institutions to be published in electronic form only, unless there is a statutory or regulatory requirement to the contrary, or a substantial portion of the intended recipients of the publication cannot be reached electronically. Many professors have started adopting paperless courses that use online resources like Blackboard rather than bringing printed materials to class.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In order to facilitate waste reduction at George Mason University (Mason), the Office of Community Relations, Office of Recycling and Waste Management, and Housing and Residential Life, instituted an end-of-year move-out recycling program called Patriot Pack Out. Through this streamlined, low cost, volunteer outreach program, resident students who are leaving for the summer are encouraged to conveniently donate unwanted clothes and appliances, as well as unopened food items, which are delivered to charities benefitting our local community. In the past, these items would have just been left behind in the residence halls for university waste management staff to clear, attempt to separate, and haul to appropriate locations.
In 2017, the program's tenth year, Mason collected a total of 14,600 pounds of recyclable materials from the Patriot Pack Out Program. From this collection, the university donated approximately 2,000 pounds of food to Food for Others. The university also donated 12,600 pounds of clothing and small appliances to the Goodwill of Greater Washington, providing 388 hours of free job training and education programs for individuals with disabilities and disadvantages. Goodwill estimated a revenue value of $12,650 will go towards their programs benefitting the greater Washington area.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
---
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data is for FY16. Previous reports, including the baseline data, documents waste data in calendar year (Jan - Dec). This 2017 report documents data in fiscal year (July - June) to remain consistent throughout the report.
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.