Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
---|---|
Overall Score | 60.66 |
Liaison | Enid Cardinal |
Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
Executive Letter | Download |
Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
3.94 / 8.00 |
Enid
Cardinal Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President Office of the President |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2: Waste Minimization
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Materials recycled | 1,130.60 Tons | 1,552.56 Tons |
Materials composted | 147.98 Tons | 0 Tons |
Materials donated or re-sold | 41.65 Tons | 5.20 Tons |
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 1,692.37 Tons | 2,196.59 Tons |
Total waste generated | 3,012.60 Tons | 3,754.35 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 Year | July 1, 2016 | June 30, 2017 |
Baseline Year | July 1, 2011 | June 30, 2012 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
FY2011 was established as the baseline year because it was the first full year with the current waste hauler. Prior to FY2011, data tracking was inconsistent and would not be comparable to the performance year.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Number of students resident on-site | 7,194 | 7,299 |
Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds | 0 | 0 |
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 13,699 | 14,024 |
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) | 3,568 | 3,336 |
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 139 | 285 |
Weighted campus users | 14,644.50 | 14,631 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.21 Tons | 0.26 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
19.83
Part 3: Waste Diversion
43.82
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
43.82
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 | No |
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:
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Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
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Recycling Management
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
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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:
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Programs and Initiatives
RIT completed a signage overhaul last year, shifting from general icons to photographs of specific materials utilized in different areas.
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
Every fall semester a graduate class in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability conducts a waste audit of the same 3 academic buildings, enabling longitudinal study of materials in those buildings.
A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste (e.g. by minimizing packaging and purchasing in bulk):
Surplus Property Program
http://www.rit.edu/fa/procurement/content/surplus-property
A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
A faculty/staff list-serve is utilized to facilitate sharing of office supplies and equipment across campus.
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):
Several RIT Facebook groups exist to facilitate the exchange of goods including Free and For Sale RIT and RIT FoodShare.
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):
In FY2015 a university wide print management contract was established. The program is being implemented over a three year period and involves the elimination of desk top printers.
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:
Directories and calendars are available for download online. Printed copies have to be order at the expense of the requester.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Goodbye, Goodbuy! is a move out collection program and move in sale. Items are collected from all RIT residence halls and apartments during spring move out. Those materials are sorted and stored over the summer and then sold to incoming students in the fall.
A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
Any materials (office supplies, ink cartridges, furniture) that a department no longer wants, is posted to the RIT Faculty/staff listerv for reuse elsewhere on campus. Materials typically find homes within a few minutes of posting.
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:
In FY2012, the university decommissioned a large scale printing press. That resulted in a dramatic drop in paper use and by extension paper being recycled on campus (from 720 tons in FY2011 to 58 tons in FY2015).
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.