Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.92
Liaison Ann Drevno
Submission Date Feb. 16, 2023

STARS v2.2

Saint Mary's College of California
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.56 / 8.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person

Figures needed to determine total waste generated (and diverted):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Materials recycled 265.96 Metric tons 402.00 Metric tons
Materials composted 144.22 Metric tons 167.01 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 19 Metric tons 19 Metric tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 297.05 Metric tons 439.25 Metric tons
Total waste generated 726.23 Metric tons 1,027.26 Metric tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
---

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Period Jan. 1, 2022 Dec. 1, 2022
Baseline Period July 1, 2016 June 30, 2017

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:
Data collection and reporting methodologies have been consistent as of FY 2017. Baseline period and data same as previous STARS report.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 1,191 1,530
Number of employees resident on-site 25 33
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 2,765 3,507
Full-time equivalent of employees 632 735
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 0 0
Weighted campus users 2,851.75 3,572.25

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.25 Metric tons 0.29 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
11.44

Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator by recycling, composting, donating or re-selling, performance year:
59.10

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
59.10

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 Yes
Tires Yes
Other (please specify below) Yes

A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Landscape clippings reused onsite as mulch throughout the campus.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
---

Recycling Management 

Does the institution use single stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Yes

Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
No

Contamination and Discard Rates 

Average contamination rate for the institution’s recycling program:
---

A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
---

Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change 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:
---

A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
---

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Please see our Free Store website for more information: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sustainability/sustainability-student-life/free-store

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
---

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
All course catalogs, course schedules, directories are available online to reduce the need for printing.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
During the much-celebrated Saint Mary’s move-in day every year, we help new students and families break down boxes and educate those students on proper waste sorting. Every residence hall has an associated dumpster alcove with a designated trash (black bin/dumpster), recycling (blue bin/dumpster), and green bin (for compost). We have created a Sustainable Move-In Guide for your reference.

Throughout the end-of-year move out week, the Office of Sustainability in collaboration with Environmental Health & Safety, the Housing Office and Residential Life collects lightly-used, functional items to donate to local nonprofits in the area and our own Free Store. In an effort to divert as much as possible from the landfill, we also encourage students to recycle and compost while sorting through their move out items.

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

Website URL where information about the institution’s waste minimization and diversion efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.