Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 52.70
Liaison Kayla Tillapaugh
Submission Date April 27, 2023

STARS v2.2

Selkirk College
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.26 / 8.00 Laura Nessman
Sustainability Coordinator
Campus Management
"---" 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 43.64 Metric tons 17.80 Metric tons
Materials composted 1.24 Metric tons 0 Metric tons
Materials donated or re-sold 0 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 183.41 Metric tons 231.50 Metric tons
Total waste generated 228.29 Metric tons 249.30 Metric tons

If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:

A brief description of the residual conversion facility:
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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 Jan. 1, 2022 Dec. 31, 2022
Baseline Period Jan. 1, 2008 Dec. 31, 2008

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:
The waste generation baseline was adopted in 2008 which we carried out as part of our "State of the Environment Report" for Selkirk College. For this study we used the Global Reporting Index (GRI) system.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 207 100
Number of employees resident on-site 0 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 1,245.10 2,693.80
Full-time equivalent of employees 403 312.41
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 29.90 650.85
Weighted campus users 1,265.40 1,791.52

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.18 Metric tons 0.14 Metric tons

Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

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:
19.66

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
19.66

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 No
Plant materials No
Animal bedding No
White goods (i.e. appliances) Yes
Electronics Yes
Laboratory equipment No
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste No
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:
Furniture is sold off, toner and ink-jet cartridges are recycled, batteries are recycled, cooking oil is picked up by a student, and any plant waste is put in either the industrial composter or a compost pile on campus.

Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

Materials intended for disposal but subsequently recovered and reused on campus, performance year:
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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:
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A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
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Programs and Initiatives 

A brief description of the institution's waste-related behavior change initiatives:
Educational pieces have been put in place with the recycling units, including "Recycle Right" posters, explaining what items go in which bin. Outreach campaigns to reduce single-use coffee cups and plastic water bottles are also active.
Education continues at orientation events and other outreach events throughout the year. Rule reminders are communicated through social media and website.
The Sustainability Club has helped with communication to students.
Student Housing provides information to students during move in.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
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A brief description of the institution's procurement policies designed to prevent waste:
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A brief description of the institution's surplus department or formal office supplies exchange program that facilitates reuse of materials:
Any furniture or equipment that is not needed is first assessed whether it can be re-purposed within the College. If not, it goes up for sale for staff, students, community to purchase for personal use. If it doesn't sell, it is usually beyond repair and is then disposed of.

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
Castlegar campus has a designated shelving unit for a "Supplies Bank". Students and staff can drop off their surplus school supplies (paper, binders, notebooks, writing utensils, folders) and others can take what they need.
Silver King campus has a similar system for clothing and small household items, such as dishes, cups, and home decor.

A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
Students are not provided with free printing. All printers on campus are set to double-sided printing by default. Any color printing by staff must be sent through the duplicating department.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
Efforts are being made across the institution to make materials available online rather than produce print versions. Most instructors use Moodle, an online learning platform to post handouts, readings and collect assignments.

Moodle is also used widely to manage committee minutes and agendas.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Student housing encourages students to donate items, rather than disposing of them. There is often a "free" pile created, in order to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

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:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
These tonnage figures are for our campuses only. Learning Centres have not been included, as data is unavailable.

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.