| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.92 |
| Liaison | Amy Brunvand |
| Submission Date | Sept. 12, 2023 |
University of Utah
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.24 / 8.00 |
Emerson
Andrews Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund Manager Sustainability Office |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 794.39 Tons | 658 Tons |
| Materials composted | 292.91 Tons | 366 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 2.02 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 5,934.61 Tons | 1,428 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 7,023.93 Tons | 2,452 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 | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2010 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
The 2010 baseline year was selected to maintain a consistent emission-inventory history between the performance year and the year we had previously submitted a STARS report.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 4,278 | 3,558 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 110 | 156 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 816 | 2,222 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 30,166 | 29,456 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 22,765 | 15,319 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 3,929 | 355 |
| Weighted campus users | 38,664.50 | 36,465.50 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.18 Tons | 0.07 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
0
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
15.51
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
15.51
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) | No |
| Electronics | No |
| Laboratory equipment | No |
| Furniture | No |
| Residence hall move-in/move-out waste | Yes |
| Scrap metal | Yes |
| Pallets | Yes |
| Tires | No |
| Other (please specify below) | Yes |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Other: Books are included in recycling number.
The above totals from 2022 include data from main campus, student residence halls, and university student apartments. It does not include the University of Utah Health campus, which is working to improve its waste and recycling data collection. It also does not include Research Park (see next paragraph for explanation). Compost figures include yard waste sent to compost at SLCO Landfill and food waste diverted by University Dining to an anaerobic biodigester. Donations are combined clothing, bedding, small furniture and kitchen appliances, as well as food donated to campus pantry, from the end-of-year residence hall move out drive.
Research Park data is not included in totals. Research Park is a group of buildings that house campus and non-campus research organizations. Research Park currently has 48 companies along with 81 University departments with a workforce of more than 14,000. However, only seven buildings are directly managed by the university, and those buildings house both university and non-university employees. The diversion rate of those seven buildings is 13 percent.
Additionally, electronics, lab equipment, furniture, and large appliances are not included, despite a robust campus program to resell these items. U Surplus & Salvage tracks sales, but not weights, so they could not be adequately included. Additionally, e-waste and hazardous waste are not included in the diversion rate because of the complicated nature of their disposal. In addition to Surplus & Salvage, the University of Utah hosts a community collection event annually that takes e-waste, paper for shredding, old medications, and food donations. Combined, the event collected 20 tons of materials in 2022, but we did not include the collection event in the above numbers.
Waste services recycles an average of 200 pallets per month.
The above totals from 2022 include data from main campus, student residence halls, and university student apartments. It does not include the University of Utah Health campus, which is working to improve its waste and recycling data collection. It also does not include Research Park (see next paragraph for explanation). Compost figures include yard waste sent to compost at SLCO Landfill and food waste diverted by University Dining to an anaerobic biodigester. Donations are combined clothing, bedding, small furniture and kitchen appliances, as well as food donated to campus pantry, from the end-of-year residence hall move out drive.
Research Park data is not included in totals. Research Park is a group of buildings that house campus and non-campus research organizations. Research Park currently has 48 companies along with 81 University departments with a workforce of more than 14,000. However, only seven buildings are directly managed by the university, and those buildings house both university and non-university employees. The diversion rate of those seven buildings is 13 percent.
Additionally, electronics, lab equipment, furniture, and large appliances are not included, despite a robust campus program to resell these items. U Surplus & Salvage tracks sales, but not weights, so they could not be adequately included. Additionally, e-waste and hazardous waste are not included in the diversion rate because of the complicated nature of their disposal. In addition to Surplus & Salvage, the University of Utah hosts a community collection event annually that takes e-waste, paper for shredding, old medications, and food donations. Combined, the event collected 20 tons of materials in 2022, but we did not include the collection event in the above numbers.
Waste services recycles an average of 200 pallets per month.
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
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Recycling Management
Yes
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?:
Yes
Contamination and Discard Rates
10
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
Different bin systems are used in different parts of campus. Most academic buildings have multi-stream recycling, which significantly cuts down on contamination. Residences and outward facing spaces, such as sports venues and museums, have single-stream recycling.
The waste operations teams hand sorts cardboard, aluminum, and plastic during daily collection.
The University is working to make the overall recycling system more consistent so users experience the same type, number, order, shape, and labeling of containers throughout the campus, and in 2019 brought in a 3rd party contractor to evaluate the systems and areas for improvement.
The waste operations teams hand sorts cardboard, aluminum, and plastic during daily collection.
The University is working to make the overall recycling system more consistent so users experience the same type, number, order, shape, and labeling of containers throughout the campus, and in 2019 brought in a 3rd party contractor to evaluate the systems and areas for improvement.
Programs and Initiatives
Recycling is largely handled by the university's Facilities department, and the Sustainability Office supports them through active education campaigns, including:
1) Green Office Certification: The Green Office Certification helps offices become more sustainable through an easy-to-use checklist. During the process, the Sustainability Office makes presentations to office staff, and one of the primary focuses of these presentations is to talk about what is and is not recyclable on campus. Learn more at https://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/programs/green-office.
2) Green sports: The University of Utah is part of Pac-12 Team Green. During fall football games, the student government and Sustainability Office work to collect recyclable materials in tailgate areas from fans. Additionally, each fall and spring semester, the university participates in the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge.
3)Recycling for sporting events
1) Green Office Certification: The Green Office Certification helps offices become more sustainable through an easy-to-use checklist. During the process, the Sustainability Office makes presentations to office staff, and one of the primary focuses of these presentations is to talk about what is and is not recyclable on campus. Learn more at https://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/programs/green-office.
2) Green sports: The University of Utah is part of Pac-12 Team Green. During fall football games, the student government and Sustainability Office work to collect recyclable materials in tailgate areas from fans. Additionally, each fall and spring semester, the university participates in the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge.
3)Recycling for sporting events
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
A student-led waste audit was completed in 2019 of four high traffic buildings: the union, the main campus library, a residence hall, and the residence hall meeting and dining building. The audit was performed by Momentum Recycling, a local glass recycler and recycling hauler. All streams had some level of contamination, but the biggest opportunity was around food waste collection. A larger-scale report by consultant RRS found the same thing: the collection of food waste would significantly reduce total weight sent to landfill. RRS did not complete a waste audit, but did survey bins on campus.
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:
Since 1972, the University of Utah Surplus & Salvage department has recovered unwanted items from campus departments and resold those materials to other campus offices or the public. Unusable items, including electronics, are recycled through the Utah State contracts. The Surplus & Salvage store located on campus is a multi-level showroom that includes computers, screens, lab equipment, desks, cabinets, and more. There is also an auction website for higher value items, such as vehicles. Learn more at https://fbs.admin.utah.edu/surplus.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
In fall 2019, students in a Sustainable Design course created the Style Swap to highlight the negative effects of fast fashion and promote clothing reuse. In addition to the six-hour swap, the team created beautiful graphics for an Instagram campaign (see https://www.instagram.com/uofu_styleswap).
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
The U of U offers online registration via Campus Information Systems. Course Catalogs and schedules are available online at: http://www.utah.edu/students/catalog.php.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
Each year, the University of Utah Sustainability Office partners with Housing & Residential Education for What Goes Around Comes Around, where unwanted items and food from students are donated for re-use on campus, donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and the on-campus food pantry. In 2022, staff and volunteers collected 4,872 pounds of clothing, bedding, kitchen items, and small furniture, as well as unopened nonperishable food for donation. In addition to the collection weeks two pop up shops were held to give away items to students. An open-door shop for linens during move-in, and a second pop-up shop at the end of move-in, we gave away 94% of what we collected back to students. Over 600 people attended the two pop-up shops, and in the end we gave just 311 pounds of donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
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:
Trash weight conversion. 70lbs per yard for trash, 30 lbs per yard for recycling
Due to lack of trash and recycling weights on campus, the result of a broken tipping scale, these conversions were multiplied by the number of billed tipping fees, provided by waste management, that were gathered in the 21-22 timeframe.
REFERENCES
Baseline data:
2010 Recycling and Solid Waste Annual Report, Office of Sustainability (2011)
URL: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6fj5f3p
Due to lack of trash and recycling weights on campus, the result of a broken tipping scale, these conversions were multiplied by the number of billed tipping fees, provided by waste management, that were gathered in the 21-22 timeframe.
REFERENCES
Baseline data:
2010 Recycling and Solid Waste Annual Report, Office of Sustainability (2011)
URL: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6fj5f3p
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.