Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.52
Liaison Alan Burr
Submission Date March 5, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Wisconsin-Platteville
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.39 / 8.00 Amy Seeboth-Wilson
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities 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 395.71 Tons 392.68 Tons
Materials composted 93.15 Tons 0 Tons
Materials donated or re-sold 37.95 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion 0 Tons 0 Tons
Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator 490.20 Tons 604.99 Tons
Total waste generated 1,017.01 Tons 997.67 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 July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019
Baseline Period July 1, 2010 June 30, 2011

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:
FY 2011 is the first year that we have our recycling weight available for campus. Typically our waste hauler hasn't recorded recycling weights so we use sampling during recyclemania to develop our recycling weights.

Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 2,655 2,810
Number of employees resident on-site 12 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site 12 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 7,128 7,093
Full-time equivalent of employees 978 1,077
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 992 115.90
Weighted campus users 6,014.25 6,743.08

Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total waste generated per weighted campus user 0.17 Tons 0.15 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:
51.80

Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
51.80

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) No
Electronics No
Laboratory equipment No
Furniture Yes
Residence hall move-in/move-out waste Yes
Scrap metal No
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:
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Optional Fields 

Active Recovery and Reuse

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

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:
We participate in Recyclemania every year (2020 marks our tenth year of participation). We also promote waste management through Pioneer Restore, our waste diversion facility.

A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
We do occasional waste audits during special programs.

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:
We started an official campus surplus program (Pioneer Restore) in 2014. Staff may now shop for affordable office supplies and materials that other departments no longer needed, at our storefront, open weekly. campus.uwplatt.edu/go/restore

A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
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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:
In the past three years, campus has transitioned to using the following web-based programs rather than print resources:
- The Pioneer Administrative Software System (PASS) is used for course registration, payment, financial aid, administrative functions, and more.
- The Canvas course management system is used to deliver learning resources to students, including syllabi, course content and other documents, and multimedia content. Students also use Canvas to submit assignments, take tests and quizzes, and collaborate with instructors and classmates.

A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
In spring of 2014, we instituted a "ditch the dumpster" program on campus where we collected 1) small household items and diverted them to Goodwill, 2) large furniture and electronics and diverted them to our campus surplus program, and 3) unwanted food and diverted it to a local food pantry.

A brief description of the institution's programs or initiatives to recover and reuse other materials intended for disposal:
We recycle all electronics through URT, ink and toner through Pioneer Restore, Universal Waste and hazardous waste through Violia, and recycle metal.

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:
S:\WGroups\Sustainability\B. Data and Reporting\Campus Reporting\AASHE STARS\2020 Report Stars v2.2\Data\14. Waste\OP18 - Waste Minimization & Diversion

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.