| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.74 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Bodine |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2024 |
Weber State University
OP-18: Waste Minimization and Diversion
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.06 / 8.00 |
Jennifer
Bodine Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
Parts 1 and 2. Waste per person
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Materials recycled | 149.07 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials composted | 27.06 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials donated or re-sold | 10.12 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed through post-recycling residual conversion | 0 Tons | 0 Tons |
| Materials disposed in a solid waste landfill or incinerator | 566.25 Tons | 845 Tons |
| Total waste generated | 752.50 Tons | 845 Tons |
If reporting post-recycling residual conversion, provide:
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
| Baseline Period | July 1, 2006 | June 30, 2007 |
If end date of the baseline year/period is 2004 or earlier, provide:
For consistency throughout the STARS report, WSU uses the baseline year of FY 2007. FY 2007 was chosen as the baseline year for our Climate Action Plan because that was the year we became an ACUPCC signatory.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 850 | 475 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 3 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 18,868 | 14,791 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,980 | 1,653 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 4,112 | 813 |
| Weighted campus users | 12,765.25 | 11,842 |
Total waste generated per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total waste generated per weighted campus user | 0.06 Tons | 0.07 Tons |
Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline:
Part 3. Waste diverted from the landfill or incinerator
Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator (including up to 10 percent attributable to post-recycling residual conversion):
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 | 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) | No |
A brief description of other materials the institution has recycled, composted, donated and/or re-sold:
Weber State University Property Control inventories and audits all institutional equipment. It is a surplus property outlet, where the sale and disposal of all university surplus property is handled. Surplus Equipment for Campus Use is available Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public Sales of Surplus Equipment is on Wednesdays and Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WSU's Food Recovery Network also donates food twice a week from campus dining to the local homeless shelter (The Latern House).
Optional Fields
Active Recovery and Reuse
Recycling Management
Does the institution use dual stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Does the institution use multi-stream recycling to collect standard recyclables in common areas?:
Contamination and Discard Rates
A brief description of any recycling quality control mechanisms employed:
WSU gets charged a fee every time a load is sent to the recycling facility and is considered contaminated. This happens usually once or twice per year. To reduce contamination, in 2021, WSU hired a student zero waste coordinator who conducts monthly recycling audits. This audit information, in addition to information supplied by the custodial department, helps inform our office's education/outreach efforts. Our student Environmental Ambassadors target the occupants in buildings with higher contamination rates.
Programs and Initiatives
The Green Department Certification Program engages WSU offices and departments in the work of making the university more sustainable and carbon neutral. Waste reduction is a key component of this program. The program is voluntary and competitive. Participating departments assemble a green team and acquire points through sustainable practices. The number of points achieved determines certification at the bronze, silver, gold, or green levels. More information about the program can be found here: https://www.weber.edu/sustainability/green-department.html
A brief description of the institution's waste audits and other initiatives to assess its materials management efforts and identify areas for improvement:
WSU has a student zero waste coordinator who conducts monthly audits to identify which buildings are struggling with high contamination rates. This audit information, in addition to information supplied by the custodial department, helps inform our office's education/outreach efforts. Our student Environmental Ambassadors target the occupants in buildings with higher contamination rates.
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:
Weber State University Property Control inventories and audits all institutional equipment. It is a surplus property outlet, where the sale and disposal of all university surplus property is handled. Surplus Equipment for Campus Use is available Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public Sales of Surplus Equipment is on Wednesdays and Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A brief description of the institution's platforms to encourage peer-to-peer exchange and reuse:
WSU's campus Administrative Professionals (ASSET) have a group chat platform that they use to let their peers know about equipment/supplies that are needed or are surplus and can be used by other departments. This platform effectively moves supplies/equipment between departments so that items are not sent to the landfill.
A brief description of the institution's limits on paper and ink consumption:
All students are provided with $5 worth of printing each semester and then they must pay for any copies that are additional. Many departments at WSU have taken steps to transition over to electronic ways of "printing" publications or conducting business.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to make materials available online by default rather than printing them:
At Weber State University all course catalogs, course schedules, and directories are available online. Course schedules and course catalogs are no longer printed and can only be accessed online. Hard copies of the University directory are available for a fee. The norm is to look up staff online through the eWeber portal.
A brief description of the institution's program to reduce residence hall move-in/move-out waste:
The student Environmental Ambassadors Program has conducted a green move in and move out for the past several years. Recyclable items are collected, canned food is collected for donation to the local food pantry and students have the opportunity to donate unwanted items to Savers.
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.