Water and Waste Reduction

In 2024, Mines reduced its potable water per user by 36% and per unit of floor area by 21% since its last report filed in 2020. The charts below show water consumption for both water and chilled water. Chilled is water made cold for HVAC and data centers so it requires more energy that regular water usage.

Waste Reduction

Mines reduces waste to landfill through various recycling and reuse programs as well as the expansion of campus composting services. The chart below shows data for general campus recycling. Lab recycling, composting, donations, etc. are provided in the pie chart.

Mines made a significant reduction in waste in 2023. The recycling rate was 53% in 2023, then dropped significantly in 2024. The increase in waste to landfill resulted from several factors: construction on campus, a new (largest in country) maker space for engineering prototypes, and growth in campus population and square footage. Mines Sustainability will audit the maker space to determine what scrap materials can be recycled. Mines recycled 64% of construction waste in 2024.

Mines recycled nearly 600 lbs of lab plastics such as nitrile gloves and pipette boxes.