Search Results

33 resources

At the moment of disposal: how messaging techniques at university public outdoor waste receptacles can improve the solid waste stream

  • University of Florida (FL)

Purpose: This study aims to test how waste disposal behaviors can be changed such as higher recycling diversion and lower contamination rates using signage and messaging techniques at public outdoor ...

  • Posted June 15, 2023
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Waste Management Education and Procedural Improvements at a Residential Dining Facility

  • Wake Forest University (NC)
  • Harvest Table Culinary Group (PA)

Sustainability features are only as effective as their operators. While the second largest dining facility at Wake Forest hosts several sustainability features, the compost program was lacking in strength due ...


Lightning Talks: Campus Operations (Group 1)

  • Louisiana State University (LA)
  • Stanford University (CA)
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)

This session consists of 3 15-minute Lightning Talk sessions related to culture and communications. The Lightning Talks are: End-to-end Visibility into Operations for a Connected Zero Waste Campus - This session ...

  • Posted May 17, 2023
  • Conference Presentations
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Valparaiso University Waste Audit: Reducing Plastic

  • Valparaiso University (IN)

The Office of Sustainability at Valparaiso University recently performed a comprehensive waste audit of all campus buildings to identify opportunities to save money, reduce waste, and to promote better waste ...

  • Posted Nov. 10, 2022
  • Case Studies
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A Fresh Take on Recycling Contamination Education: Moving Beyond the Traditional Waste Audit

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

The University of Arizona began a residential waste auditing program over ten years ago. What started as a typical waste audit project with sorting and weighing has grown into something ...

  • Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Revolutionizing Campus Dining: Reducing Waste and Connecting with Staff

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Dining halls play a critical role in meeting UC Berkeley's ambitious goal of Zero Waste by 2020. Reevaluating the products we use, prioritizing sustainable purchasing, and reducing food waste ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Resilient Recycling- Build a Strong Recycling Program Against Market Forces and Beyond Good Behavior

  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)

Contamination, 'wish-cycling', and global market changes are shaking the very foundation of recycling. The barriers to recycling and zero-waste are not just in marketing & campus behavior, but rather they ...

  • Posted Nov. 15, 2021
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Housing Sustainability Assistants - Compost Pilot

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

Carnegie Mellon University’s Housing Sustainability Assistants team supported a 4-week composting pilot within on-campus housing to ensure successful composting implementation in the future. The student team was tasked with ...


Building a Resilient Recycling Operation Against Market Forces, Financial Pressures, & Contamination Developments

  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)

Recycling rates had plateaued. By 2016, even with the best of internal marketing and operational changes, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was left to the devices of a decentralized collection and ...


The Compost Catastrophe: Our Adventure to Residence Hall Composting at Appalachian State University

  • Appalachian State University (NC)

Appalachian State University has been composting on campus since 1999 and has grown and developed into one of the most successful programs in the country. Our facility has the ability ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Implementing a Better Deskside Recycling System

  • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (IN)
  • Busch Systems (ON)

A 2015 Keep America Beautiful study found that converting deskside waste collection to a system of small trash baskets alongside a regular-size recycling bin could improve recovery and decrease contamination ...

  • Posted Dec. 4, 2019
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Composting at Northwestern University Norris Center

  • Northwestern University (IL)
  • Real Food Challenge (MA)
  • Compass Group (NC)

The project consists of the successful implementation of a front-of-the-house composting program in Northwestern University's Norris Center food court dining area and the coordination of a series of experiments ...


Addressing Compost Contamination Through Systems Thinking

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Discover UW-Madison’s compost collection journey! The UW-Madison (UW) began composting its food scraps at its agricultural research station just off campus in 2009. Since then, the UW has overcome ...


Personal waste management in higher education: A case study illustrating the importance of a fourth bottom line

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Purpose This paper aims to propose a quadruple bottom line approach for higher education leaders who must decide whether to accept sustainability initiatives that do have not have a business ...


Providing immediate feedback improves recycling and composting accuracy

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

The volume of solid waste has increased significantly in the past century, directly contributing to global environmental problems. Public engagement with waste sorting is crucial to the diversion of solid ...

  • Posted Dec. 21, 2018
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Toward zero waste events: Reducing contamination in waste streams with volunteer assistance

  • University of British Columbia (BC)

Public festivals and events generate a tremendous amount of waste, especially when they involve food and drink. To reduce contamination across waste streams, we evaluated three types of interventions at ...

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2018
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Trash Talking: South Dakota State University's Effort to Increase Campus' Recycling Rate

  • South Dakota State University (SD)

Like most universities, it is not unusual to find trash and recycling in the wrong bin at South Dakota State University. Sparked by SDSU's STARS 2016 report, the campus ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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Engaging Housekeeping Staff for Zero Waste Success

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

Contamination of single-stream recycling is one of the most significant obstacles to waste diversion. While campus culture promotes recycling, users do not reliably recycle correctly. The result is a contaminated ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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Infrastructure, Audits, and Education: A Three-Pronged Approach to Waste Reduction

  • Luther College (IA)

This poster will demonstrate how Luther College is working to achieve its zero waste goals by investing in infrastructure, conducting waste audits and creatively educating the campus community. Under the ...

  • Posted Dec. 1, 2017
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Zero Waste Restroom Hand Towel Pilot: Kimberly Clark and Purdue University Partner in Mackey Arena

  • Purdue University (IN)
  • Kimberly-Clark Professional (GA)

Kimberly-Clark Professional and Purdue University partnered to develop and implement a zero waste restroom paper hand towel compost pilot in Purdue's Mackey Arena (seats 14,846) for the 2015-16 ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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How Signage Increases Recycling Rates

  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

It is well known that recycling can be confusing, especially when deciding which materials are accepted into a recycling program at point of disposal (aka the bin). This can lead ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Warriors Don’t Waste: Improving the Waste Stream at Eastern Connecticut State University.

  • Eastern Connecticut State University (CT)

In early 2015 Eastern’s Green Campus Committee started to tackle the major initiative of improving the campus waste stream. In taking on this project the committee knew that there ...


New Research About Bin Set-Up to Increase Recycling In Offices

  • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) (IN)
  • Keep America Beautiful (CT)

This presentation will review a new study commissioned by Keep America Beautiful that shows how the arrangement recycling and trash bins in office settings can lead to a 20% increase ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Getting Trashy: Measurable Pilot Projects to Identify Best Practices

  • University of Denver (CO)

Pilot projects targeting increased diversion rates are a direct means of engaging the community, determining best practices, and driving change through measurable results. At the University of Denver, we launched ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Redefining the Norms of Waste Management Through Behavioral Changes

  • University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)

The UC-wide goal of Zero Waste by 2020 continues to encourage campuses to increase their waste diversion practices. At UCSB, we believe that we need to gain a better understanding ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Order Matters: Waste Audits and Bin Configurations

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Before you can get to zero waste, you need to know what your waste stream is composed of. The best way to do this is through waste audits. This presentation ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Creating a visual identity system to improve waste diversion rates

  • Lehigh University (PA)

Among institutions of higher education dedicated to sustainability, there is often a struggle to significantly reduce waste generated on campus and reduce contamination rates in waste diversion streams. Lehigh University ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Feed The Beast: Organic Waste Collection in a Campus Food Court

  • University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)

To gauge the feasibility of organic waste separation in a public setting, we studied the effect of introducing new waste receptacles into a student union food court. The public education ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Collaborative Approach: Community Waste Management at Carleton College

  • Carleton College (MN)

Successful waste management should engage and involve the entire campus community. Through the Community Waste Program, we collaboratively sought to provide composting in academic and administrative campus buildings, reduce the ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Talking Trash: Getting the Best Data Out of Your Waste and Recycling

  • Meredith College (NC)
  • Pacific University (OR)

Join this presentation to learn about three different efforts to collect baseline data on recycling and waste on campus. An overview of a community-based social marketing campaign (CBSM) to "green ...

  • Posted Feb. 26, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Take Action on Waste: A Community Based Social Marketing Project in Student Residences

  • University of Alberta (AB)

Take Action on Waste began in 2010 as a project at the University of Alberta that aims to improve waste diversion behaviours in residences. Challenges with infrastructure and education at ...


University Recycling at work! Case study in Puerto Rico

  • Ana G. Méndez University System (PR)

In 2006, Undergraduate Environmental Science students sparked the Recycling Program at the Universidad Metropolitana, Puerto Rico with a simple question "Why we do not recycle at the University?

Since then ...

  • Posted June 23, 2011
  • Case Studies
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Testing Single Stream Versus Dual Stream Recycling at CU

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

A new single stream recycling program was tested in CU's residence halls and family housing courts during 2009. CU hoped that the added convenience would invigorate participation among the ...