Waste
Introduction
Waste reduction mitigates the need to extract virgin materials from the earth, such as trees and metals. Reducing the generation of waste reduces the flow of waste to incinerators and landfills which produce greenhouse gas emissions, can contaminate air and groundwater supplies, and tend to have disproportionate negative impacts on low-income communities. Source reduction and waste diversion also save institutions costly landfill and hauling service fees. In addition, waste reduction campaigns can engage the entire campus community in contributing to a tangible sustainability goal.
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Earth Day at Cuyahoga Community College
- Cuyahoga Community College (OH)
Campus events have been pretty slow-going since COVID, but we had a fantastic turnout today. Students received free books and aluminum water bottles after answering climate-related trivia questions. They learned …
- Posted April 22, 2025
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UNC Charlotte Campus Beautification Day
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
The Office of Sustainability and Grounds Department hosted the semi-annual Campus Beautification Day on April 16th. Volunteers planted trees around our Greek Village housing area, and cleaned up litter around …
- Posted April 22, 2025
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Clean up & Climbing Event - Earth Month at IE University
- Instituto de Empresa SL
Earth Day Cleanup & Climbing Event On April 5th, from 10:00 to 12:00, students, staff, and community members came together for a cleanup initiative followed by a climbing activity. The …
- Posted April 17, 2025
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Clean-up Drive
- De La Salle Lipa (BATANGAS)
The Coastal Cleanup drive conducted in San Juan Batangas is one of De La Salle Lipa's long-time initiatives to reduce plastic and other harmful waste that could harm sea turtles …
- Posted April 8, 2025
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Waste Management, Recycling, and Responsible Consumption
- Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Waste Management, Recycling, and Responsible Consumption
- Posted April 3, 2025
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Solutions Stage - Ecotone Renewables: Building a World Without Waste
- AASHE (MA)
- Ecotone Renewables (PA)
Join us as we introduce Ecotone Renewables and our flagship products, the ZEUS biodigester and Soil Sauce fertilizer. Ecotone Renewables is partnered with higher education institutions in the Northeastern USA …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Building Circular Systems of Food Waste Management: A Research Approach Toward Empowering Campus and Community
- Iowa State University (IA)
This project will identify college campuses that have a food waste management program and examine the connections between the program and surrounding community, capitalizing on the benefits that each party …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Audit Waste Streams: Reduce Cost, Increase Diversion and Reuse
- University at Albany (NY)
- Binghamton University (NY)
This session introduces the processes for implementing rolling waste audits to track contamination in diverted waste streams and how to establish asset reuse programs; reducing waste, cost, and emissions. This …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Zero Waste by X? (Part 2) Proposing the Plan
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
This is Part 2 of a two-part workshop series at #AASHE24 to navigate the challenges and opportunities with developing a campus-wide strategic visioning and planning process for college campuses looking …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Zero Waste by X? (Part 1) Facilitating the Vision
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
This is Part 1 of a two-part workshop series to navigate the challenges and opportunities with developing a campus-wide strategic visioning and planning process for college campuses looking to achieve …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
- Conference Presentations
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Student-Facing Reuse Programs
- Pomona College (CA)
This session will describe several reuse programs that are run by student employees through Pomona College's Sustainability Office. The checkouts program employs three students and makes reusable dishes available for …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Don’t let Your Data go to Waste – Leveraging Waste Data to Meet Your Goals
- Boston University (MA)
- Emerson College (MA)
- Stanford University (CA)
Although waste data is a critical component of meeting waste goals, it is often not collected, analyzed, or understood to discover opportunities for operational and behavioral waste improvements. Stanford University, …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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A Campus Beyond Plastic
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Plastic has taken on an almost ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. While eliminating single-use plastics is not an overnight task, it is also not an impossible one! With some …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Zero Waste Campuses
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- Pomona College (CA)
- University of Southern California (CA)
This is a meetup for all students, staff, companies, and professionals that are working on campus Zero Waste efforts. Whether you're helping your campus achieve Zero Waste goals, or focusing …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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New Research: Campus Trends With Indoor Waste Diversion Practices
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
- Busch Systems International Inc. (ON)
Over the last decade a growing number of colleges and universities have reorganized how they collect waste from academic and administrative areas of campus to improve their diversion rates. Anecdotal …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Networking Discussions About Implementing Centralized Collections & Bin Standards
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- Stanford University (CA)
- Busch Systems International Inc. (ON)
Innovative steps like standardizing waste bins and signage and shifting responsibility for personal waste from custodians to individuals in offices and classrooms have been shown to improve diversion and reduce …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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People Power and AI: Leveraging Zero Waste Technologies for Universities
- California State University, Northridge (CA)
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- Georgia State University (GA)
The push towards achieving zero waste is becoming increasingly vital in combating environmental degradation and fostering sustainable practices as most universities have Zero Waste goals that are fast approaching deadlines. …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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How-to Certify a Zero Waste Building
- Boston University (MA)
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
In this session, Boston University & University of California Berkeley will provide an in-depth technical lab on how to certify a building zero waste: from building design to TRUE certification. …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Lessons Learned in Eliminating Single-Use Plastics
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
- University of California, San Diego (CA)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
The University of California has ambitious goals to eliminate the distribution of single-use plastic containers in its food service operations, including disposable food service ware and beverage containers, by 2024. …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Cultivating Resilience: Compost, Education & Community Empowerment
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Organic waste reduction and diversion are two of the easiest approaches to mitigate climate change and address global warming. Converting organic waste into compost provides a pathway to reduce the …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Composting for Sustainability - Food Scraps and Organics Management on Campus
- California State University, Sacramento (CA)
- Swarthmore College (PA)
- University of Southern California (CA)
- University of Vermont (VT)
Composting is nature's climate champion. From soil fertility to carbon sequestration to nurturing biodiversity and energy generation, the management of food scraps and organic waste has come a long way …
- Posted Feb. 28, 2025
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Considering the Accessibility of Compostable Straws
- Williams College (MA)
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
While plastic straws have drawn attention in the past few years as having negative environmental impacts, organizations looking to make progress at the intersection of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and …
- Posted Feb. 14, 2025
- Case Studies
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B.Y.O. Campaign and Romeoville Repair Cafe: Reducing Waste by Promoting a Circular Economy through Single Use Waste Reduction and Product Repair
- Joliet Junior College (IL)
American throwaway culture is rapidly expanding garbage landfill around the world; majorly, it’s caused by planned or perceived obsolesces and daily disposables. Many people unknowingly throw away items that could …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2025
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The evolution of on-campus catering through single-use plastic reduction
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Aramark (PA)
Arizona State University (ASU), the largest public university in the United States, has reimagined its catering services to align with its ambitious sustainability goals. Anchored in service design methodology, this …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2025
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ACG’s Commitment to Reducing Food Waste On Campus and the Broader Community
- The American College of Greece (Aghia Paraskevi)
ACG is dedicated to reducing food waste both on campus and in the broader community through ongoing volunteer initiatives, awareness-raising events, and relevant research.
Since November 2018, The American College …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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“Up-cycling”: Amherst College’s Tread Shed - Our Campus Spoke Easy
The Tread Shed is a bike co-op on the Amherst College campus that is designed to collect and repair abandoned bikes from around campus and return them to students, staff, …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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Leading the Fight Against Food Waste and Insecurity: Food Recovery Heroes at the University of Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
The University of Pittsburgh’s Food Recovery Heroes student organization has been recovering and donating surplus food from campus dining facilities and local restaurants since 2014. Over the years, the organization …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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Zero Waste Football
- Coastal Carolina University (SC)
When the gates opened for the 2019 football season, Chanticleer fans were introduced to a brand-new game day experience inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University. In addition to 11,000 …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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Sorting it Out: A People-Centered Perspective on a Stadium Zero Waste Program
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
In 2022, the Office of Sustainability at UNC Charlotte took responsibility for an existing football stadium zero waste program. This shift in leadership, along with other changes to equipment, supplies, …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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From Waste to Resource: Building a Culture of Circularity and Engagement at ISU's Share Shop
- Illinois State University (IL)
Illinois State University (ISU) has developed and successfully implemented The Share Shop, a free secondhand store located inside the Office of Sustainability. The Share Shop has had a transformative impact …
- Posted Jan. 24, 2025
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University of the Immaculate Conception - Sustainable Education for Culinary Professionals
- University of the Immaculate Conception
Developed by Worldchefs in collaboration with an esteemed panel of culinary experts, educators, and scientists, the Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals curriculum offers a transformative learning experience for chefs and …
- Posted Jan. 22, 2025
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The ASU Eco Reps Program
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Coca-Cola (GA)
The Eco Reps program is a student sustainability engagement joint initiative between Coca-Cola and University Sustainability Practices with additional funding from internal units. Spring 2025 marks the sixth semester of …
- Posted Jan. 14, 2025
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Defeating the Plastic Monster at Bard College
- Bard College (NY)
BardE3 sustainability students took some of the monstrous plastic that we cannot recycle and built a plastic monster as a teaching tool. pronounced Bard-ies, these sustainability students understand the interplay …
- Posted Aug. 20, 2024
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Game day at Kyle Field Stadium
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Game day in Kyle Field where average attendance is often 100,000. This picture depicts the potential large scale impact that pro-sustainability measures leveraged in athletic spaces can have.
- Posted Aug. 19, 2024
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Food Lockers Address Food Insecurity at Pitt
- University of Pittsburgh (PA)
New food lockers at University of Pittsburgh make grocery and meal delivery more convenient and help address food insecurity for the Pitt community. Nonperishable food items, fresh produce and extra …
- Posted Aug. 19, 2024
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Texas A&M Athletics Recycling Bin
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Branded recycling bins in athletic facilities
- Posted Aug. 19, 2024
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Recycling containers for football game day experience
- Texas A&M University (TX)
Recycling containers installed for football game day events outside Kyle Field Gates
- Posted Aug. 19, 2024
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Valentine's Day Arts and Crafts with the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse
- Concordia University
The Concordia University Center for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) is dedicated to diverting materials from inside the university’s waste-stream and offering them to the general community free of cost. The 2023 …
- Posted Aug. 8, 2024
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Bee-yond Plastic Wraps: Concordia Zero Waste Week
- Concordia University
Let’s face it, snack containers are bulky and annoying to carry. Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR), in collaboration with the Dish Project and Concordia's Zero Waste Program, facilitates …
- Posted Aug. 8, 2024
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SNHU Eco-Reps Making Graduation Sustainable
- Southern New Hampshire University (NH)
Southern New Hampshire University Eco-Reps volunteer at each graduation to sort through waste for recyclables.
- Posted July 31, 2024
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Nova Scotia Community College: Photos for SCI 2024
- Nova Scotia Community College (NS)
The Nova Scotia Community College has been selected to be featured in the 2024 SCI. Photos have been requested to be submitted showcasing Associate institution's overall, Waste impact area, and …
- Posted July 29, 2024
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Seneca Polytechnic - Waste
- Seneca Polytechnic (ON)
The below image is most closely related to Seneca's food & dining and waste reduction efforts.
- Posted July 24, 2024
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UNC Charlotte Volunteers Posing with Data from their Zero-Waste Stadium Sorting Event
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte (NC)
Volunteers posing with the data generated at a waste sorting event the day after a football game at UNC Charlotte. As Volunteers sort the waste, it is weighed and totaled …
- Posted July 18, 2024
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American University students choose stickers to personalize water bottles during orientation.
- American University (DC)
Incoming students at American University select stickers to personalize the AU-branded reusable water bottles they received during orientation. The Office of Sustainability worked with the Office of New Student & …
- Posted July 15, 2024
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Modern life relies on plastic.
- Florida State University (FL)
Modern life relies on plastic. This lightweight, adaptable product is a cornerstone of packaging, medical equipment, the aerospace and automotive industries and more. But plastic waste remains a problem as …
- Posted July 15, 2024
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Sustainability at Connecticut College
- Connecticut College (CT)
Images submitted for the 2024 Sustainable Campus Index.
- Posted July 11, 2024
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Reclaimed Landscapes: The Art of Jarod Charzewski
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
Reclaimed Landscapes: The Art of Jarod Charzewski April 7 – May 17, 2018 Curators: Danielle Clark & Jennifer Minasian
About the Exhibition
Reclaimed Landscapes explores the edge between sustainable and …
- Posted June 26, 2024
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Embracing Plastic-Free: Reusable Takeout at Carleton College That is Actually Reused
- Carleton College (MN)
- USEFULL (MA)
College campuses have an opportunity to positively impact the waste stream with reusable container programs in campus dining. Bon Appétit at Carleton College partnered with USEFULL to offer tech-enabled reusable …
- Posted May 31, 2024
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Community Clean Up on Houbolt Road
- Joliet Junior College (IL)
Joliet Junior College had a clean up on the road outside of the school. We invited 15 different businesses along the road and had 5 sign up, including a visit …
- Posted May 6, 2024
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Upcycle Journal Day at Joliet Junior College
- Joliet Junior College (IL)
Students made journals from homemade and G.O.O.S. paper.
- Posted May 6, 2024
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
OP 18: Waste Minimization & Diversion
- Total waste generated per weighted campus user, performance year
- Percentage reduction in total waste generated per weighted campus user from baseline
- Percentage of materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator
- Waste-related behavior change initiatives
- Waste auditing efforts
- Website URL - waste minimization and diversion efforts
OP 19: Construction & Demolition Waste Diversion
- Percentage of construction and demolition materials diverted from the landfill or incinerator
- Website URL - construction & demolition waste diversion efforts
OP 20: Hazardous Waste Management
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.