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.

Featured Resources

1149 resources

Annual Chittenango Creek Clean-Up & Wildlife Shrub Seedling Planting

  • Cazenovia College (NY)

More than 35 people from Cazenovia College's Environmental Club and chapter of Alpha Phi Omega (volunteer/community service group), Trout Unlimited, Cazenovia Preservation Foundation, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
  • Photographs
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Earth Day UTea Crush

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Justin Hays of The University of Texas at Austin’s Landscape Services provides information about U-Tea (pun intended)— compost tea made on campus and bottled in repurposed plastic containers—during ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
  • Photographs
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Lettuce Bee Sustainable at Dominican University - River Forest, IL

  • Dominican University (IL)

Lettuce Bee Sustainable this Earth Day, Monday, April 22 from Noon to 2:00 pm in the Parmer Atrium.

• Build your own Salad in a Jar. • Taste test vegan Avocado ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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Union College Collaborates with the SEAT Center for an Environmental Justice Event

  • Union College - NY (NY)

Union College Students from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and SEAT Center collaborated on an event to provide free air filter installations, information on free weatherization, and registration for community ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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Bash the Trash Performance at Dominican College

  • Dominican University New York (NY)

Dominican College kicked off its Earth Week celebration with a performance of Bash the Trash. Bash the Trash builds, performs, and educates with musical instruments made from recycled and reused ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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"A Sustainable Second Century "

  • American University in Cairo (Cairo)

The Office of Sustainability kick off AUC’s EarthWeek, an annual event celebrating international Earth Day. This year’s theme is EarthWeek: A Sustainable Second Century, focusing on the Past ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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Styrofoam Densifying and Waste Diversion

  • Georgia State University (GA)

Styrofoam, one of the most unwieldy and uncooperative forms of waste, came to the forefront of Georgia State University’s sustainability concerns upon evaluating its large volume in the University ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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UW-Madison Reusable To Go Containers- Ticket to Take Out!

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

Beginning in Fall 2018, all University Housing Dining Markets moved exclusively to a reusable to-go container program for all carry-out food. The goal of this program, named Ticket to Take ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
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Impact of environmental knowledge and product quality on student attitude toward products with recycled/remanufactured content: Implications for environmental education and green manufacturing

  • City University of Hong Kong
  • University of Sheffield
  • Monash University Malaysia

This study investigates the impact of environmental knowledge and perceived product quality on purchasing intention and purchasing behavior of recycled products: A4 paper, mobile phones and printers. The intent is ...

  • Posted March 31, 2019
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How Water Bottle Refill Stations Contribute to Campus Sustainability: A Case Study in Japan

  • Ritsumeikan University

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of installing Water bottle Refill Stations (WRSs) and their contributions to campus sustainability by means of encouraging pro-environmental behavior in ...

  • Posted March 30, 2019
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Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Zero Waste Program

  • University of Southern California (CA)

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has influenced generations across the world through events such as the Olympics, World Series, and Super Bowls as well as community events like papal and ...

  • Posted March 15, 2019
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Zero is Hero: Use a Zero Waste Events Program to Re-Teach Recycling

  • Johns Hopkins University (MD)
  • AASHE (PA)

Do you know how many events occur on your campus every year? Can you guess how many of those events use disposables? Do you have a hard time engaging your ...

  • Posted Feb. 21, 2019
  • Videos & Webinars
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Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast Episode 16: Reducing Waste and Increasing Reuse in Labs at Northwestern University

  • Northwestern University (IL)
  • Rheaply, Inc (IL)

Julie Cahillane, Sustainability Associate Director at Northwestern University and Dr. Garry Cooper, adjunct professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and CEO/Co-founder of Rheaply, Inc..

In this conversation ...

  • Posted Feb. 14, 2019
  • Videos & Webinars
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University of Vermont Dining Services Vendor RFP

  • University of Vermont (VT)
  • Real Food Challenge (MA)

Request for Proposals for the University of Vermont's dining services provider, specifying ways that the Real Food Challenge and other sustainability measures are to be incorporated into the vendor ...


UT Austin Green Labs and Green Offices

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

The Green Offices and Green Labs initiative at University of Texas at Austin aims to transform campus workspaces into more eco-friendly environments. Improvements include reducing overall waste, implementation of collection ...

  • Posted Dec. 21, 2018
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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
  • Publications
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Atlas: The Road to a Zero Waste Campus

  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

The Atlas is an assessment framework to create Zero Waste strategic plans for universities and colleges. We start off by utilizing our extensive Campus Programs Checklist to assess infrastructure, policies ...


Everett Community College Sustainability Volunteer Program Gets People Working

  • Everett Community College (WA)

Video proposal (20 minutes/10 Minute Q&A) Since 2009, The Everett Community College Sustainability Department has teamed with several local agencies to fund a paid 'volunteer' program on campus. Volunteers ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 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
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CURC Campus Recycling Workshop

  • Busch Systems (ON)

Join recycling and sustainability colleagues from campuses across the US and Canada for the annual CURC Campus Recycling Workshop. This year's workshop will take place alongside other AASHE pre-conference ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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7+ Ways Institutions of Higher Education are Generating Revenue while Diverting Waste from Landfills

  • AssetWorks (PA)

From coast-to-coast, institutions of higher education are engaging in creative ways to divert waste from landfills while generating revenue for their colleges and universities. With the increasing pressure for institutions ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Gameday Waste Minimization

  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • University of Rochester (NY)

The University of Arizona will share the success story of their student-run program working to ingrain zero waste practices within athletic events. This workshop will describe the trials and tribulations ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Successes in Assessing and Reducing Food Waste Through Behavior Change

  • Skidmore College (NY)
  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Skidmore College, a small private liberal arts college, and UT Austin, a large public university, will share their experiences successfully assessing and minimizing food waste through behavioral changes in on-campus ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Move Out Solutions With William & Mary's DormMania and the Post-Landfill Action Network

  • College of William & Mary (VA)
  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

Join the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) and William & Mary in a discussion about reducing waste during campus move-out! Students throw away tons of usable items every year during ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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The Evolution of Campus Composting Programs

  • Georgia College & State University (GA)
  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
  • University of Michigan (MI)
  • Ramboll (NY)

This session will be lead by a team of presenters offering perspectives and experiences from different angels of compost program implementation. Presenters will share achievements, setbacks, and lessons learned on ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Do Dorm Move-Out Waste Reduction Programs Really Reduce Carbon Emissions?

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

A team of engineering researchers at the University of Arizona, led by Dr. Paul Blowers and undergraduate student Nick Deak, measured the carbon footprint associated with materials collected during a ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Measuring Success - Auditing the Zero Waste Process

  • Medical University of South Carolina (SC)

At the Medical University of South Carolina we, like many campuses, are constantly improving our waste system in an effort to strive for 'Zero Waste'. During the 2016 RecycleMania competition ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Stadium Clean-up: Invest in & Engage Student Organizations, Promote Sustainability, Reduce Costs

  • Western Kentucky University (KY)

The Diddle/Smith Recycling Program engages student organizations to clean the arena/stadium after football and basketball games, as well as other special events. In exchange for cleaning, volunteers receive ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Integrated Plastics Recycling and Research Facility at UC Berkeley

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The Zero Waste Research Center at UC Berkeley is working to create the first Plastics Recycling Facility at UC Berkeley. This facility, located at the Global Bay Campus in Richmond ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Building an Open Source Food Recovery Website: Pairing University Dining Halls With Shelters

  • University of Washington, Seattle (WA)

About one-third of food is wasted globally each year (Smith). Further, 30-40% of all food in the U.S. goes uneaten each year, resulting in 133 billion pounds of waste ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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College & University Recycling Coalition (CURC) Membership Meeting

  • University of South Carolina (SC)

Members and non-members alike are invited to join this annual CURC membership meeting. Board members will provide organizational updates, discuss current projects, and share opportunities to get involved. The meeting ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Rebel Rot: An Engineering Capstone Project to Convert a Dumpster into an In-Vessel Composter

  • University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)

Building off a past AASHE presentation (2017) by Dr. Brian Barnes from the University of Louisville, the University of Nevada Las Vegas Sustainability Coordinator partnered with the College of Engineering ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Can You Dig It?: Integrating Vermicomposting at UC Berkeley

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Our project was initially inspired by the work in progress at the CSU - Sacramento Sustainable Technology Optimization Research Center (STORC). They are implementing a new processing system for their campus ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Building on Your Institutional Strengths to Reduce Food Waste

  • Unity Environmental University (ME)

Unity College had a small scale limited food waste collection system in the dining halls on campus. By working with a local partner, the food waste that could be collected ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Composting and Organics Collection: Is it Happening On Your Campus?

  • University of Arizona (AZ)
  • US Composting Council (MD)

University and college campuses across the nation are increasingly adding food scraps collection and, often, the operation of compost or anaerobic digestion facilities to their 'green' portfolio to achieve STARS ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Reducing Odorous Emissions from Compost With Bio Filters

  • Thompson Rivers University (BC)

In 2014 Thompson Rivers University published its campus Sustainability Action plan that identified priorities to become a green campus. Zero waste was identified as a major priority, including the capturing ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Zero-Waste Initiative: Composting at Events

  • University of Arizona (AZ)

Public events tend to be extremely wasteful. When a county fair, culinary festival, fundraising campaign, or community garden potluck are organized, the overall aim is to create an enjoyable atmosphere ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Resource Management Contracting- How It Can All Go Wrong When You Do Everything Right

  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)

With stagnant recycling and diversion rates, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sought to get aggressive with its haulers, data collection, and its plan for waste reduction. UWM set out to achieve ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Bin There, Done That: Mapping CSUN's Outdoor Waste Infrastructure

  • California State University, Northridge (CA)

To prepare for the implementation of CSUN's Zero Waste Plan, and to comply with new stormwater pollution mandates, the Facilities Planning department at CSU Northridge created an internship for ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Implementing an Effective Campus Recycling & Waste Bin Infrastructure

  • University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
  • CleanRiver Recycling Solutions (ON)

A uniform system of well-designed recycling and waste bins is crucial for colleges to achieve significant diversion rates. The challenge is to identify bins that can address four key needs ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Identifying Holistic Metrics to Redefine Zero Waste

  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

While diversion has been the go-to metric for evaluating our waste reduction efforts, it skips over several levels of the waste reduction hierarchy, resulting in the prioritization of recycling and ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Using Waste Reduction Technology to Adopt a Circular Economy

  • Busch Systems (ON)

This presentation will focus on waste management and the new shift to a circular economy. We will investigate the environmental and economic opportunities of a circular economy. We will study ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Lessons From the Compost Pile: a Facilitated Conversation About Campus Compost Initiatives

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)

This meeting will focus on institutional compost collection and processing systems. It will be an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions, and connect with others engaged in campus composting efforts ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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How Might we Create a Sustainable Make-A-Thon to Inform Students About Sustainable Design?

  • University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)

Design U every year puts on the 10,000 makes 24 hour Make-A-Thon where we bring in engineers, designers, business students and whoever else wants to join to essentially make ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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University Zero Waste Research Center Networking Session

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The student-led Zero Waste Research Center at UC Berkeley works to create circular economies on the UC Berkeley campus by investigating innovative upstream and downstream solutions to campus waste problems ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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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
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Achieving Zero Waste and Campus-Wide Compost Bins: Progress from Swarthmore College

  • Swarthmore College (PA)

In 2017, Swarthmore College formalized its commitment to achieving a Zero Waste campus, with an interim goal of reaching an 80% diversion rate by 2022. This ambitious commitment, which built ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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How to Run Initiatives on Campus That Will Lower Waste

  • Southern Oregon University (OR)

Having an 'eco' conscious lifestyle has been mainly about buying 'green' items so we can lower our impact on this planet. Today, our problem is not about buying items but ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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Responsible Consumption and Production: An Academic Year Deep Dive

  • Lafayette College (PA)

During this session, we'll take a look at the opportunities to promote recycling and reuse during the academic year at a small liberal arts college. We'll chart out ...

  • Posted Nov. 5, 2018
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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

OP 19: Construction & Demolition Waste Diversion

OP 20: Hazardous Waste Management

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Waste Partners