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

CING, CSMM and the Municipality of Saint Dometios joined forces with Let’s Do it Cyprus to clean two local parks!

  • The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics

The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING) and its postgraduate school, the Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine (CSMM) together with the local Municipal Council of Saint Dometios in Nicosia ...


Proposal for Implementation of an E-Receipt System and Non-Toxic Compostable Receipt Paper at UMass Dining Facilities

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)

For our junior year writing course, we were given the assignment to write a proposal to fix something on campus. As students passionate about sustainability, our group elected to improve ...


Using emoticons to encourage students to recycle

  • Boston University (MA)

Uncovering inexpensive, simple techniques to encourage students to act in a pro-environmental manner is of critical importance. Through a four-week field study at a large, environmentally focused elementary school, it ...


University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Three: Why your old phones collect in a junk drawer of sadness

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the third episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted May 4, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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University at Buffalo-Sustainability Month 2017

  • University at Buffalo (NY)

At UB, Earth Day is celebrated all month, with dozens of sustainability events highlighting our commitment to critical issues like climate neutrality and publicly funded science.


Cal Poly SLO Earth Week

  • California Polytechnic State University (CA)

Cal Poly hosted a variety of events for Earth Week.


University of California Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Two: Going green shouldn't be this hard

  • University of California, Office of the President (CA)

This is the second episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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Sustainable Un-building

  • DePauw University (IN)

Students, faculty, staff, and Greencastle community members were invited to participate in the event “Unbuilding: Sustainable Deconstruction and ‘Give-Away’ at DePauw’s Campus Farm House.” During Winter Term, students began ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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EcoChallenge 2017 Winner Dinner

  • Berea College (KY)

Each year, Berea College hosts the EcoChallenge, a competition among residence halls on campus to increase the amount of recycling produced by each student. In 2017, the factor of participation ...

  • Posted April 28, 2017
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Cork drink coaster

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Penn State Green Teams member Amber Redman is creating a drink coaster made from wine bottle corks at an event during Penn State’s multi-week Earth Day(s) 2017 celebration ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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T-shirt bags

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Penn State Green Teams members Barbara Taylor and Ashli Baker are making reusable cloth bags from cotton t-shirts at an event during Penn State’s multi-week Earth Day(s) 2017 ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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Shred Right Recycling Event

  • Western Technical College (WI)

Students and community members brought 1,500 lbs of paper for shredding. The shredded material is recylced and made into low-quality paper products like paper towel. Since the event is ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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SMCC STEMS Club Earth Day Event

  • South Mountain Community College (AZ)

This semester the STEMS club successfully built a bike charging station, built and flew racing drones, grew flowers in the greenhouse and are composting landscape waste. It was a great ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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Fredonia Electronics Recycling Day April 22 2017

  • State University of New York at Fredonia (NY)

The State University of New York at Fredonia hosted the Annual Electronics Recycling day on April 22, 2017. This event is free to the public.

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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Sustainable Fashion Show

  • Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)

During our Earth Day event, students made their own outfits made from recycled materials, and were entered into a fashion show.

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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Dumpster Dive 2017 Western Technical College

  • Western Technical College (WI)

In our efforts to raise awareness of the items that can be recycled here on our Western Technical College Campus we held a “Dumpster Dive”.

We asked our college President ...

  • Posted April 27, 2017
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UAB Recycling Earth Day on the Green

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham (AL)

UAB Recycling Coordinator Jon Paolone explains the intricacies of products made from recycled materials - in this case, a rubber jar opener made from recycled tires & a flying disc made ...

  • Posted April 26, 2017
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Ohio State's "Seeds of Service" brought out hundreds to clean, plant and celebrate

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

As part of Ohio State University's sustainability awareness week, called "Time For Change Week 2017," students attending the "Seeds of Service" event celebrated a beautiful spring day by cleaning ...

  • Posted April 26, 2017
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Ohio State University Earth Day Give-Away: Reusable Lunch Bags for students

  • The Ohio State University (OH)

The Ohio State Office of Energy and Environment celebrates Earth Day by providing items to students that helps them be more sustainable. In 2017, students were given reusable lunch bags ...

  • Posted April 26, 2017
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The Green Labs Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Best practices for implementing a Green Labs program into a university.

  • Posted April 25, 2017
  • Conference Presentations
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Seattle University On-Site Composting Facility

  • Seattle University (WA)

In 2002 Seattle University (SU) built a state-of-the-art, on-campus composting facility. The composting facility is a unique, sustainable, closed-loop system that processes pre-consumer food and yard waste that is produced ...

  • Posted April 20, 2017
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SFA Dining Waste Audit

  • Stephen F. Austin State University (TX)
  • Aramark (PA)

We conducted a waste audit in our Dining Halls to see how much food we waste!

  • Posted April 11, 2017
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Using Model-Based Reasoning and Experiential Learning to Understand and Improve Sustainability in a Campus Food System

  • Warren Wilson College (NC)
  • AASHE (PA)

The webinar describes an introductory sustainability course at Warren Wilson College that explores the campus food system. Warren Wilson College has a sustainable dining policy and has adopted the Real ...

  • Posted April 7, 2017
  • Videos & Webinars
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A Behavioral Approach to the Development of a Campus-Wide Recycling System

  • Western Michigan University (MI)

This article describes efforts to establish a more effective campus-wide recycling system at Western Michigan University. A study was designed as a continuation of an established line of behavioral recycling ...

  • Posted March 1, 2017
  • Publications
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Waste Audit Training Materials

  • Lehigh University (PA)

Here are the training materials that we use for waste audits at Lehigh.

1) Blood Borne Pathogen Video Presentation - put together by our EH&S department 2) Waste Audit Logistics Powerpoint ...


Greening academia: Developing sustainable waste management at Higher Education Institutions

  • University of Southampton

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are often the size of small municipalities. Worldwide, the higher education (HE) sector has expanded phenomenally; for example, since the 1960s, the United Kingdom (UK) HE ...

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
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Greening of a campus through waste management initiatives: Experience from a higher education institution in Thailand

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the effects of 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) waste management initiatives on a campus community. It ascertains the environmental attitudes and opinions of the ...

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2017
  • Publications
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Key Facilities Metrics Survey and Report

  • APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities (VA)
  • National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) (DC)

The Key Facilities Metrics Survey is a brief annual survey designed to encourage attention to a small number of key facilities metrics: total energy consumption per square foot, electricity consumption ...


Written Messages Improve Edible Food Waste Behaviors in a University Dining Facility

  • Kansas State University (KS)

Background

Sustainability and going green have become popular trends among foodservice organizations. Despite this interest, foodservice operations still produce large amounts of edible food waste and contribute significantly to waste ...


Garnering input for recycling communication strategies at a Big Ten University

  • Michigan State University (MI)

With increasing environmental challenges confronting our planet, colleges and universities are trying different approaches for minimizing their adverse environmental impacts. Among the approaches being used to revitalize campus sustainability efforts ...


Teaching with trash: archaeological insights on university waste management

  • University of Idaho (ID)

The archaeological study of modern trash on an American university campus can yield valuable insight into how both human and environmental processes contribute to the accumulation and distribution of litter ...


Implementation of a zero waste program at a university campus

  • Massey University

A zero waste program was established at a university campus in response to grassroots student concern over environmental management issues. The implementation procedure consisted of initial discussions with academic and ...


Reducing solid waste in higher education: The first step towards ‘greening’ a university campus

  • University of Northern British Columbia (BC)

Comprehensive solid waste management programs are one of the greatest challenges to achieving campus sustainability. Conducting a waste characterization study is a critical first step in successful waste management planning ...


An Economic Analysis of a University Educational Cafeteria Composting Program—Bobcat Blend

  • Texas State University, San Marcos (TX)

At Texas State University, a cafeteria-composting pilot program was established in which students source-separated their organic waste at one of the food courts while the program educated students on the ...


Expanding Your Move Out Program

  • Pitzer College (CA)
  • Pomona College (CA)
  • University of South Carolina (SC)
  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

Campuses across the country are starting to develop robust move-out collection projects of various types. Some hold a yard sale for the local community in the summer, or for students ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Thrift Stores, FreeStores, and Reuse Spaces

  • Coastal Carolina University (SC)
  • Portland State University (OR)
  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)

This panel will discuss the outcomes from Thrift Stores, Free Stores and Reuse Spaces across different campuses. Hear how these second-hand experiences have become a model for showcasing the three ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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WTF Reduction! Waste, Technology and Facebook; Utilizing Social Media, Technology and Outreach to Effect Behavioral Change

  • State University of New York at Oswego (NY)
  • University of North Carolina, Asheville (NC)
  • University of Virginia (VA)
  • Fill it Forward (ON)

This panel will discuss the use of social media and technology and how it can be applied it to various re-use and waste reduction programs. Partnered with Cupanion, these three ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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The University of Thriftsburgh: We Work With More Than Just Ugly Sweaters

  • University of Pittsburgh (PA)

The University of Thriftsburgh, a non-profit, student-run thrift store, opened on the University of Pittsburgh's campus on March 18, 2015. The store was the result of year and a ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Creative Composting: a Comprehensive Approach to Food Waste Reduction

  • Green Mountain College (VT)

Though composting is a great step away from creating landfill waste, it is still very low on the EPA's food waste hierarchy. This study presents how a group of ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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TailGator: Game Day Recycling at the University of Florida

  • University of Florida (FL)

For the last ten seasons the TailGator Game Day Recycling Program, the longest running program of the University of Florida's Office of Sustainability, has educated fans on properly sorting ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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Making Student Events Greener, One Pizza Box at a Time

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

From pizza boxes to plastic cups, a lot can go to waste during student events. What if there was a way to keep that waste out of the landfill while ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste: Data, Infrastructure, and Engagement Return Recycling Case Study

  • New York University (NY)
  • Return Recycling (NY)

Return Recycling is a student-led organization devoted to building a concrete understanding for waste data, infrastructure, and engagement. Over the past year we've prototyped new (self-designed) recycling bins, developed ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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The Campus Kitchens Project: Using Food as a Tool for a More Sustainable Campus and Community.

  • The Campus Kitchens Project (DC)

Attendees will get an in depth look at The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) and will be empowered to bring the program to their school. CKP students on 50 campuses are ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
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A Zero Waste Campus is Possible

  • Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)

We begin by asking students to envision a zero waste campus through innovative problem solving & logistics management. In small groups, they map out how to prevent specific forms of ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Fighting Waste, Feeding People: Student Solutions for the Long Term

  • Food Recovery Network (MD)

Forty percent of all food produced in America is wasted, while one in six Americans is unsure where his or her next meal will come from. If food waste were ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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US EPA - NEW Organics Recovery Program Development Toolkit

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
  • Keep America Beautiful (CT)

US EPA Region 4 will unveil the working draft of its Organics Recovery Program Development Toolkit developed specifically for colleges and universities. The toolkit is intended to guide campuses looking ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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College & University Recycling Coalition Members 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. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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The Purdue Recycling Project (PuRe): Developing a Scientific Approach to Study Recycling Signage

  • Keep America Beautiful (CT)
  • Purdue University (IN)

The Purdue Recycling Project (PuRe), funded by Keep America Beautiful, has three major goals: 1) The first goal is to test recycling behaviors in a controlled lab study in which ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Working with supply chain partners to achieve zero waste goals

  • Pennsylvania State University (PA)

Many campuses are attempting to achieve zero waste goals, but are not able to overcome key challenges. Penn State has achieved zero waste in several sports venues by partnering with ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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Piloting RecycleMania's 'Race to Zero Waste' competition: How to implement zero waste practices building by building

  • Brigham Young University (UT)
  • Harvard University (MA)
  • University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)
  • Keep America Beautiful (CT)

This session will report on efforts to reduce waste in specific buildings on several campuses providing focused insight on the challenges and opportunities for waste reduction on college campuses. In ...

  • Posted Nov. 18, 2016
  • Conference Presentations
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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