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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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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Sustainability at Connecticut College
- Connecticut College (CT)
Images submitted for the 2024 Sustainable Campus Index.
- Posted July 11, 2024
- Photographs
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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
- Photographs
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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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Romeoville Repair Cafe at Joliet Junior College
- Joliet Junior College (IL)
Joliet Junior College is a registered international Repair Cafe! We had our first Repair Cafe of the year and our on April 13th, we had our very first one for …
- Posted May 6, 2024
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Auburn University Earth Day 2024
- Auburn University (AL)
Auburn University celebrates Earth Day 2024
- Posted May 6, 2024
- Photographs
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Weigh the Waste
- Seattle University (WA)
Seattle University's Redhawk dining team wanted to create a visual representation of the waste that is created from students choosing a compostable to-go container instead of choosing a plate.
- Posted May 6, 2024
- Photographs
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Un-Can-It for the Planet
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
An annual event where student unpackage expired food from our Student Basic Needs Center and compost it, and students and staff are also able to bring expired or stale food …
- Posted April 25, 2024
- Photographs
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Earth Day Recycling Drive
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Casella (VT)
Student group Waste Watchers, the MIT Office of Sustainability staff, and MIT's waste hauler Casella led an Earth Day event to collect small electronics for specialty recycling. The event also …
- Posted April 24, 2024
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Composting at EMU Dining's Facilities
- Chartwells Higher Education (NY)
Currently, three of EMU’s dining facilities are a part of a program that diverts pre and post consumer food waste from landfill. Our teams have a contract with a local …
- Posted April 23, 2024
- Case Studies
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory - Earth Day Beach Cleanup
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (NY)
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory held a beach cleanup for their beach on the campus. This was organized through the Sustainability Committee as an attempt to bring the lab community together …
- Posted April 23, 2024
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Happy World Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs Plastic! UM promotes its Action Plan on Single-Use Plastics and Disposable Items Reduction
- University of Malaya
Universiti Malaya Sustainable Development Centre (UMSDC) wishes all of you Happy World Earth Day 2024 with the theme 'Planet vs Plastic'
We invite you to join us with our 4 …
- Posted April 23, 2024
- Photographs
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New Campus-wide Composting System Launched at Lafayette College
- Lafayette College (PA)
January, 2024
Easton, Pennsylvania – Lafayette College launched a new campus-wide food waste composting program this fall, using an odor-controlled In Vessel composting system that automatically processes food waste into …
- Posted March 19, 2024
- Publications
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Zero Waste Strategic Visioning & Planning
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
Zero Waste Strategic Visioning & Planning provides an opportunity for participants to explore the challenges and opportunities with facilitating a campus-wide strategic visioning and planning process. This will be a …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste Campuses
- Post-Landfill Action Network (NH)
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. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Haul It to the Hall with Redbirds
- Illinois State University (IL)
“Haul It to the Hall Program" is one of the successful environmental stewardship initiatives that play a vital role in cultivating a sustainable culture and advancing sustainability efforts at Illinois …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste Hero: Developing a Self-Paced Certification Program for Students
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
Social media, tabling events, signage , and classroom presentations….how else can we direct students to information about zero waste on campus that they can engage with and refer to throughout …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Decolonizing Compost
- University of the Incarnate Word (TX)
This presentation describes how composting has been integrated into the Sustainability Studies curriculum at my institution and its pedagogical benefits. We have on-site composting in our community gardens, and we …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Zero Waste Tailgates: Creating a ripple effect of change….and having fun along the way!
- Illinois State University (IL)
The Illinois State University Office of Sustainability hosted a “Zero Waste Tailgate” before each home football team for the last two seasons. Each tailgate was located in a prominent tailgating …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Communicating Recycling’s Relevancy to the Campus Community
- Northwestern University (IL)
- Busch Systems International Inc. (ON)
Before sustainability offices existed, campuses had recycling and waste reduction programs to reduce their environmental footprint. But in recent years a perception that recycling is “broken”, or worse, a greenwashing …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Composting: Simple Changes for Meaningful Impacts
- University of Arizona (AZ)
Food loss and waste are global challenges; an estimated 40% of food in the U.S. is wasted. Food waste disposal practices correlate with issues such as food insecurity, poverty, and …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Building the Equity Loop: From Campus Move Out to Community Action
- Lafayette College (PA)
As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, Lafayette is committed to achieving a 40% diversion of waste to landfill by 2030 and a 60% diversion rate by 2035. Green Move …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Fashion Forward: Navigating the Intersection of Sustainability and Inclusivity
- Connecticut College (CT)
The deluge of donated clothing that many of us get during our move-out donation programs can be so overwhelming that many of us end up donating all or most of …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2024
- Conference Presentations
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Missing Pieces in Higher Education Climate Action Planning: Food, Reuse and Empowerment
- AASHE (MA)
- Gaia Education
- Center for Biological Diversity (AZ)
Climate plans can help colleges and universities address climate concerns specific to the students, faculty and staff of that campus. Staff from the Center for Biological Diversity and GAIA will …
- Posted Feb. 15, 2024
- Videos & Webinars
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It’s Really Free! Patriot Packout Expands to Support George Mason University Community Members’ Basic Needs
- George Mason University (VA)
This case study focuses on George Mason University’s sustainable move-out initiative, Patriot Packout (PPO) 2023. Existing in some form (unofficial and official) since 2003, the PPO initiative was expanded in …
- Posted Dec. 7, 2023
- Case Studies
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Building the Equity Loop: From Campus Move Out to Community Action
- Lafayette College (PA)
- AASHE (MA)
As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, Lafayette is committed to achieving a 40% diversion of waste to landfill by 2030 and a 60% diversion rate by 2035. Green Move …
- Posted Oct. 26, 2023
- Videos & Webinars
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Learning About Metal Recycling
- University of Southern California (CA)
Students from the USC Dornsife Environmental Studies program visited the SA Recycling center located on Terminal Island in San Pedro. The students toured the facility and learned about the entire …
- Posted Sept. 2, 2023
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Honolulu Community College: SCI 2023
- University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College (HI)
Student success and wellbeing initiative - Funded by a US Department of Education grant through 2025, the Ola Niuhelewai Program at University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College aims to increase …
- Posted Aug. 30, 2023
- Photographs
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Zero Waste Football (Horizontal and Vertical Image)
- Coastal Carolina University (SC)
Every Chanticleer home football game is a zero-waste initiative. The goal of this effort is to divert as much waste as possible from each CCU home football game. We do …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2023
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Free professional wardrobe(s)
- Cornell University (NY)
Cornell Wardrobe, a student-run organization, The Wardrobe provides attire for ‘any student, any opportunity
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
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The Welcome Bazaar
- Université de Sherbrooke (QC)
Since 2016, the Université de Sherbrooke has organized the Welcome Bazaar, an event that promotes peer-to-peer exchange within the university community and thus encourages the use of second-hand goods. The …
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
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Research, Upcycled Textile
- Cornell University (NY)
Upcycled polyester.
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
- Photographs
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Humber College SCI 2023 Photos - Waste Category
- Humber College (ON)
The photos being submitted relate to Humber College's recognition as a Top Performer in the 2023 SCI Waste category.
- Posted Aug. 28, 2023
- Photographs
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"One Sheet-One Leaf" project
- Western Caspian University (Bakı)
Western Caspian University teachers and students organised a three-day training event within the framework of the "One Sheet-One Leaf" project, which won the "Make the Idea 2022" Grant Contest.
- Posted Aug. 22, 2023
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A case study of sustainable hospitality education relating to food waste from the perspective of transformative learning theory
- Shih Chien University
This study applies a critical tourism approach and transformative learning theory to examine the factors influencing students to take a food design course and the relationships among students' learning intentions …
- Posted June 15, 2023
- Publications
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Informative initiatives as a useful tool to raise awareness of food waste. An application to higher education
- University of Zaragoza
Purpose: Because food waste is a serious problem today, society is currently aiming for more responsible consumption to minimize it, as defined in the 12th goal of the United Nations …
- Posted June 15, 2023
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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.