Recycling, Compost & Waste

So much of the material we handle on a daily basis is made of plastic. Let’s delve into some common questions about the puzzling predicament of perplexing plastic!

This Spring, UW Recycling staff guest-taught students in the Nutritional Sciences 302 Food Systems class - led by faculty member Yona Sipos - regarding the composting process and how to sort compostable materials on campus. The students were then given an assignment to think about ways the University of Washington could reduce food waste. 

We've included a selection of the student thoughts below:

Students who are getting ready to move out of residence halls or U District housing often have extra items as they pack up. UW Recycling makes it easy to keep those items out of the trash and ensure they go to someone who needs them.

Join UW Recycling for the upcoming 2019 Trash-In held on Red Square Friday, April 19, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.  During this time, volunteers (a healthy mix of students, staff, and faculty) can sign up for shifts lasting one hour to sort waste collected from buildings on campus.

UW Recycling has an opening for a part-time student Waste Diversion Assistant. This position could begin as early as January 2, 2019. This is a great opportunity for a qualified, dedicated student interested in environmental issues (primarily recycling and composting education and general sustainability topics).

Students living in the north campus neighborhood who are moving at the end of the summer (or who just have unwanted items to get rid of) can keep their stuff off the streets during the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup on August 30 and Sept. 24-25. All students can stop by the cleanup station on 17th Ave NE & NE 47th St. on these days and drop off unwanted items for free.

UW Athletics needs volunteers to support sustainability efforts during home football games this season, starting with the opener on September 8. 

Green Team volunteers play a major role in helping UW reach our waste diversion goal of 80%. Volunteers engage with fans to encourage sustainable practices in the stadium and in the tailgate areas. After halftime volunteers are welcome to stay and watch the rest of the game.

You may have read about China’s changing views on recyclable plastic in the news recently. Are you and your colleagues confused about recycling and composting at the University of Washington? Have you heard rumors that it doesn’t really matter what you do — that it all ends up in the trash anyway? Or do you feel like your efforts as an individual won’t make a difference?

Yikes! Hold up!

Guest post from UW student Kartik Arora

Trash-It is an app to that uses machine learning to classify if an item goes in the compost, recycle, or landfill. Much of the trash humans currently produce is being thrown into landfills, including many items that could be recyclable or compostable. One way we can cut down on waste in our region is to make sure we properly sort our trash. When people aren't sure which trash can their waste goes into, they often choose the safest option which is landfill. This is the issue my app was made to tackle.