Recycling, Compost & Waste

It’s no secret that waste is a big problem in some areas of the UW Greek Community, as well as other areas north of campus. This problem turns from big to BIG in the month before school starts (late August and early September) and the month after school ends (June). Students are on the move, transitioning between houses, apartments, dorms, etc. and in the process a lot of waste gets left behind or abandoned on the street as somebody else’s problem.

Help UW Athletics make a difference during football season! Sign up to be a football sustainability volunteer for the 2016 season. You will play a big role in helping UW reach our stadium waste diversion goal of 80%. 

Volunteers will be stationed around the stadium during the first half and at halftime, letting people know how to recycle and compost properly as well as helping fans choose the best option for their trash. After halftime you are free to watch the rest of the game.

UW Recycling and UW Sustainability’s pilot program to recycle lab glove diverted an impressive amount of material from the landfill!

Two waste audits were conducted to compare how much gloves will be diverted from landfills - one before the pilot began and one after. The waste audit prior to the glove recycling program demonstrated that 23% of the lab waste sent to the landfill were gloves - more than any other item. By the end of the quarter, only 7% of material sent to the landfill were gloves - an impressive change!

Trucks stationed in the middle of Greek Row on Friday afternoon were ready to collect items students couldn't take with them for the summer, including goods like electronics and refrigerators.

UW Recycling, in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities and the UW Office of Regional Relations, is offering free disposal of unwanted items to students moving out of the north campus area as part of the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup. Reusable items are donated to local charities, and things that can't be reused are recycled or disposed of.

Spring quarter is nearly over, which means students will be packing up in preparation for summer moves. Often, this means discovering that you have more stuff than you can (or want to) take with you, but don't throw those unwanted items away! UW Recycling is making it easy for students to donate or dispose of unwanted items.

By Mishu Pham-Whipple

The UW Recycling Office has an opening for a part-time student Waste Diversion Coordinator. This position could begin as early as June 13, 2016 and continue for the duration of the 2017 academic school year. This is a great opportunity for a qualified, dedicated student interested in environmental issues, primarily recycling and composting education and general sustainability topics, to help build upon their skills and experience.

For the second year in a row, University of Washington’s Seattle campus came in first among its Pac-12 competitors in overall waste reduction during RecycleMania, a national collegiate waste diversion tournament. With an overall reduction rate of 55%, the University ranked number 25 on a list of 207 competing institutions.

Kathryn Jansen is the UW Department of Surgery’s medical student program operations specialist. After noticing that the department didn’t have compost and recycling bins readily available, Jansen made it a priority to add several to the department’s break and conference rooms.

“We produce a ton of coffee grounds and filters, along with other food waste, while trying to keep our staff and residents caffeinated all day and night,” said Jansen. “I would see the garbage bin overflowing with items that could be composted.”

By Mishu Pham-Whipple

What do wheelchairs and sustainability have in common?