the UW Sustainability blog
3 min. to read
UW Recycling answers 10 common recycling myths that pop up on campus.
Food-soiled paper and cardboard cannot be recycled. Items that have food or grease on it, like pizza boxes and napkins, should be composted.
Cleaning out an office is not an easy task. UW Recycling has some guidelines to help you get rid of your unwanted items.
Following these procedures help your department:
…and minimize items that could be sent to the landfill!
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:
For the first time in six years, UW Recycling held a Trash-In to determine how much compostable and recyclable material is thrown out instead of diverted from the landfill at University of Washington.
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 submission by Adam Fehn, UW Recycling Program Coordinator
Once you become familiar with being part of a campus community that's renowned for its sustainability practices, it can be hard to believe that a formal recycling program at University of Washington was established only 26 years ago. Thanks to several key student-lead initiatives, UW Recycling eventually grew to become a team of 14 administrative and operations members that support the entire campus every day.
2 min. to read
There are plenty of common questions that come up when talking to new Huskies on the Seattle campus. UW Recycling is here to provide some answers below:
The University of Washington’s Seattle campus won the 2017 PAC-12 Grand Champion award during RecycleMania, a national collegiate waste diversion tournament. The 786 metric tons of CO2 that UW kept out of the landfill is equivalent to the total amount of energy consumption of 68 households, or removing 154 cars off the road.
The student organization EcoReps supported UW Recycling’s efforts in generating event awareness on campus this year.
Is your office getting ready for spring cleaning? There are plenty of ways to ensure that your annual cleanup is both efficient and sustainable! With Earth Day coming up, use the following tips from UW Recycling to properly dispose of your used office supplies.