Recycling, Compost & Waste

3 min. to read

Do you have questions about recycling or composting? Here are 10 common recycling myths that pop up on campus, along with definitive answers from UW Recycling!

This guest post is by Gabrielle Coeuille. Gabrielle is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in International Studies with a focus on Environmental Studies at the Jackson School. She hopes to explore international waste management systems after graduation. 

This summer I had the opportunity to intern with the Waste Management Recycle Corps – an award-winning program that puts college students through an intensive hands-on job training and then deploys them to lead recycling education and outreach in communities across Puget Sound.

4 min. to read

Summer can be a good time to tidy up offices, get rid of unused equipment or move spaces at the UW. Cleaning up or moving out of an office is not an easy task. Not sure where to start? UW Recycling has some general guidelines to follow to get rid of your unwanted items.

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.

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.

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.