the UW Sustainability blog
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.
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.
Moving out of north campus after Spring quarter? UW Recycling and the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup will help keep any unwanted items out of the landfill. All students can stop by the cleanup station on 17th Ave NE & NE 47th St. from 1-5 p.m. on June 7, 8 and 11 and drop off any unwanted items for free. All items will be recycled, donated or properly disposed of.
The University of Washington Department of Athletics was one of two university winners of the 2018 Environmental Innovators of the Year awards by the Green Sports Alliance.
The Rabinovitch Lab was certified as a Gold Green Laboratory in October for their amazing green strategies. The Rabinovitch Lab focuses on pathology, and puts in great efforts to make sure their daily operations are sustainable.