the UW Sustainability blog
the UW Sustainability blog
As spring quarter comes to a close, the thousands of students moving out of the residence halls often have items they no longer need but are still usable. This June, a UW program made sure 59,718 pounds of those items went to local organizations and on-campus reuse groups instead of the waste stream.
The Student Clean-up, Recycle and Move-out, or SCRAM, program is designed to bridge the gap between those unwanted items and organizations looking for donations.
UW students living in the North campus neighborhood can get rid of unwanted items for free during the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup. On August 28, Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 trucks will be on site accepting items for recycling or disposal.
A UW student Husky card will be required to drop off material. Items can be taken on those days to the median at 17th Ave NE & NE 47th St. from 1 to 5 p.m. or until the trucks are full.
Accepted items include:
The University of Washington is in the process of updating our Sustainability Action Plan, which will lay out our goals and priorities and drive future actions.
The UW’s first Sustainability Action Plan was adopted in 2020 with a five-year framework. Now it’s time to look forward and create an ambitious plan to guide our path to a sustainable future. This new plan will set a long-term vision for 2050, while also determining the actions and strategies that will be needed over the next five years.
Over the past academic year, UW Sustainability held in-person visioning sessions...
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!
If you are moving out of an HFS residence hall or apartment, you can donate certain items through the UW’s SCRAM (Student Cleanup, Recycle and Moveout) event. The event runs from August 19 – 23, 2025 and is only open for HFS residents to donate.
SCRAM donation sites are in the below locations. If there isn’t a donation station in your residence hall, bring your items to a nearby location.
Sites are drop-off only. Please do not touch or move other donations.
Looking forward to living on campus? UW Recycling has nine tips to make move-in easier and reduce waste.
Don’t let those MUST HAVE shopping lists distract you - only get the basics that you’ll need. Before you start shopping, take note of all the things you use in your everyday life and will continue to use.
Ask yourself: Will I actually use this? If you don’t know, wait to buy the product. Save your money and help the environment by only buying things you will use...
The University of Washington will host the 2026 Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) on the Seattle campus March 2-4, 2026.
WOHESC brings together staff, faculty and students from schools across our region as well as community partners to advance sustainability in higher education. The conference will be held primarily at the UW's Husky Union Building. WOHESC conferences feature presentations from a wide variety of sustainability practitioners in sessions, keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and more.
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This spring, the UW Earth Day Committee - made up of passionate and driven students - was the driving force behind a dynamic week of programming that celebrated sustainability in all forms. Through weekly planning meetings with my supervisor Emily and coworker Kellie, we co-created interactive and educational events that raised visibility for intersectional sustainability and highlighted the importance of environmental action. Collaborating with student leaders connected us with a wide array of on-campus organizations and helped us...
The 2025 Husky Sustainability Awards have been awarded to nine recipients, as well as a Husky Sustainability Legacy Award honoree.
The winners will be recognized at an award ceremony on Thursday, May 29 at 3:30 p.m. in the Kane Hall Walker-Ames Room. All are invited to attend.
This year's winners include students, faculty and staff who have demonstrated impact, initiative and leadership for sustainability. This is the 16th year the UW Environment Stewardship Committee has presented sustainability...
Friday, June 6, 10-11 a.m. online
Register for Zoom link
Join us for a virtual update on the University of Washington's Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) development.
More than 350 students, staff, and faculty across all UW campuses have contributed their vision for our sustainable future over the past six months. In this one-hour...