Campus Race to Zero Waste

Campus Race to Zero Waste (CRZW) is back again at the University of Washington! For the fourteenth year, the UW will participate in the friendly recycling, composting and waste reduction competition between colleges and universities.

CRZW starts runs February 1 and ends March 28, 2026. UW Recycling is organizing and promoting activities focused on waste reduction as part of the competition. Here are some events you can take part in:

UW Recycling's seventh annual UW Trash Art Contest opens February 13! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

Categories include:

• 2D art
• 3D art
• Textile art

Submissions are due March 27, 2026 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). Winners for each category will receive $100 or $50 e-gift cards to a low-waste shop.

Submission form

UW Recycling and two student groups are hosting a Husky Goods thrift event on March 5, 2026 from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Spratlen Hall Learning Resource Center.

This is a COMPLETELY FREE event open to all UW students on the Seattle campus.

Husky Goods Free Store may have:

UW Recycling is hosting a mending fair on February 19, 2026 from 1 - 4 p.m. in the MILL B52, located in McCarty Hall.

The event is open to all UW students on the Seattle campus. If you have a small rip in your clothing or need an item hemmed – you can get your items mended for free!

The University of Washington Seattle campus won the education & awareness category in the 2025 Campus Race to Zero Waste Case Study Competition.

Campus artists utilized their own waste to create thoughtful and delightful pieces in UW Recycling’s sixth annual contest. This year’s submissions included a cat statuette made entirely from bread bag tags, a life-size bathroom display constructed by a house of students and placemats weaved from plastic newspaper bags.

UW Recycling's 2025 Trash Art Contest opens February 12! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste or a literary piece about waste and sustainability. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.

Categories include:

• 2D art
• 3D art
• Textile art
• Literature

Submissions are due March 28, 2025 at 4 p.m. PDT. Winners for each category will receive $100 or $50 e-gift cards to a low-waste shop or art store.

Winning pieces use art to spark conversations about waste

For the fifth year, artists from around the UW created dazzling art pieces in the annual Trash Art Contest.

Campus Race to Zero Waste (CRZW) starts this week at the University of Washington! The UW will participate in the friendly recycling and waste reduction competition between colleges and universities for the twelfth year. As part of CRZW, UW Recycling is organizing activities to focus on good waste sorting practices. Here are some ways you can get involved.

UW Recycling is now accepting entries for the 2024 Trash Art Contest! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste or a literary piece about waste.

Categories include:

• 2D art
• 3D art
• Textile art
• Literature

Art pieces should express feelings or ideas about waste, or a sustainability topic that relates to waste. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff.