UW Recycling

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.

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:

As a result of UW Recycling’s two annual waste diversion events — SCRAM (Students Cleanup, Recycle and Moveout) and Husky Neighborhood Cleanup (HNC) — the University of Washington donated a combined total of 28.4 tons of reusable items to local charities and non-profit organizations.

It's almost the end of the year, and for many students that also means it's almost time to move. If there's items you don't have room for as you pack up, don't just throw them away - UW Recycling has several ways to give unwanted itmes to someone else who could use them.