Waste Goal

Recycling and Composting at UC Berkeley

Solid waste is a growing problem in this country and has multiple environmental impacts. Waste that is not recycled or composted must be transported to landfills for disposal, and there is also an associated carbon footprint-from the methane generated when waste degrades and the emissions produced through transport. The campus has steadily increased the amount of waste that is diverted from landfills through recycling and composting.

The amount of solid waste sent to landfills by the campus remained steady in 2010. The campus policy to increase diversion of construction and demolition waste has been successful, although the number and scope of such projects varies from year to year. The diversion rate for campus is 67%, although the rate drops to 41% when the construction waste is excluded. Hazardous waste generation rose 40% since last year, but remains below historical levels.

CLI E-Waste Works to Recycle Electronics and Educate

Dedicated to improving electronic waste disposal efforts among the UC Berkeley community, the Cal Leadership Institute’s (CLI) E-Waste student group partnered with Cal Dining and Cal Overstock and Surplus to recycle old cell phones, batteries, old ink cartridges, printers, CDs, and even old computers. This initiative seeks to educate students on the importance of e-waste recycling (since e-waste makes up 70% of all toxic waste in landfills, with over 50 million tons generated a year). You can find their RED e-waste disposal bins at Golden Bear Café, Ramona’s, Terrace Café, Pat Brown’s, Common Grounds, and Pro Shop.

Berkeley’s Greek Community Implements Recycling Program

Student organization Greening the Greeks used a TGIF grant to outfit ten fraternity houses with recycling receptacles. To evaluate the program’s progress, two sorority members heading the project have taken on the duty of emptying unsorted frat-house trash and assessing its contents every two weeks at each of the enrolled fraternities. This year’s initial successes are showing a 15% to 25% reduction in avoidable waste. Thanks to the efforts of these two waste-reduction aware students, many more bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard boxes are being recycled weekly.

ReUSE Hosts Reader and Clothing Give-Aways

The ReUSE program “functions to foster the spirit of reusing materials rather than throwing them away.” By offering students, faculty and staff ReUSE stations to donate used readers, clothes, office supplies, and e-waste, the Berkeley community is able to freely exchange reusable goods, instead of sending them to the land fill. The group recently revamped and revved up their Online Materials Exchange website, where anyone with a CalNet ID can give away or claim useful items for free.

Learn More about campus waste goals and strategies.