Western Washington University
OP-19: Waste Minimization and Diversion

The baseline we use comes from the most recent STARS submission. No official policies and plans have included a baseline for measuring our waste measurement.

All used PLA material is reused for 3D printers along with the reels in which the material is packaged. All state-owned equipment and goods goes to the surplus first and is either re-used or recycled by the surplus facility.

Each year, the Recycling Center organizes a waste audit at residence halls in order to determine the average contamination of recycling barrels. This year, only paper barrels were inspected and it was found that the average contamination in residence halls is 17%. In the future it is planned to conduct more waste audits, at all buildings, and of all recycling depots, in order to determine the change of contamination over time.

All sorting stations have educational signage, Zero Waste Western provides class presentations throughout the year, the annual Coffee Cup Challenge encourages students to use a reusable travel mug, workshops and educational tabling take place throughout each academic year to inform students on how they can reduce individual waste production. ResRap coordinates Go for the Green which has a large number of waste related events in residence halls such as "Mug Decorating", "Zero Waste Pumpkin Carving", and several clothing exchanges. During waste audits an educational table is staffed to engage students and staff walking by in conversation regarding campus waste management. In addition, the Recycling Center has recently become involved with social media (Instagram and Facebook), where they post pictures, fun facts, and updates about sorting and recycling. 

Waste audits have been performed at least once each quarter since 2009. Waste audits have been performed on nearly all WWU buildings. Waste is sorted into 17 smaller categories within the larger compost/ paper recycle/ container recycle/ landfill categories such as aluminum, cardboard, paper cups etc. Our average sample size is 100 lbs. Audits consistently show roughly 30% recycle and 30% compost makes up our landfill compostition. Audits are performed on waste collected from dumpsters so only the landfill stream is analyzed. The Recycling Center began auditing recycling bins last year. An audit was performed in June 2016 on waste from the Big Belly Solar Stations in Red Square to analyze their effectiveness and give a broader understanding of our general waste stream as all four sections (compost, paper recycle, container recycle and landfill) were assessed at this time.

Banned the sale of single use water bottles.

WWU offers a materials exchange program for furniture and a few other office supplies. These items include tables, chairs, couches, file cabinets, and various other pieces.

Move-Out Madness: At the end of every school year, Western Washington University and the City of Bellingham partner to sponsor the annual “WWU Move-Out Madness” event in several neighborhoods near the university. This program targets neighborhoods with high student populations, including Happy Valley, Sehome, and York. One collection point will be set up in each neighborhood for students to sort their landfill, recyclables and donation items at no charge. Each year the neighborhood collection sites, which are monitored by City of Bellingham Public Works staff to ensure that no hazardous or garden/yard waste is disposed of in the dumpsters, are at the following locations: York Neighborhood – Franklin Park(South end), 400 block of Whatcom Street Sehome Neighborhood – Laurel Park at Indian and Laurel Streets Happy Valley Neighborhood – Gravel parking lot at 26th & Douglas In the past, neighborhoods with a high population of student residents have been littered with improperly discarded items at the end of spring quarter as students are eager to move out. Move-Out Madness is a convenient way to responsibly dispose of unwanted items like garbage, recyclables and other reusable items. We aim to reduce waste on the streets of Bellingham and in landfills. https://sustain.wwu.edu/wwu-move-out-madness/ Lost and Found Sale: Once every quarter, there is a Lost and Found resale of items lost and submitted to the main Lost and Found desk. There are clothing exchanges organized by the Office of Sustainability, where students can bring their clothing items and exchange them for someone else's item. http://lostfound.wwu.edu/

Western Washington limits on campus printing for students. Starting in the fall of 2011 a new printing quota was implemented where every student receives 25 free pages of printing on campus per quarter. Once the quarterly quota of 25 pages has been met students are required to pay $.05 per black and white page and $.25 per color page.

Western Washington University administration makes sure to only print out necessary materials. Course schedules and catalogs as well as directories are available online and are promoted to be viewed in that fashion. If an individual requests one of these documents in print form they will receive them on 100% recycled paper.

During move-in, the Recycling Center student employees place extra attention on cardboard pick-ups, as they notice a larger amount of cardboard compared to other recyclables at that time of the year. Typically extra signs are put up in the recycling depots of the residence halls, this year, Eco Reps (ResRap program) as well as Recycle Center employees helped assist new residents sort their recyclables and waste properly. During move-out season, the Recycling Center facilitate a donation drive known as the "Recovery Drive." It takes place during the last few weeks of Spring quarter leading up to move-out week. During this time, the employees place two barrels near the lobbies of each residence hall, and label them "Recovery Drive Donations," so that those items students would typically throw away can be put to another cause. Items usually include: donate clothing, electronics, appliances, soap, non-perishable food, and furniture. These items are then collected, brought back to the Recycling Center, sorted into categories, and donated to Goodwill. 2016 was the 28th annual Recovery Drive and an increase in donation items has been noticed compared to the year before. These donation drives help reduce the waste accumulation during move-out. 

Western students used an initiative process to place a measure on the 2012 student ballot to ban the sale of bottled water. Citing environmental and social issues associated with the production and transport of bottled water, the Students for Sustainable Water group promoted the initiative throughout campus. Bottled water is no longer sold on campus, instead water fountains and filling stations are widely available across campus.