Want to Turn Your Campus Into a Zero Waste Leader? Start Here.
With rising waste costs and increasing pressure from students, campuses across the country are rethinking their sustainability plans. Here’s the problem: some schools are missing one critical component—waste reduction. If you’re not prioritizing waste, you’re leaving money on the table and missing out on the chance to lead in sustainability.
Zero Waste isn’t just achievable—it’s a necessity. Schools that adopt effective waste management strategies can significantly reduce landfill costs, improve operational efficiency, and enhance their sustainability reputation. And the best part? It’s not as difficult as you might think.
At Great Forest, we’ve helped campuses nationwide reduce waste with proven, practical strategies. From simple changes to more comprehensive programs, we tailor solutions that deliver real results—results that students and stakeholders will notice.
Ready to make your campus a Zero Waste leader? Here’s what you need to know.
What is a Zero Waste Campus?
First, let’s clarify what Zero Waste means because misconceptions may be holding some institutions back from implementing Zero Waste programs. Remember, Zero Waste does not mean that you will have to produce no waste at all. To put it simply, going Zero Waste is the act of producing less waste through prioritizing waste reduction, as well as reuse, resource efficiency, and recycling with the ultimate goal of closing that loop.
In short, it is effective waste management. A Zero Waste campus is a very achievable goal.
How Big is Your Campus Waste Problem?
- According to Dump and Run, Inc., the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper. This is magnified when you include waste generated by staff, visitors, vendors and others across all school facilities.
- Food waste is a particularly pressing problems with an estimated 22 million pounds of food wasted on college campuses each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council.
- What is in your trash? Watch this 80-second video summary. According to findings of the largest global study of commercial waste, as much as 62% of the trash you are paying to remove might NOT be trash at all. This means that most organizations, including your campus, are probably paying more than they need to for waste removal.
Proven Strategies: Establishing a Zero Waste Campus
1) Audit, Measure, Adjust
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Conduct a thorough waste audit to identify key areas for improvement. Track your progress regularly and adjust your strategies as needed. A well-executed waste audit will reveal hidden opportunities to divert more waste, cut costs, and even uncover revenue-generating possibilities through recycling.
Waste audits are also crucial to verifying the data from your waste haulers to make sure that your waste program is right-sized and optimized, and that you are not being overserviced and overcharged. After all, it has been reported that the average front load dumpster is only 53% full when collected. Are you paying to haul air?
2) Leverage Technology
Tools like AI-powered waste meters and smart sensors can enhance your waste audit data by keeping a constant eye on the fullness of your dumpsters. This technology can also help you spot irregularities and forecast waste patterns so that you can adjust for peak waste periods. The key is having actionable insights. When paired with expert analysis, data from AI-powered sensors and waste meters can help you reach your sustainability goals faster (read our case study about a community with 175 waste sensors).
3) Make Sure You are in Compliance
Solid waste-related regulations are designed to reduce waste generation and improve environmental performance. As such, legal compliance is not simply a necessity–it is a valuable tool that guides your institution towards greater efficiency and recognition as a leader in sustainability. Are you in compliance? Here’s a 5-step guide to achieving compliance. Download the full compliance guide here.
4) Take the Lead: Address Food Waste, Single-Use Items
Take the lead to address the issues that resonate with your students, staff and other stakeholders before being forced to comply with bans and regulations.
Address Food Waste: As mentioned above, an estimated 22 million pounds of food is wasted on college campuses across the country each year. Consider implementing an organics program, or donating edible food to communities in need. Here are some resources to help you address organics:
- Organics Recycling For Businesses and Organizations: A Guide To Costs and Other Considerations.
- Download our Food Waste Toolkit
- Case Study: Food Waste Audit Helps Reduce Waste + Do Good At The Same Time
Address Single-Use Items: Encourage the use of reusable items whenever possible. For example, promote the use of reusable water bottles and coffee cups. Some campuses are providing discounts for using reusable items at campus cafes, or installing water refilling stations. At Duke University, researchers found that by installing 50 water bottle refilling stations around campus, the school could avoid using more than 400,000 plastic bottles! NOTE: If you are considering compostable serve ware for your campus food outlets, read this first. In some cases, compostable items (which are NOT recyclable) will not reduce waste, and might increase costs instead.
5) Don’t Forget Events
Hundreds of events take place at every campus each semester, from panel discussions and conferences to orientation and graduation parties, club meetings, and sporting events. Every event, large or small, can be produced with less waste. This guide will put you on the right path in just 10 simple steps.
6) Educate and Showcase
Sustainability efforts only succeed when everyone is on board. Make sure all stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, janitorial crews, and vendors, understand the importance of Zero Waste and how they can play a role. The best program will fail if there is no awareness or education.
Educate by making sure all waste and recycling signs and instructions are clear, color coded, and standardized across campus to eliminate confusion and build habits. This small step can dramatically increase recycling rates and keep valuable materials out of landfills.
To raise awareness, consider participating in programs like Campus Race to Zero Waste (formerly RecycleMania), or setting up competitions, workshops, or rewards programs to drive engagement.
Finally, remember to showcase your successes. While many campuses have some waste reduction initiatives in place, a College Pulse study reported that only 23% of participants believed that their university was very sustainable. So don’t forget to tell your campus population how much you have all achieved by working together to reduce waste. Share facts and figures, or make a big green statement. All this helps to activate cooperation between different stakeholders and departments across your campus, and ensure that your Zero Waste efforts receive support from the entire campus community.
7) Donate
Each year, over 100 million tons of material end up in landfills. For campuses across the country, dorm move-out periods are big opportunities to divert some of these materials from the landfill. Find and make connections with nonprofits in your area that can use those unwanted assets. Our donation guide explains how institutions can donate unwanted assets, even hard-to-place or bulky items like mattresses, fitness equipment, and old wallpaper.
Read about how campuses like Boston University and Case Western Reserve are reducing waste in innovative ways during dorm move-out days.
Case Study: Waste Audit Puts Major University on Path to Meet Sustainability Goals
One university wanted to understand what actions it could take to drive sustainability improvements at three of its major campus buildings. A Great Forest waste audit uncovered a large amount of recyclable materials in the university’s trash stream, including a lot of coffee K-cups. Targeted recommendations resulted in an increase in the buildings’ diversion rate, from 43 percent to 76 percent. Read the full case study.
Ready to Reduce Waste on Your Campus?
Reach out to a Great Forest representative. Have questions? we can help. Talk to us today.
(Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash)
Learn More:
Top Campus Sustainability Examples From Colleges and Universities Across the Country
Case Study: Waste Audit Puts Major University on Path to Meet Sustainability Goals