Program Highlights

E.Media Recycling (coming soon)

The e.Media (electronic media) recycling program was launched on the Seattle campus in April 2007. Designated bins are staged in buildings across campus for collection of non-confidential electronic media, including CDs, DVDs, videotapes, audiotapes, personal cell phones and pagers, small electronics, inkjet and bubble jet printer cartridges, and batteries. The program is expanding, with bins being added to additional buildings.

Food Waste Composting

Recycling & Solid Waste started a compost program in 2004 with the collection of coffee grounds and pre-consumer vegetative food waste from the UW Club and three Housing and Food Services (HFS) kitchens. The program now includes almost all restaurants and coffee shops on campus. In 2006, staff members began participating in the voluntary, self-serve office/kitchen compost program. The following year HFS began offering biodegradable serviceware and collecting post-consumer food waste and packaging. Working closely with campus food service facilities, the program diverted more than 500 tons of compostable food waste and packaging in fiscal year 2007/08. The current focus is expanding the compost program at the University of Washington Medical Center’s food service facility.

Husky Football

During the 2001 Husky Football season, Recycling & Solid Waste, in cooperation with Intercollegiate Athletics, conducted a pilot program for recycling in the parking lots during tailgating. The pilot was a success and each year since, the program has expanded and improved, with a current recycling rate of approximately 30 percent. The most recent changes include collection of food waste by all stadium vendors for composting and distribution of recycling bags for cans, bottles, and cardboard to tailgaters to promote recycling and increase the amount of material collected. The success of the program is a result of the cooperation and hard work of many University departments—and the thousands of enthusiastic football fans who make recycling a part of their pre-game party.

Paper Recycling (coming soon)

The UW has been recycling paper products since January 1973, when campus computer centers began recycling computer tab cards and printout paper. The program has expanded greatly since that time and in 2008, Recycling & Solid Waste transitioned to a new collection system for recyclable paper. Sorting of paper by grade (white, newspaper, and mixed) is no longer required on campus and all paper is collected as a mixed paper stream in new green bagits. The bagits are emptied by Custodial staff into large mixed paper toters at each building’s loading dock. The toters are serviced with a compacting collection truck at the loading dock by Recycling & Solid Waste collection staff, consolidated into a compactor at the Bryant Annex Shed, and then transported to a sorting facility in South Seattle.

Scram: Student Moveout

Since 2004, UW students who live on campus have had the opportunity at the end of the academic year to donate their unwanted clothing, books, food, school supplies, toiletries, and reusable household items to charitable organizations by taking part in Scram. Recycling & Solid Waste, Housing and Food Services, and local charities work together to collect these materials, which previously had been put into the garbage. During Scram 2008, more than 11 tons of material were diverted for reuse or recycling instead of going to the landfill.