Introduction
On college campuses, sustainability has become more than a talking point, it’s a defining part of student life, institutional culture, and community impact. Universities are uniquely positioned to lead on waste reduction and circular practices, bringing together diverse communities who live, learn, and work in close proximity. From reuse initiatives to advanced composting and digital tools, campuses are piloting bold models that could shape waste management far beyond their own campuses. Northeastern’s Trash2Treasure program transforms move-out chaos into community benefit, Western Carolina’s rural environment and football fans drive composting and recycling, Gustavus Adolphus’s composting program demonstrates a focus on circularity, while the University of Vermont’s uses technology not only reduces food waste but promotes reuse. These stories show how student-driven energy paired with strong institutional support creates measurable change allowing higher education institutions to turn everyday waste challenges into opportunities for sustainability, service, and cultural transformation. As Susan Higgins, Director of Materials and Recycling at Northeastern, explains, “demographics, location, and climate all influence what programs can succeed for any campus and Northeastern has prioritized programs that work for our urban campus.” What works in rural North Carolina may not work in downtown Boston, but by sharing lessons and collaborating across institutions, colleges strengthen one another and advance sustainability together.
Northeastern’s Trash2Treasure Model for Reuse
Northeastern University truly embodies the model of Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse. With the support of the staff and students, the Huskies have reduced waste and advanced their sustainability goals by diverting nearly 48% of total waste from landfills. By clarifying recycling messaging across campus and implementing a composting program, they have seen significant improvement in reducing waste and improving recycling. At the same time, conducting waste audits to validate their actual diversion enables the students and staff to work together on initiatives for continued improvement. They have also formed partnerships with local organizations to recycle books and lab supplies and recently, they were recognized by the EPA for their innovative battery disposal program, which enables the safe disposal of both alkaline and lithium batteries. Benedict Winker, a current Northeastern student, shared his insight into his experience at Northeastern, “I arrived on this campus as an unknowing first-year student. I immediately had suggestions on how to improve the recycling situation, and I was taken extremely seriously by the staff, who were very excited about working with me to implement my ideas.”
"With the support of the staff and students, the Huskies have reduced waste and advanced their sustainability goals by diverting nearly 48% of total waste from landfills."
As a student athlete myself, I loved learning about Northeastern's unique reuse model that not only has great environmental value, but also creates real community engagement, while supporting student teams and organizations. Trash2Treasure is a biannual yard sale. Yes, a yard sale. But this is not your grandmother's yard sale.The program leverages the partnership between the Trash2Treasure club and volunteers from other student organizations.
The end of each semester is a scramble for students to pack what goes home, store what will be used next semester, and find a way to get rid of the rest. While all this stuff feels crucial for a lovely living arrangement during the school year as soon as finals are done, it all becomes just stuff to be managed or tossed. The last thing on students' minds at the end of the semester is how to dispose of their unwanted belongings effectively. They don’t know who will move in next semester, and they certainly don’t have the time to advertise and sell their stuff or hand down their clothes. And then at move-in the next semester, a fresh set of students scramble to get dorms and apartments equipped with the same essentials. The challenge lies in exchanging items like mini-fridges, lamps, fans, hangers, mirrors, and storage solutions. Trash2Treasure to the rescue.
Trash2Treasure (T2T), a student organization that coordinates collections for students at the end of each semester and sets up a campus-wide yard sale at the beginning of the following semester. The club sports teams, along with other student organizations, put in the work together. They use large red bins placed throughout the dorms for a few weeks during move-out, allowing students to donate their items. Volunteers then sort the bins into trash, charity, recyclables, and sale items. Next they schlep all the extra stuff to storage. At the start of the next semester the volunteers pitch in to set up the yard sale. When students arrive from all over the country and the world, they can outfit their housing with used items at a fraction of the price. The incentive for the club sports teams and student organizations is more than just environmental or service; they share the yard sale earnings to support their teams and organizations.
Susan Dinh, the co-chair of the Trash2Treasure club, shared, “Spring 2025 was our best collection cycle yet, with 15,800 lbs of donations diverted from landfills, beyond the yard sale, 1,600 lbs went to Goodwill, 4,200 lbs went to Helpsy (textile recycling), and 100 lbs went to mutual aid. On top of that, we also collected 400 lbs of mattress toppers that went to Green Mattress.” Items were reused to set up dorm rooms and apartments, dollars were shared among student organizations, landfills were saved from more waste and trash was turned to treasure….win, win, win, win!
Western Carolina Makes Community and School Pride Part of the Solution for Better Waste Management
Through lofty sustainability goals, Western Carolina challenges itself and its students to engage in sustainable practices throughout campus. Through strong student engagement and unique diversion programs that leverage the power of the rural location and the fierce school spirit of the Catamounts, Western leads the way with its programs. Since 1974, WCU has diverted its food waste from the landfill. WCU’s dining services partner with a local hog farm in Haywood County to collect and use the dining hall's waste food as feed for the hogs. The hog farm receives 90% of its feed from this partnership. Through adopting a waste collection partnership with the hog farm, WCU not only contributes to a circular economy and lowers its carbon footprint, but also avoids costs associated with waste management. The model of sustainability is critical to Western’s mission and as Lauren Bishop, the Chief Sustainability Officer, made it clear that families and prospective students are eager to understand more about WCU’s recycling programs and commitment to sustainability. This generation of students cares. During first-year orientation, students are introduced to the power of community involvement in sustainability.
The EcoCATS is the student-run sustainability organization at WCU. The group runs a very successful program called Tailgate Recycling. During the lead up to every home football game, a group of EcoCAT members and volunteers collects recyclables in the student tailgate lot. Lauren Bishop reported that they collected 3-4 long-bed truckloads at each home game with their Tailgate Recycling program. While students are motivated by their interest in sustainability, WCU also incentivizes participation through Service-Learning and Community Experience Courses. WCU has figured out how to connect the students and the community not only to divert waste but also supports local communities and promotes circularity.
Composting is Part of the Culture at Gustavus Adolphus University
Uniformity prevents confusion in waste management and is an essential factor for organizations of all kinds to meet their sustainability goals. It takes consistent bins, consistent packaging and consistent process to help ensure effective waste management. Composting is a priority for Gustavus Adolphus. The university dining halls are tasked with feeding large numbers of students, three meals a day. Inevitably, there is a lot of food waste through overproduction of food, and from students taking more food than they can finish. The problem for many universities is what to do with all of this food waste. Composting is a solution for many, but Gustavus Adolphus takes it a step further, with circular composting.
At Gustavus, their dining services compost high quantities of waste through an advanced composting program, sending compostable items to both their on-campus composting facility and a secondary, more advanced local facility. The compost at their on-campus facility is used on their campus farm, where they grow fresh produce for their dining halls. The circular model keeps the waste in circulation and diverts it from the landfill.
"Making everything uniform eliminates confusion in an already complicated process."
Their composting model goes beyond just food waste. Kari Wallin, Sustainability Manager, and Steven Kjellgren, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services, explained that they have an ALL-IN approach to composting, cups, containers, and to-go cutlery that is all compostable. Why does this matter? Because everyone on campus knows what to do, it isn’t a guessing game of where to dispose of things…compost all the to-go items and recycle single-use. Wallin and Kjellgren attribute their success to this uniformity: “Making everything uniform eliminates confusion in an already complicated process.”
Gustavus Adolphus University recycles or composts 90% of its solid waste. They address their waste diversion goals with their successful circular model of composting. Throwing away waste can be thoughtless, especially when people come from different backgrounds and knowledge bases of waste management. Gustavus Adolphus University offers a baseline model for other institutions, demonstrating that the act of simplifying a process can divert waste and reduce contamination.
Technology leads the way in reducing waste at the University of Vermont
UVM, like many other institutions, has committed to reducing its waste, but with so many students, waste is inevitable. Dining halls are tasked daily to balance their supply to meet the demand of students, but no two days are the same. UVM has addressed this problem with unique technology. UVM has found success with two advanced programs of waste reduction that rely on technology in its dining halls: a waste weigh-in program and reusable to-go containers.
UVM dining hall staff use Leanpath technology to reduce the waste they produce in the kitchen. Leanpath is a scale and tablet tracking system that weighs food waste before it is composted. The technology provides staff with the necessary information on the types of food being wasted, which stations are generating waste, and when mealtime food is composted. Using the five trackers on campus, dining hall staff can more accurately project how much food to make for a given meal time.
The program has reduced kitchen food waste by 50% and encouraged the storing and repurposing of food. On the institutional side, efforts have been made to reduce food waste; however, what about student waste?
Students at UVM and other institutions are busy and always on the move. Many institutions have single-use to-go containers, and compostable or biodegradable ones are gaining traction, but these still produce unnecessary waste. UVM has come up with an alternative and is continuing to adapt its program with technology to make the system easy and accessible for its students.
UVM piloted a reusable to-go container program with EcoWare in 2011 to minimize the use of single-use containers. In 2024, it revamped the program with the digital ReusePass by Tapanga.io.
In 2024, they extended the complimentary pass to other students, staff, and faculty. In email communication with Nicole Reilly, Senior Sustainability & Strategic Initiatives Manager, she reported that 33,000 Ecoware uses in 2023-2024 increased to 60,000 Ecoware uses in 2024. There is now an associated cost with disposable containers where EcoWare and dine-in options exist. Reilly noted that she “hopes this will encourage more people to use their ReusePass rather than relying on compostable containers.”
Technology has helped advance the sustainability world. These two initiatives are examples of that success. The Leanpath technology gives UVM essential information about food production and waste, directly influencing their production on a given day and mealtime. Waste that is produced is diverted from the landfill as it travels to a local composting facility, local food pantry, and on-campus food pantry.
In digitizing to-go containers, pressure is taken off of dining hall staff and students to carefully track one container; rather, they are responsible for dropping off used containers at a convenient location. Using a QR code simplifies the process, as everything can be tracked through a student's phone. This program encourages students to use EcoWare as opposed to single-use products, minimizing UVM’s overall waste production.
Conclusion
From Boston to North Carolina, Minnesota to Vermont, these universities show that there’s no single path to waste reduction. Each campus leverages its strengths, including urban partnerships, rural connections, athletic pride, or technological tools to make sustainability tangible.
The common thread is clear: student leadership, paired with institutional support, drives real change. While no program is universally transferable, collaboration and shared learning make every initiative stronger. Together, colleges and universities aren’t just managing waste more effectively but they’re modeling the culture shift our communities need.
Case Studies
