Recycling

Sustainability is about finding “win-win-win” solutions that are good for the planet, people, and the bottom line. As the coronavirus pandemic has swept through and challenged the typical modes of operation for our University, extra emphasis has been placed on keeping people safe and reducing costs. Fortunately, many environmentally green solutions can also save some “green” and help us be good stewards of UVA’s resources during this tough time.

UVA’s Hoos ReUse program provides students an opportunity to donate gently-used or unwanted items to various community organizations in hopes of minimizing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. Hoos Reuse will still take place this year but will look differently given the ongoing COVID-19 situation. While waste minimization is certainly important, the health and safety of our community takes top priority during this year’s campaign. If you choose to donate, please be sure to practice social distancing and review best practices listed by the Center for Disease Control.

February 3, 2020
If you’ve ever recycled a peanut butter jar, you probably have had the same thought as me: by the time I have scrubbed it clean, rid the jar of all the oil, and diligently sorted it into its paper grocery bag to recycle, is this jar even going to make a difference? Where will it even go?

Special events are an important part of the UVA experience. From football games to Lighting of the Lawn to Puppies & Pumpkins, there are always special events happening across Grounds. To help reduce the waste sent to the landfill, UVA has encouraged special events to go zero waste or include compost collection when possible.

A Zero Waste Event (ZWE) is an event in which 90% of the produced waste can be diverted from the landfill. This means that the vast majority of waste is either composted or recycled. Out of 243 special events at UVA, an incredible 157 events either achieved zero waste or collected compost, demonstrating departments and student groups alike are making the switch to zero waste events. To make the switch easy, the Office for Sustainability (OFS) recently released an updated version of the Zero Waste Guide to walk event planners through the process.