Materials & Waste
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?
The Materials Working Group is a sustainability group dedicated to reducing material waste on grounds. We reside under the Office of Sustainability's Environmental Stewardship Committee and work with faculty and staff from the Recycling Department, OFS, and more to make real change at UVA.
Composting
Composting takes place at various locations around Grounds and during zero waste events and is an important initiative for reaching our landfill diversion goal.
Hosting a zero waste event (ZWE) means that at least 90% of waste generated will go to a compost facility or recycling facility - review this guide or call the Office for Sustainability (434-297-7964) to learn about various landfill minimization practices.
Residential Recycling
Students living on Grounds should practice proper recycling by sorting recyclable items into the appropriate bin. Each room is issued a stackable two-bin recycling unit. One bin (blue) is for mixed paper, and one bin (green) is for plastics, metals, and glass. Contact UVA Recycling if your room does not have one or both of these recycling bins.
Materials & Waste
UVA’s materials and waste footprint covers the purchases & waste produced in UVA’s health system, academic buildings, residential halls, athletics venues and more. Currently, UVA generates approximately 15,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually and has seen a decrease of approximately 4.7% in total waste since 2014.
