For over seven years, the University Book Store has been supporting campus sustainability through its plastic bag recycling program. Although standard plastic bags are banned in Seattle, the University Book Store uses bags made with a thicker plastic, which is allowed. The plastic in the book store bags is at least 2.25 mil thick (one mil is equal to one-thousandth of an inch), which allows the bags to be more easily reused and eventually recycled.
Update: The application deadline for the RecycleMania planning committee has been extended to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19. To apply, please send the following to Jessica Lisiewski at recycle@uw.edu with "RecycleMania Committee" in the subject title, and in the email include your name, phone number, email, academic program, school year and a brief written statement (200 words or less) explaining why you are interested in being a member of the committee and what skills, experience, and/or passions you plan to bring to the committee.
Food for thought: up to 40% of all food produced in the U.S. is thrown away, according to the EPA. That not only wastes food, but it also wastes all the resources that were used for growing, manufacturing, and transporting the food. Keeping food waste to a minimum helps reduce pollution at every step in the chain.
The UW Sustainability mascot, Sqwatch, has a love of the environment so deep his heart is green (and he's clearly got a passion for purple and gold). As a sasquatch, Sqwatch is well versed in leaving no trace and making sure his impact on the environment is minimal.
The UW Sustainability mascot, Sqwatch, has a love of the environment so deep his heart is green (and he's clearly got a passion for purple and gold). As a sasquatch, Sqwatch is well versed in leaving now trace and making sure his impact on the environment is minimal.
The Odegaard Undergraduate Library recently revamped its restroom and public area waste diversion practices in order to help support sustainability on campus.
Volunteers needed to give away free compost bins during student move-in!
Looking to make a difference in UW campus sustainability? Volunteer with UW Recycling to give away free compost bins to incoming students at the UW campus apartments. UW Recycling will be tabling outside of Mercer Court, Stevens Court, and Cedar apartments during student move-in. We need volunteers to help educate new and returning apartment residents about recycling and composting at UW and offer residents a free compost bin for their apartment.
As a result of UW Recycling's annual waste diversion event known as SCRAM (Students Cleanup, Recycle and Moveout), the University of Washington's Seattle campus donated a grand total of 28.7 tons of reusable items to local charities and non-profit organizations, a 60% increase from 17.9 tons in 2014.