Project Clearinghouse

Zero Waste at the Resource Centers

Sustainability Problem and Proposed Solution: 

When we do not divert our waste from landfills, we are contributing to the poisoning and contamination of our groundwater, land, and air with toxic chemicals which often disproportionately affects many low-income communities of color. Making zero waste events familiar and accessible will help contribute to a larger campus cultural and behavioral shift regarding sustainability practices.

Jump to: Contact | Project Description | Funding Sources | Metrics for Success | Results
Project Categories: 
Awareness, Education & Engagement
Waste & Recycling
Project Status: 
In Progress
Campus Organization: 
Carbon Fund
Affiliated Department, Unit or College: 
Ethnic Resource Centers
Project Location: 
On campus

Ethnic Resource Centers Office, located in Bay Tree Building


Stakeholder Contacts: 
Contact NameEmail AddressContact NumberDepartment
Adriana Renteria
arenter1@ucsc.edu
831-459-2427
Ethnic Resource Centers
Funding Sources: 
Carbon Fund

Project Description: 

The Ethnic Resource Centers (ERCs), along with the Women’s Center, and the Cantu Queer Center, are proposing a two year project aimed to make the ERC office and several Resource Center events zero waste. The ERCs will implement two zero waste stations in the Ethnic Resource Centers’ office, one in the ERC lounge and the other in the kitchen. Each zero waste station will include medium sized receptacles for compost, recycling, and landfill waste. The proposed project reduces GHG emissions, contributes to the UCSC goal of Zero Waste by 2020, and helps advocate for a cultural shift regarding zero waste practices amongst a wide student audience.

The two zero waste stations will be implemented by the end of April 2016 and the goal of making Resource Center events zero waste will be on-going.

Metrics for Success: 

UCSC Grounds Services weigh every compost/recycling pick up and send the information to the respective unit. The Resource Centers will keep track of both weekly waste diverted and large scale event diversion throughout the 2 year project period in order to map our progress towards zero waste by 2020. At every Resource Center event, participants are asked to complete a survey of the event. Adding a question to each survey about the zero waste stations will help us gauge student responses.

Result Categories: 
Education/Outreach
Data Collection & Analysis
Results: 

By diverting waste that would originally be dumped into these landfills, we are actively helping close the waste loop and reducing the amount of toxins from leaching into our environment. One benefit of this project is that the compost that is collected from the UCSC campus is taken to Marina where it is then used to generate electricity through an anaerobic digestion plant. One societal benefit of this project is that it will help to further highlight these issues and help others better understand the importance of zero waste. Another direct societal benefit of implementing this project is that it pushes UCSC one step closer towards achieving Zero Waste by 2020. Making zero waste events familiar and accessible will help contribute to a larger campus cultural and behavioral shift regarding sustainability practices and may encourage other campus units to implement similar projects.