Nearly 50 percent of campus waste was diverted from going to a landfill thanks to new initiatives around campus, according to the annual NC State Sustainability Report.
The Waste Characterization Study took samples from 32 dumpsters throughout campus during a two-week time period this spring. The findings will help drive developments and improvements for future projects aimed at reducing waste.
The university aims to hit a 60 percent landfill diversion this year.
Several accomplishments have been made in the past year thanks to NC State initiatives:
In its second year, the Pizza Box Composting program has composted 10,760 pizza boxes. The program is a partnership between University Housing and Waste reduction and recycling. The program is continually expanding.
NC State Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for repurposing thousands of fluorescent lamps and batteries and preventing them from ending up at the landfill.
Nearly 4,500 plastic bags were recycled last year because of the NC State Stewards student group.
Two recreational fields on Centennial Campus were used in a study that successfully proved that grass is healthier when fed with compost or fertilizer. University Recreation and Grounds Management partnered to form the study.
About 26 tons of food and packaging waste were composted last year.
The trashcans in the classrooms at the Poole College of Management were removed so that those in the building would be forced to waste stations that include recycling.
In the upcoming years, the university aims to:
Develop a more extensive outdoor walkway recycling program to capture additional recyclable materials and remove them from the waste stream. To do this, the university aims to pilot more solar-powered waste and recycling compactor units, and extend their use to Centennial campus. So far, there is one unit located at Carmichael Gym.
Apply modern waste collection technologies to streamline services. One way the university accomplishes this is converting the oil produced from the dining halls into biofuel.
