Waste

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The above chart shows annual municipal solid waste disposal, quantified in pounds of solid waste. This metric utilizes campus population full time equivalent (FTE) counts, comprised of students and employees. It does not show construction & demolition debris, or hazardous waste. 

Goals

• Reduce landfill bound waste to 50 percent of total campus waste by 2030, divert at least 80 percent from landfill by 2040, and move toward zero waste (CSU Sustainability Policy)
• Achieve 50% below 2015 levels by 2030 and 80% below 2015 levels by 2040 for residential and commercial waste [measured in pounds per person per day, or PPD] (Climate Action Plan 2.0)
• Humboldt is a zero waste campus by 2045 (Climate Action Plan 2.0)

Status

The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) has recognized Cal Poly Humboldt with a bronze Zero Waste Certification, earning it a place in PLAN's top Zero Waste Campuses. This certification is the result of a holistic assessment called Atlas, which analyzed Humboldt's capacity to achieve zero waste, highlighting areas where the campus can improve its materials management infrastructure, policies and communications. See Humboldt's Atlas Scorecard, or download the complete Cal Poly Humboldt Atlas Zero Waste Assessment report.

Projects

• Develop and implement a Zero Waste Action Plan 
• 65% diversion requirement for construction projects (Facilities Management) 
• Restroom paper towel-to-compost program (Facilities Management) 
• Zero Waste Events Certification program for campus events 
• Refresh campus composting program to keep compost on site, reduce transportation emissions and lower costs 
• Integrate departmental break-room compost collections into custodial services
• Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) provides free, lightly used office and art supplies (WRRAP) 
• Surplus give-away programs public agencies and non-profits (Facilities) 
• Electronic and universal waste recycling programs (Facilities) 
• Annual Donation Dash to capture donate-able goods, food, recycling and compost from campus residents as they move out each May (Facilities and WRRAP) 

Next Steps

• Standardize landfill, recycle, and compost bins and signage campuswide per SB 1383 guidelines
• Increase number of departmental breakrooms utilizing compost collection service
• Increase number of campus residents using the Campus Resident Compost Program
• Adopt surplus management system to increase campus and community reuse of surplus
• Secure a permanent home on campus for the Oh SNAP! Thrift Shop

Learn More and Get Involved

• You can recycle or compost nearly everything on campus! See the Mixed Recycling Guide, Universal Waste Recycling Guide, Composting Guide, and Landfill Waste Guide for details
• Faculty and staff can get their next event Zero Waste Certified
• Oh SNAP! Pop-up thrift shop offers lightly used clothing and room furnishings from previous campus residents. Follow them on Instagram for locations and hours - @hsuohsnap
• The Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) has paid, for-credit and volunteer student positions and conducts waste reduction education and events across campus
• Learn more about campus waste reduction initiatives from the Office of Sustainability’s Waste Diversion page