This is where change begins.
Recycling Initiatives
UB has established recycling programs for numerous materials across campus. Discover how you can contribute to waste reduction in your university community.
Zero Waste Programs & Initiatives
Zero Waste Services
Explore our service offerings to discover how we can partner with you on your journey toward truly sustainable operations and a zero waste future.
UB's Zero Waste Circularity Strategy
Completed in September 2024, "Zero Waste: A Climate Action Strategy" report supports the university's Climate Action Plan by addressing one of the 10 in 10's key strategies: achieving 90 percent waste diversion from campus operations. This document establishes current baseline metrics and guides the implementation and measurement of progress toward this goal.
A circularity strategy in terms of zero waste refers to an approach that aims to eliminate waste by designing products, services, and systems that keep materials in continuous use through their lifecycle. This is based on circular economy principles rather than the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model.
Priorities
The strategic plan identified the following priorities to achieve zero waste by 2030.
Ensure efficient and effective management, coordination, and governance of all zero waste initiatives across the university enterprise by defining clear roles and responsibilities including leveraging external professional services, while also ensuring strong metrics and measurement for operations, reporting and success.
Ensure collection equipment across campus is easily identifiable and consistent; reduce confusion and barriers to participation; include clear, engaging and informative signage and labeling; is serviceable; and works within the existing built environment.
Overhaul existing front-of-house trash, recycling, and organics infrastructure with new R/O/T (recycling/organics/trash) system across 200 buildings and outdoor space, leveraging the new infrastructure standards
Integrate organics recycling as a new practice within university building zero waste infrastructure (recycling, organics and trash) and divert all yard and grounds organics (leaves, brush, etc.) from landfill.
Create a comprehensive toolbox (building from existing web presence) for all things zero waste that empowers the campus community with information, knowledge, and action steps.
Develop policies that will support circularity and zero waste practices across the campus that will be adopted through the UB Policy Process and ultimately incorporated into the UB Policy Library.
Require campus community to deposit their own trash, recyclables, and organics in centralized infrastructure, thereby creating better awareness by the individual and increased capacity for custodians to focus on critical infrastructure including restrooms and common areas.
Create and implement standard procedures and protocols fro custodial teams to ensure management of resources are aligned with institutional zero waste goals.
Waste created from construction, renovation, and other "back of house" materials must be tracked and reduced, repurposed, or recycled.
Ensure all single-use dining materials are compostable.
Download the summary
Questions?
Your feedback and observations are essential to our recycling program's success. Recycling requires participation at multiple levels throughout the community. When issues arise, prompt resolution is crucial to maintain confidence in the system.