{"id":11,"date":"2009-09-29T21:13:36","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T00:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/boston.local\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:14:03","slug":"zero-waste","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cpo\/what-we-do\/zero-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Campus Planning & Operations oversees the disposal of non-hazardous materials, including trash, mixed recycling, food waste, yard waste, surplus furniture, electronic waste, and universal waste.<\/p>\n

In partnership with BU Sustainability, CPO develops and manages programs to reduce, reuse, and divert materials from the waste stream.<\/p>\n

As of 2025, BU has reduced waste by nearly 40% since 2019.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the programs that are helping us achieve zero waste, visit: https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sustainability\/how-to\/achieve-zero-waste\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

To learn how to manage materials and recycle properly, visit: https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sustainability\/how-to\/recycle\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Questions or concerns, please contact our zero waste manager, srhealey@bu.edu<\/a> or sustainability@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trash<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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CPO works with Casella Waste Management<\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>to manage compactors and dumpsters on campus and also has\u00a0Bigbelly solar compactors<\/a>\u202f<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These trash compactors are solar-powered and have reduced on-campus trash collection from 14 times\/week to an average of 1.6 times\/week. Solar compaction has reduced fuel use and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also on campus are cardboard balers, machines that are used to create \u201cbales\u201d of cardboard. Annually, these balers capture and recycle around 150 tons of cardboard on the Charles River and Medical Campuses. The balers are located at the dining facilities and a few other locations where large volumes of cardboard are produced.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Recycling<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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