Campus Waste Services
Plant Custodial Services(link) collects materials from containers inside most buildings. Containers for recycling(link), landfill(link), and composting(link) are provided at a variety of locations. Composting containers will be phased in across campus.
In housing, residents can carry down their waste materials to bins outside each building. Containers for recycling, landfill, and composting (where phased-in) are provided.
Outdoor public areas have bins for recycling, landfill, and composting (where phased-in). Closed doors on these bins help keep the forest wildlife from getting into the waste. Physical Plant Grounds Services(link) and Physical Plant Refuse and Recycling empty and maintain these stations.
At faculty housing, the City of Santa Cruz provides waste services as arranged through Faculty Housing(link). Contractors collect waste at the Scotts Valley offices, Santa Clara campus, and other university facilities.
The Physical Plant Refuse and Recycling division collects all common types of waste from facilities on the main campus and the marine campus. The division staff operate university-owned collection trucks to take materials from dumpsters and bins outside buildings to appropriate processing facilities:
- Recyclable materials go to the recycling sorting plant at ReGen Monterey(link) in Marina.
- Compostable materials go the composting facility at ReGen Monterey.
- Landfilled materials go to the City of Santa Cruz facility(link) on Dimeo Lane.
- Landscaping waste materials go to the green waste processing and composting facility at the city facility on Dimeo Lane.
- Other recyclable materials (scrap metal, mattresses, paper shreds, cooking oil, etc.) go to specialty contractors or facilities.
Certain waste materials require handling outside the typical bins. Most biohazardous wastes, chemical waste, and electronic waste are handled through procedures from Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S)(link).
Many items can be reused rather than thrown away. Surplus Services(link) handles items from campus operations. Items from campus residents can be handled through off campus resources.
The Office of Sustainability(link) coordinates waste programs, planning, policies, education/outreach, and student involvement.
