Waste Reduction

No. Building Service Workers will not service bins inside of office spaces. Cleaning staff will focus on sanitizing high-touch traffic areas, public restrooms, and other common areas. Individuals who require special accomodations can notify their departmental facility contact to seek an alternate solution. 

You get to choose what does and does not go into your deskside bin. To help keep your bin clean, we encourage employees to place any food, food wrappers, wet or sticky items directly into common area landfill bins with plastic bag liners. As an alternative, food scraps and paper napkins can be composted. To request a free compost bin for your department, send an email to compost@uga.edu. Similar to standard single-stream recycling bins on campus, the deskside recycling bins can receive clean paper, plastic, metal or glass. See detailed guidance at the Athens-Clarke County web site.

Individual employees are responsible for cleaning out their own deskside bins. The first and best strategy is to be mindful of what you put into the bins. If your bin needs to be cleaned, a sanitation station wipe or a paper towel with warm water and hand or dish soap from a nearby restroom or break room should be sufficient.

Additional common area bins can be requested through your Building Services Supervisor.

1. The program reduces waste and associated costs.

UGA sends more than 10 million pounds of materials to the landfill every year. (That’s a mountain the size of Miller Learning Center, every year!) Taking an active role in your deskside waste management contributes to healthier people & a cleaner environment. When individuals take an active role in their deskside waste management, they gain greater visibility of the materials they generate. This typically results in better informed choices, less waste, and decreased landfill tipping fees for UGA.

2. The program reduces plastic in the environment.

Using the deskside recycling bin and "side saddle" trash bin eliminates up to 1.7 million single-use plastic trashcan liners per year and provides  a convenient system for diverting recyclable office materials from the landfill.

3. The program improves sanitation.

Using this system enhances workplace health and safety by reducing more than 1 million face-to-face interactions and prioritizing cleaning and disinfection in high-use areas.

• Discuss your zero waste goal with all planning team members and challenge each person to look for opportunities to prevent waste.
• Contact event partners early to establish logistics so your event will run smoothly.
• Use an RSVP system such as Eventbrite to avoid over-ordering food and other items.
• Prior to your event, confirm which disposal bins will be required (i.e. reusable wares collection, compost, recycling, landfill).

• UGA Campus Catering offers both reusable and compostable service wares (and they can create a customized menu with local and sustainable food).
• If your event is being catered by an external vendor, ask the caterer if they can provide reusable or compostable wares and if there are other ways they can help reduce plastic waste at your event.
• If you are providing your own food service wares, make every effort to avoid single use items. ACC Recycling Division offers free use of Zero Waste Event Kits which contain reusable cups, plates, utensils, and more for up to 150 people (note: ensure that there will be people and resources to thoroughly clean and return the reusable items).
• If reusable items are not an option, consider BPI certified compostable food service wares, which are available in UGAMart (search for “compostable”). If you are planning to recycle food service wares, please note that items with food residue are not recyclable.
• For the food itself, consider buffet-style service, finger foods, and bulk drink and dressing containers to reduce packaging and the need for utensils.
• Plastic water bottles, while very common, are a symbol of wastefulness. Consider them a last resort to be used when there is no other way to provide drinking water for guests. Use pitchers and reusable, compostable, or recyclable cups instead.

• Set up clearly labeled, co-located collection stations that are convenient for guests to use and easy to understand: Compost, Recycling, Reusable Service Wares.
• Note: Compostable materials from your event can be dropped off free of charge at ACC Compost Dropoff locations.
• If your department hosts frequent events and would like to have your own bin to use and manage, contact your FMD Building Supervisor to request a compost bin and bags.

• Email information in advance rather than printing handouts for each attendee. During the event, provide necessary information on a poster or screen versus individual handouts. When printing is necessary, do it double-sided and facilitate and encourage paper recycling at the event.
• Giveaways can enhance—or detract from—your brand. Make sure you’re creating a positive message with thoughtful, useful items. If you can’t afford quality products, don’t cheapen your event and your brand with giveaway items that will likely end up in the trash.
• If decorations are needed, select items that have a specific and useful next life.

Batteries are collected in a “Universal Waste” container for recycling. Ask your Building Services Supervisor for the location of the battery recycling bucket in your building. Note: If you have large batteries - such as UPS batteries - that wil not fit into a standard battery recycling bucket, please submit a routine maintenance Work Request for collection and recycling.

It costs UGA money to recycle batteries, so it is not appropriate to dispose of household batteries on campus. See the CHaRM for information on household battery disposal.

Electronics that are state property should be managed by your departmental IT staff and/or through UGA Asset Management, or shared with UGA peers through the UGA Surplus Marketplace.

Personal electronics should be taken to the CHaRM.

Clean film plastic such as shopping bags, deflated air bags from shipped packages, and shrink wrap can be consolidated and brought to the CHaRM, placed in the appropriate container at most supermarkets, or placed in a specified film plastic receptacle in some locations on campus. 

Film plastics should never go in the regular, single stream recycling bins.

UGA Facilities Management Division provides recycling removal service for #2 and #4 film plastic for participating UGA Athens departments that opt into this program. Participants are responsible for material collection, preventing contamination, and requesting removal. Reach out to sustain@uga.edu if you would like a film plastic receptacle in your department.

UGA FMD Film Plastic Collection Program (PDF)

Furniture that is state property should be mangaged through UGA Asset Management or shared with UGA peers through the UGA Surplus Marketplace. 

Three percent of UGA’s total FY2018 landfill tonnage was discarded furniture that could not be sold or donated. If you need furniture for your workplace, please look for used options on the UGA Surplus Marketplace first. If you must buy new, buy durable.

Hardcover books are accepted at the CHaRM.

If you have a large quantity, box them up and get them to your building’s loading dock. Submit a request for pickup through the FMD Work Request Center.

PLA (polylactic acid) printing filament scraps from 3D printers on UGA campus can now be composted via a partnership with Athens Clarke County Commercial Composting Facility. 

PLA is different from petroleum-based plastics, as it is derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch, and is often referred to as a “bioplastic.” The unique nature of this material allows it to be diverted from landfills and composted instead. 

UGA Facilities Management Division provides composting removal service for PLA printing filament scraps associated with our campus Maker’s Spaces and other campus areas with 3D printers. Participants are responsible for material collection, preventing contamination, and requesting removal. To opt in, contact sustain@uga.edu to coordinate the delivery of a bin and convenient collection service. 

Please note: it is of utmost importance that only PLA printing filament scraps are included in this collection and kept free of other types of 3D printer filament. 

Styrofoam that is clean and free of tape and other materials is accepted at the CHaRM and Publix supermarkets. Athens Clarke-County has more detailed guidelines here.

If you regularly receive shipments containing polystyrene packaging, consider reaching out to the supplier to tell them you would prefer that they switch to an alternative packing material.

UGA Facilities Management Division provides recycling removal service for #6 polystyrene (a.k.a. Styrofoam) for participating UGA Athens departments that opt into this program. Participants are responsible for material collection, preventing contamination, and requesting removal. To opt in, contact your Building Services Supervisor and notify them that your department plans to begin Styrofoam collection and will be requesting their support to coordinate removal. 

Additional program details are described here: UGA FMD Polystyrene Collection Program (PDF)

Shredded paper must always be put in a clear plastic bag and tied closed so that it does not make a mess. Most buildings on campus have a paper roll cart (typically labeled “Office Paper Only”). These carts are collected separately from the other mixed recyclables. Bagged shredded paper can also be taken directly to the CHaRM.

The first and best option is to use the package and included return mailing label that came with your replacement cartridge to send the empty one back to the manufacturer. Otherwise, you may send cartridges to Campus Mail where it will be recycled.  https://busfin.uga.edu/mailreceiving/

Athens Clarke-County lists a number of other options here.