Materials/Waste
Learn about a number of sustainable waste management practices that are in use across campus at the links provided below.
E-waste
E-waste has become a major concern to the University over the past several years. The Purdue University Surplus Store has made a huge impact by reducing the amount of waste ending up in local landfills.
Refuse and Recycling Collection
Exterior refuse and recycling are collected seven days per week, 365 days a year. Staff supports the recycling of glass, plastics, metals, office paper, confidential materials, cardboard, pallets, organics and other materials. A list of items that can be recycled and items that are considered trash on the West Lafayette campus is available.
Food Waste
In partnership with Purdue University, the city of West Lafayette is taking food waste and feeding it into the anaerobic digesters, and producing electricity for the West Lafayette Water Resource Recovery Facility.
Dining and Culinary
Starting with a committee effort in 1993 and continually growing, the decisions and actions in Purdue Dining and Culinary have helped keep food costs down, divert waste from the landfill and promote academic and vendor partnerships.
More details and recent initiatives
Campus Race to Zero Waste
Since 2010, Purdue University has participated in Campus Race to Zero Waste, formerly known as RecycleMania, an annual spring recycling competition among hundreds of universities across the United States and Canada. The goal of this friendly competition is to increase recycling rates and reduce overall waste while competing against other universities.
Black and Gold Tailgate Team Recycling
At Purdue, we combine our sports fever with our mania for recycling. Through “Action to Accelerate Recycling,” a grant from the ALCOA Foundation in 2012, Campus Planning, Architecture and Sustainability launched an ambitious football tailgate recycling program.
Visit the Sustainability Master Plan Materials/Waste webpage to learn more about our goals related to campus waste.
