Waste
How Does Waste Reduction Help Us Act More Sustainably?
In 2017 alone, the U.S. produced 267.8 million tons of municipal solid waste, and this trend seems to have no intention of declining anytime soon. The benefits of reducing our waste are wide and varied; from reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to saving energy and money, to reducing the use of landfills and incinerators...reducing your waste can be your biggest impact in the battle against climate change. So, even if it doesn't seem like much, skip the plastic straw next time, because the smallest steps can lead to global change.
Tips for Sustainable Waste Reduction
- Invest in reusables! Reusable water bottles, coffee cups, shopping bags, and travel flatware (and more!) are all excellent ways to reduce your everyday plastic and paper waste
- Avoid purchasing products with packaging that can’t be recycled or reused
- Reuse cardboard boxes for in-home recycling bins, organization, pet houses, etc.
- Reuse glass jars and bottles as cups, vases, food storage, etc.
- Donate unused or unwanted non-perishable food products to a local food pantry
- Donate to the W&M Campus Food Pantry, a confidential program aiding all members of the W&M community
- Eliminate fast fashion purchases and shop secondhand to reduce your personal carbon footprint
- Pass down, donate, or sell clothing, accessories, books, and any other undamaged items that you no longer want or need
- Visit the W&M Free Market Facebook page to get involved with or donate to the student-run on-campus thrift store, where everything is completely free!
- Shop on the W&M Ppl Selling their Clothes Facebook page for discounted thrifting opportunities within the Tribe community
- Avoid printing when possible, and if unavoidable, try to print double-sided
- Convert to taking notes on a computer rather than on paper; for professors, consider assigning and accepting work digitally to reduce paper waste in your classes
- Know the recycling rules for your community, which can usually be found on your county or city website! Click here to learn about garbage and recycling in the City of Williamsburg
- Recyclables #1-7 can be recycled on W&M's campus
- Recyclables must be cleaned before disposal
- Pizza boxes cannot be recycled (but they can be composted!)
- Plastic bags, ink cartridges, and batteries can all be recycled at Swem
- Begin composting! If you don’t have a way to use your compost at home (ex. a garden), reach out into your community and see if others would appreciate your food waste for their compost!
- William & Mary participates in industrial composting, meaning we can compost all food waste, including meat and dairy!
- Many of the campus to-go silverware and containers are compostable, please read the labels
- Our campus has nine public composting location, which you can find on this interactive map
