Principles
- Consider the full life cycle of materials and how they enter our waste stream
- Discourage wastefulness and over-consumption of goods and resources
- Conduct regular waste audits to improve trash and recycling efficiency
- Track and assess waste diversion efforts
- Provide clear and accessible waste disposal instructions to student, staff, and faculty
- Determine ways to decrease the amount of non-biodegradable waste on campus
Waste-Related Data Collection
This google sheet is viewable by Williams College students, staff, and faculty. The College’s waste hauler vendors report directly into this sheet. We use these data, along with periodic waste audits, to determine trends over time and identify challenges that need to be addressed.
ATLAS Assessment & Zero Waste Action Planning
A campus-wide zero waste assessment (Atlas) was conducted by Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) in collaboration with the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives during the 2019-2020 academic year. In the subsequent years, the Zilkha Center has worked with campus stakeholders to take the high level waste-related goals in the college’s strategic plan and detail them out into actionable strategies.
Initiatives
Papercut, which was instituted in 2009, is a program that sets per person limit on printing.
Give It Up! The end-of-year move out donation program has diverted tons of reusable items from the waste stream since its inception in 2010. Coordinated by the Center for Learning in Action, the program brings in storage pods near student residences for a few weeks at the end of the school year. GIU! interns transport donations to the Congregational Church, which cleans, organizes, and stores items until their tag sale in the fall.
Megamenu Social