Recycling and waste reduction are essential pieces of the sustainability puzzle.
At UMass, you'll be part of a community where we're working toward living as sustainably as possible. That means we're innovating and thinking creatively about how to cut down on what we throw away—and recycle in ways that benefit our campus and the world beyond it.
Waste = Emissions
Watch our video, "Waste Not ... Warm Not," to find out more about how to reduce the impact of waste on climate change.
Recycling at UMass Amherst
The Office of Waste Management (OWM) removes, processes, and disposes of solid waste generated at UMass Amherst in the least harmful way to the natural environment, the university community, and the public. For information on what to do with your cardboard, bottles, cans, paper, organic waste, and landfill waste—as well as other important information about the Massachusetts waste ban, our campus waste facilities, and moving services—visit the OWM website.
New2U Sustainable Move-Out/Move-In and Thrift Store
The New2U program collects your unwanted items each spring during move-out. We then make these collected items available each fall during a one-day move-in tag sale. Items are also available at the New2U Thrift Store during the fall and spring semesters.
Surplus Furniture Request
Campus Planning's Surplus Furniture website is an online platform designed to facilitate the exchange of used furniture within our vibrant campus community. Whether you're looking to donate furniture you no longer need or seeking quality items to furnish your space, you can use this program to promote sustainability, reduce waste, and foster a spirit of sharing among faculty and staff.
Lab Plastic Recycling Pilot Program
UMass Amherst has partnered with Polycarbin to launch a pipette tip box recycling pilot program in the Life Science Laboratories (LSL) and the Integrated Sciences Building (ISB). There are collection bins located throughout each building (second and fourth floors of ISB and on most floors of LSL, both north and south sides). Polycarbin is Massachusetts-based, so you're keeping it local, you're keeping it out of the landfill, and you're keeping it circular (pipette tip boxes are recycled back into lab plastics)! If this 10-month pilot is successful, we will consider expanding to other lab buildings and to other lab waste streams such as gloves.
Textile Recycling
As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce landfill waste from campus operations and residents, the UMass New2U program has been expanded to offer year-round textile recycling boxes in two locations on campus: Southwest Residential Area, outside of Hampden at the top of the horseshoe, and Central Residential Area, outside of Brooks Hall.
We partner with Bay State Textiles, serving over 120 municipalities throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, with over 40 years of experience in the post-consumer textile waste industry.
Service Manager, Facilities Waste Management