Download the waste signs: Food Waste | Recycle | Landfill
Waste FAQ's
See what goes in the bin and get answers to your most frequently asked questions about waste streams on campus.
Campus Waste Guidelines
Waste streams and collection guidelines have changed on campus, click to read about the important waste update!
Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition
UMass Amherst is competing against hundreds of other universities and colleges in Campus Race to Zero Waste 2022. A national competition that helps colleges and universities advance campus recycling, food waste diversion, and waste reduction efforts.
The Plastics Reduction Partner Pledge
The Plastics Reduction Partner Program is a pledge, benchmarking, and certification tool which helps universities to first recognize, then reduce, their dependence on single use plastics through awareness, behavior change, operational change, and institutional leadership.
Plastics Reduction
UMass has over 243 (and counting!) indoor reusable water bottle stations, has complied with the Town of Amherst plastic bag ban since January 2017 and offers outdoor event water stations in an effort to reduce single use plastic bottles.
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 reycling boxes in two locations on campus.
Food Waste Diversion
UMass Amherst composts over 1,500 tons of food waste each year making it the largest recycling stream on campus.
Electronic Waste Recycling
The university has options to recycle broken small electronics, wires, florescent light bulbs, batteries and printer ink cartridges.
Green Events
Many organizations and departments on campus are working on ways to reduce their environmental impact at events they host by striving for zero waste.
Green Office Program
The on-campus Green Office Program encourages and facilitates energy and waste reduction practices, and gives students an opportunity to be leaders in campus sustainability.
Paper Reduction and Purchasing
The university is working to reduce paper waste and purchase more sustainable products.
New2U Sustainable Move In & Out
The New2U program collects unwanted items each spring during move-out and resells these collected items each fall during a one day move-in tag sale. (Not taking place in academic year 2020/2021 due to COVID-19 precautions. Check this page for updates.)
Solid Waste Reports
The Office of Waste Management continually tracks the recycling and refuse data for the campus.
