innovations / zero waste
Weighing the Waste With the ultimate goal of “zero waste,” Seattle University worked hard to reduce waste, increase recycling and educate the community. SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Revving Up for Recycle-Mania Recycle-mania is a national competition that challenges schools to reduce waste, increase recycling and educate the community. Seattle University Dining partnered with sustainability leaders on campus to host a zero-waste teaching kitchen, recycle trivia and zero-waste concessions at the basketball game. To launch Recycle-mania, in January SU Dining hosted “Weigh the Waste” for one week, collecting both food waste and Togo boxes. The validity of Togo box usage has been questioned as leaders explore eco-friendly solutions. This event brought awareness about the volume of wasted food and recruited volunteers for a food recovery program. The SU team also collected Togo boxes that were thrown away in the main dining facility. Many students (for various reasons) chose the Togo box and to dine in. A pyramid of 1,622 boxes demonstrated the unnecessary waste. In April, SU will again host “Weigh the Waste” to see if the education in February and March had any impact. Data collected during “Weigh the Waste” in January revealed 461 pounds of food waste and 1,622 Togo boxes thrown away. SU Wellness & Sustainability Manager Brianna Ballard has been working with the Environmental Studies Major and created a class credit internship to help reduce food waste through education and programs. Two interns helped with “Weigh the Waste,” and they are now building out SU’s food recovery program.
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CHARTWELLSMONTHLY.COM | FEBRUARY 2020
The Togo box pyramid – made from 1,622 stacked boxes that were thrown away – demonstrates unnecessary waste.”
