FDO Waste Operations
Zero Waste Western
Please direct all emails to zerowaste@wwu.edu. Thank you!
About Us
Zero Waste Western is a program that collaborates with the WWU community to provide responsible waste sorting education and implement facility changes to reduce waste. The team conducts waste audits on university garbage, recycling, and compost systems to increase awareness of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of waste. Zero Waste Western educates community members through presentations, social media, and workshops.
Our Data
Zero Waste Western conducts waste audits of on campus recycling and waste disposal stations. This allows us to better analyze the rate of contamination and wrongly sorted material. This also helps us identify the most common sorting mistakes and plan educational campaigns to minimize our waste on campus.
If you would like more detailed data, please reach out via zerowaste@wwu.edu
Get Involved
Instagram @zero.waste.western
Contact Us
Recycle Guide
Three General Rules
- Paper can be recycled if it isn't mixed with plastic or foil, and if it isn't food soiled. Food soiled paper belongs in Food Plus Compost bins, and plastic or foil-lined paper belongs in bins labeled "trash" or "landfill."
- Most plastics are recyclable, including bottles, jugs, caps, cups, lids, jars, tubs, pails, and buckets in the barrels labeled "plastics" or "aluminum, plastic, glass, tin." Styrofoam and plastic bags, however, are NOT recyclable on campus.
- Only corrugated cardboard should go in the cardboard recycling. Items such as cereal boxes belong in "mixed paper" barrels.
Recyclable
- Notebook paper
- Spiral notebooks (Metal spirals can be recycled, but plastic ones need to be removed.)
- Computer paper
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Phone books
- Textbooks
- Envelopes
- Post-it notes
- Paperboard
Non-recyclable
- Waxed food/drink containers (milk carton)
- Paper coffee cups
- Plastic notebook spirals/covers
- Laminated paper
- Used paper plates
- Q-Tips
- Cotton balls
- Tissues
- Used paper towels
- Sticker backing
Recyclable
- Cold beverage cups & lids
- Hot beverage lids
- Jugs, cups, jars, tubs, and bottles
- Pails and buckets
- Soap, detergent, & household cleaner containers
- Hair/body care bottles and containers
Non-recyclable
- Plastic grocery bags
- Thin plastic film
- Ziploc bags
Recyclable
- All types of cans
Non-recyclable
- Microwave meal boxes with foil inside
- Metallic food wrappers
- Aluminum foil
Recyclable
- All colors and types of bottles accepted
Non-recyclable
- Mirrors
- Windows
Recyclable
- Corrugated cardboard ONLY (thick and durable)
- Break down all of your boxes before recycling them
Non-recyclable (these items belong in "Mixed Paper")
- Paperboard (Cereal boxes, tissue boxes)
- Mixed paper of any kind
Compostable
- Food waste
- On campus coffee cups
- #7 plastic found on campus
- Food soiled paper/cardboard (pizza boxes)
- Coffee grounds
- Parchment/Waxed Paper
- Ice Cream Cartons
- Small Wood Scraps
- Milk or juice cartons that are not shelf-stable (plastic lid must be cut out)
Non-compostable
- Food still in packaging (unless packaging is paper)
- Plastic (unless #7)
Non-Recyclable
The following items are NOT recyclable in Bellingham:
- Shelf-stable* milk & juice cartons
- Paper coffee cups (these are compostable, though!)
- Hinged/clamshell containers
- Styrofoam
- The following plastic products:
- overhead transparencies
- plastic caps
- sticker backing
- rings
- pumps
- hinged/clamshell containers
- bags
- wrap
- tableware/utensils
- pipe
- toys
- Insulation or plastic containers that held potentially hazardous products such as:
- motor oil
- antifreeze
- solvents
- pesticides, etc.
- Plate glass (such as mirrors or dishes)
*Cartons that are foil or plastic-lined that have a long shelf life prior to opening (e.g. Tetrapak's containing alternative milk, soup, broth, etc.). Check bottom of carton if you are unsure. It usually says Tetrapak!
FAQs
No. If purchased on WWU campus, hot coffee cups are 100% compostable (including lids and sleeves) in the Food Plus containers or in compost bins in the campus cafés.
No. If purchased on WWU campus, cold coffee cups are also 100% compostable in the Food Plus containers or in compost bins in the campus cafés.
Yes, but if they are food soiled, please put them in the compost without plastic tables.
All plastics labeled 1-6 are recyclable in Whatcom. 7 plastics bought on campus are compostable. Bottles, jugs, caps, cups, lids, jars, tubs, pails, and buckets are recyclable in the barrels labeled "aluminum, plastic, glass, tin." Plastic bags and Styrofoam, however, are NOT recyclable on campus. Instead, Styrofoam belongs in bins labeled "trash" or "landfill" rather than in recycle barrels, and reuse plastic bags or look for the bag recycling containers at grocery stores, instead of sending them to landfills.
No. Q-tips, tissues, condoms, feminine products, and band-aids should be placed in bins labeled "trash" or "landfill" rather than in recycle barrels.
At the bookstore front entrance, or at residence hall front desks.
Place them in barrels at the bookstore front entrance or in Recovery Drive barrels near your residence hall’s recycling depot at the end of each quarter.
We are an on-campus job that hires through the Western jobs page. Positions are part time and run until graduation.