Theme: Waste Diversion & Reduction

These projects focus on how to reduce the amount of waste produced on campus, encourage behavior changes that reduce waste production, or explore avenues of recycling/compost/reuse that allow us to lower our campus's waste footprint. 

PlateUp: Reducing Single-Use Plastic Takeout Waste

Project Description

The proposed project consists of surveying, identifying, and assisting (10) pilot restaurants in their transition from single-use plastic takeout boxes to compostables and/or reusables.

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Project Application

Project Poster (coming soon!)

ReUSE: Berkeley's Only On-Campus Thrift Store

Project Description

This project is to revamp the ReUSE store, allowing us to achieve our 4 main goals for next semester: 1) Doubling our charity impact to $3000 and saving at least 1000 pounds of clothing and material waste. 2) Growing our volunteer base and community from 50 to 120 general volunteers. 3) Revitalizing our ReUSE material stations across campus and successfully dispersing materials from storage. 4) Tripling our daily store foot traffic and social media outreach and engagement, specifically on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

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Waste Reduction in the Cal Greeks Community

Project Description

This project aims to reduce the volume of solid waste generated by the Cal Greek community through composting, recycling, and the ReUSE program.

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Project Application

Project Poster

Compost Alliance - Bringing Compost to Campus Buildings

Project Description

The Compost Alliance designs and implements campus building composting systems in collaboration with Physical Plant-Campus Services, which oversees both Custodial Services and Campus Recycling & Refuse Services. This system was piloted in 10 campus buildings and includes service, set-up, equipment, and educational outreach.

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Bring Your Own Mug (BYOM)

Project Description

Reduce purchase and disposal of single-use coffee cups on campus through the use of a campaign titled “Bring Your Own Mug” (BYOM).

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Project Application

Project Poster

Mobilizing Sustainability at Berkeley - The Greening Operations (GO!) Team

Project Description

Fund a group of students to provide building audits and green event outreach on a case-by-case basis.

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Project Application

Project Poster

Mercury Vapor Detection Equipment

Project Description

Purchase of new technology for detecting mercury during EH&S clean-ups.

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Project Application

Project Poster

Healing the Pavement on Campus

Project Description

Recycling concrete offers a sustainable path for pavement maintenance. Massive concrete wastes are generated in the civil and environmental engineering (CEE) structural laboratory every year because of undergraduate education and scientific research demand. The existing waste concrete disposal such as “landfill” is expensive ($400/ton) and unsustainable. This project aims at wasted concrete recycling for campus infrastructure repairing, mainly focusing on the maintenance of cracked pavements, to fulfill a win-win situation for both the CEE department and Berkeley...

Zero Waste Coalition Vice Chair

Project Description

The Zero Waste Coalition (ZWC) is comprised of over a dozen organizations, both departmental and student-led, focused on waste-related work at UC Berkeley. Since its founding in 2019, ZWC efforts led by the Chair and Vice Chair include: Establishing and supporting the implementation of a Non-Essential Single Use Plastic Elimination Policy by 2030; Establishing and facilitating a Zero Waste Lab of undergraduate student researchers; Collaborating directly with the Student Environmental Resource Center and the Students of Color Environmental Collective (SCEC) to host...

Vermicomposting by Zero Waste Resource Center

Project Description

The vermicomposting bin has been actively processing organic food waste from the Clark Kerr Kitchen primarily, as well as the Crossroads Kitchen, since then. Currently, around ten gallons of food waste are being added to the bin per week, but it has the capacity to increase. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating food waste pickup while abiding by city and university public health guidelines has been disadvantageous, but we plan to increase the volume of food waste added to the bin once pandemic conditions allow. We have built up a system...