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. 

BioCleanse Waste Cooking Oil Purification and Pretreatment System

Project Description

The Biofuels Technology Club (BTC) is part of the College of Chemistry, and has a mission to help UC Berkeley achieve a zero-waste campus. By producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil generated by the campus dining halls, the club has a goal of eventually powering campus fleet vehicles with low-carbon, renewable fuel. While BTC is pursuing a high output production facility, initial treatment steps are required to purify the oil coming from the dining hall fryers so that the impurities do not interfere with the chemical conversion processes at our production...

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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Mercury Vapor Detection Equipment

Project Description

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

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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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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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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...

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...

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...

Zero Waste Reusables Advancement Research Project

Project Description

This gives undergraduates at UC Berkeley opportunities to have real experience in the field and to gain a deeper knowledge of the importance of zero waste on campus and in the real world. Each student will have a different concentration to focus their time on. One student will direct their attention to the reuse stations that are located throughout campus, and help the program become more developed. Another student will work on increasing the use of reusables and promoting zero-waste on campus by conducting surveys and helping educate through programs in Student...