Waste Systems

Stanford implemented a consistent three‑bin system (recycling, compost, landfill) across nearly 300 buildings, installed 9,000+ new bins and 30,000+ labels, upgraded dumpster enclosures to a standard three‑color system with numbering/signage, expanded shared waste stations in common areas, and added interior bin systems in grad apartments to reduce contamination and make sorting intuitive. These upgrades make sorting convenient and reduce contamination to increase the university’s waste diversion rate. In addition, Waste Bin and Infrastructure Design Requirements were added to the Facility Design Guidelines to ensure that these standards continue.

A 10-minute online module teaches faculty, staff, and students how to correctly sort waste on campus and reduce their waste footprint. The training supports Stanford’s zero waste targets by improving sorting accuracy and awareness of waste reduction resources. Students participate in the mandatory training during student orientation, and the training module is distributed via email each year to faculty and staff. In addition, a Waste Wise Guide and associated webpages were created specifically for the Stanford community to easily look up and add to a dynamic waste sorting guide.

Stanford regularly conducts hands-on building and university wide audits of the waste streams to identify contamination rates and reduction and diversion opportunities. These data-driven studies inform infrastructure upgrades, training programs, and reuse strategies to boost diversion and reduce waste-related emissions. In addition, data on how full dumpsters are when serviced as well as contamination and service issues (with pictures) are reported daily in a system that allows a full lens of operational issues, allowing the university to focus on service efficiency and contamination issues.

Stanford promotes reuse and avoids the purchase of new items through the Furniture Reutilization Program. Over four years, this program has saved $944,411 in disposal costs and $966,859 in new furniture costs and has diverted 280 tons of furniture from the landfill.

Launched in 2025, the campus-wide Reuse Slack channel enables departments to share surplus furniture, office supplies, and lab materials directly with one another, reducing the need for new purchases. Within six months, it became one of the university’s most popular channels, with nearly 1,500 members and over 2,000 items posted and claimed.

The Surplus Chemical Program enables labs to donate and obtain surplus chemicals and reduce unnecessary purchases. The university’s chemical inventory management feature, ChemTracker, also contains chemical sharing functionality that will be expanded in the future.

To establish reuse culture, multiple campus departments work together on an ongoing basis to create reuse opportunities, from swap events and free stores to reuse shelves and reusable dishware programs. Other opportunities include developing employee buyback programs for used electronics, working with third-party vendors of pre-owned goods, increasing on-campus repair programs, and implementing reusable to-go containers at on-campus food service providers.

Stanford’s Give & Go program makes it easy and convenient for students to donate unwanted items year round, and particularly during move-in and move-out periods. This initiative helps keep valuable items out of the landfill and directly supports first-generation and low-income (FLI) students and those in need in the Bay Area. The Stanford community has diverted over 500 tons of materials from the landfill through Give & Go, transforming unused items into opportunities for students and communities.

Stanford Dining’s Food Waste Prevention Playbook guides campus dining operations in tracking and reducing pre-consumer food waste through technology, intentional logistics, and research collaborations. The Edible Food Working Group, composed of managers of various food establishments across the campus, meets quarterly to share food waste reduction practices and tips, normalizing the behavior.

Stanford expanded food recovery programs and donation partnerships to keep edible food out of landfills and created a standard operating procedure for food donation from events, supporting food-insecure communities and reducing the environmental footprint of campus dining. The food recovery and inspection program recovered 37,500 pounds of edible food—about 30,000 meals—from campus dining halls, cafes, and events, reducing methane emissions from the landfill and supporting the university’s compliance with SB 1383.

 Stanford’s waste hauler operates a waste collection fleet of 17 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks and 5 diesel vehicles for specialized services. Transitioning from diesel to CNG for the majority of the fleet reduced emissions from waste operations by 3,664 MTCO2e a year.

Stanford conducts routine zero waste inspections across campus buildings, covering thousands of recycling, compost, and landfill bins. Inspections identify contamination, infrastructure gaps, and service issues. Findings drive targeted education, bin placement changes, and operational adjustments that improve diversion and reduce landfill disposal and associated emissions.

Stanford’s waste hauler provides event recycling, compost, and landfill waste bins to campus events; consults with event planners on how to host a sustainable event; distributes the sustainable catering guide; and conducts audits of events to give valuable feedback in a post-event inspection report to the event organizer on how to improve their waste outcomes.

From the Reuse Slack channel for sharing supplies to glove recycling and polystyrene collection to blue single-stream recycling bins in every lab to collect lab plastics, Stanford helps labs reduce waste and divert more. Over 11,000 pounds of polystyrene boxes were recycled in 2025.