See It in Action
Through a new partnership with GreenWaste's Material Recovery Facility, Stanford is able to recover more material than ever from the landfill.
Want to see it to believe it? Stanford’s Office of Sustainability provides monthly tours of the facility.
Material Recovery & Disposal
At Stanford, there are three main streams for material recovery and disposal: recycle, compost, and landfill. Sorting into bins on campus is just the beginning of the story for materials generated on campus.
Stanford manages its waste collection system through an exclusive contract with Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI). PSSI has been serving Stanford for over 80 years, and after a three-year competitive bid process, was awarded a new 10-year contract in 2023 to continue waste operations on campus, and provide new services that offer multiple benefits to the campus community.
Once items are properly sorted, custodians collect the material and dispose of it in the associated dumpsters - blue for recycling, green for compost, and black for landfill. PSSI collects the material and transfers it to one of three facilities. Stanford strategically sends material to multiple state-of-the-art facilities to increase diversion and ensure the highest and best use of materials.
Take a virtual tour of PSSI's On Campus Recycling Center
13,600
The average annual amount of material (in tons) Stanford diverts from the landfill through reuse, recycling, and composting.
69%
Stanford’s highest diversion rate ever- achieved in 2023.
87%
The percent of Stanford’s recyclables rated “Grade 1”, the highest value material in the recycling marketplace.
Sorted, Sold, and Made into New Products
Stanford’s recyclables and construction material is sent to GreenWaste’s Material Recovery Facility- a local, award-winning facility in San Jose, California that uses robotics, optical separation, and other technological advancements to achieve higher diversion rates and reduce the amount going to landfill.
Stanford’s recyclables have an increased value due to low contamination rates. On average 87% of recyclables coming from campus are classified as Grade 1, defined as having contamination of 10% or less. This rating means that Stanford’s recyclables have an increased value and a secured place in the recycling market.
Recycling relies on end markets, which means a company must be interested in using recycled material to manufacture their products. Markets can fluctuate and can vary based on region, which is why recycling programs can differ based on where you live or work. Purchasing items made with recycled material can help close the loop on products and materials and bolster the recycling system.
Feeding Animals and Rejuvenating the Soil
Compostable material from office buildings, residence halls, cafes, and public compost bins is sent to Republic Services' Newby Island Compost Facility in Milpitas, California. Over the course of 90-180 days, the compostable material will break down into compost, a nutrient dense soil amendment, that is sold for use in gardens and on farms. Compost provides nutrients back to the soil, improving plant growth, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers, conserving water, and sequestering carbon.
When markets allow, food-rich material from dining halls is sent to Sustainable Alternative Feed Enterprises (SAFE) where it is turned into animal feed.
Sorting food scraps and other compostable material into compost bins is one of the easiest actions you can take on a daily basis to combat climate change.
If All Else Fails, Materials Are Responsibly Disposed
Despite efforts to reduce, recycle, and compost as much as possible, there are still items that belong in the landfill bin. Items like chips bags, snack wrappers, gloves, and plastic utensils, are sent to landfill. In fact, once you place an item into a landfill bin, your hand is the last hand to ever touch it. Contents destined for the landfill are not sorted; they are sent to the Republic Services' Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas, California.
Once items arrive at the landfill they are compacted down. This compaction prevents organic material from breaking down, which causes methane to be released. Methane is a climate super pollutant and is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In California landfills are responsible for 20% of the state’s methane emissions. Senate Bill 1383, California’s Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy, aims to reduce methane emissions from landfills by increasing access to composting statewide.