Taking the Lead in Reducing Waste

Seattle University ranked first among medium-sized colleges and universities and second among all institutions in waste diversion as part of the 2024 Campus Race to Zero Waste competition.

More than 80 institutions across North America participated in the eight-week recycling competition from late January through late March.

SU’s Grounds and Waste Management team was integral to the university’s impressive showing in this year’s competition. “The team has made exceptional strides this spring in Campus Wide Zero Waste, Wildlife Garden Updates and Logan Field maintenance for the Western Athletic Conference Tournament,” said Assistant Director Grounds and Waste Management Shannon Britton. “Every member of Grounds and Waste Management got involved, supporting each other and team cohesion. Taking pride in their work has been the driving force behind their success.”

“Placing first in the medium-sized campus division—and second place for overall competition—is a major achievement for Seattle University and the campus community,” said Recycling Coordinator and Compost Technician Nathan Wolk. “It's really a testament to our commitment to sustainability and a great way to benchmark us against other universities. Kudos to all who participated and helped make this possible.”

“Our 2024 winners show why colleges continue to be among our nation’s leaders on sustainability,” says Stacy Wheeler, president and co-founder of the competition. “Their success shows that waste reduction in any type of community is possible, and is a testament to every student, faculty and staff member who made these accomplishments happen.”

By the numbers

• Throughout the competition, SU recycled and composted 131,544 pounds of waste and reduced its cumulative greenhouse gas emissions by 158 metric tons of CO2—the equivalent of keeping 31 cars off the road or the energy consumed by 14 households.

• Collectively, participants in the competition donated, composted, and recycled more than 30.7 million pounds of waste. As a result, more than 105 million single-use plastic containers were kept out of landfills and the release of 23,174 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere was prevented, equal to avoiding the annual emissions from 5,515 cars.

“This year’s college and university competition participants made enormous strides on waste reduction and integrating sustainable practices throughout their campuses,” said Kristy Jones, director of higher education programs at National Wildlife Federation. “These collective actions to reduce the schools’ waste footprints are inspiring and are making a tangible positive impact on the environment.”

Go deeper: For more details about the results of the 2024 Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition, please visit the 2024 Scoreboard. Learn more about Seattle University’s waste minimization efforts at SU Composting and Recycling.