Trash and the Zero Waste Dream: How UCSB Students Are Leading the Way in Recycling Innovation
Each time you toss a coffee cup into a bin on our campus, you may not realize that there’s a whole team of students dedicated to making sure it ends up in the right place. The head of this mission is Jake Heeren, the Associated Students Recycling and Compost Program Coordinator at UC Santa Barbara. Jake oversees a student-run team that doesn’t just talk about sustainability—they live it. From pedaling tricycles across campus to hand-sorting recycling and compost, to partnering on innovative waste-diversion programs, this team is changing how UCSB handles its trash.
“AS Recycling is a team of students whose goal is to divert as much waste as possible from going to the landfill,” Jake explains. That includes servicing all A.S. buildings, managing e-waste collection in over 50 locations, and collecting organics for composting that ultimately supports local farms and the AS Food Bank. This process is more complex than most people may realize. While AS Recycling handles outdoor bins and some departmental pickups, Facilities Management and Residential Operations oversee waste collection in other areas of campus. Everything eventually ends up at Marburg's ReSource Center, where materials are sorted again before being sent to the landfill, anaerobic digester (compostables), or to a recycler.
Yet, waste diversion isn’t as simple as it sounds. One of the biggest misconceptions, Jake explains, is that people overestimate what can be recycled. “In reality, it depends on whether there’s a market for that type of material. In Santa Barbara, we can recycle plastics #1, #2, and larger-sized #5s—but that’s it.” Even well-meaning efforts can do more harm than good if items are contaminated. “Paper cups lined with plastic, dirty food containers, or even liquids left inside bottles—these are all forms of contamination that can ruin an entire batch of recyclables.”
Food waste is another massive issue, particularly in areas like the SRB, where Jake and his team found it was the largest category by weight during a waste audit. Fortunately, UCSB has an advanced Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that can separate organic materials and send them to an anaerobic digester for composting. Still, Jake stresses that “limiting the amount of food wasted is always our first priority.” Whether on campus or off, it’s about taking only what you need and being mindful of waste.
Education, Jake says, is both the most rewarding and most challenging part of his job. “We get new students every year, so it’s a never-ending cycle of outreach. But when we have meaningful conversations and make that human connection, people start thinking differently about their waste.” To make the message stick, AS Recycling also focuses on eye-catching and easy-to-read signage, plus interactive workshops and community tabling.
Some recent initiatives include a shoe recycling program, with bins in the Rec Cen and athletic facilities, and year-end drives in the dining halls. They’ve also relaunched their event waste service, helping student orgs and campus departments reduce their footprint at events. “You can request our services right from our website,” Jake says, encouraging students to visit recycling.as.ucsb.edu for info.
At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is zero waste. “That means using reusable water bottles, grocery bags, and donating clothes instead of tossing them,” Jake says. “Every small action matters.” And for anyone looking to make a tangible impact, AS Recycling is hiring for Spring—just search on Handshake. Whether you're sorting waste or just thinking twice before throwing something out, UCSB students like Jake are making it easier for all of us to live more sustainably.