Waste Reduction

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is committed to reducing resource waste and pollution through waste management programs and effective communication.. UCSB has been implementing waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, and repurposing programs and practices for the past five decades. With the new County ReSource Center, recyclables and organics are separated from trash, and organics are transformed into compost and energy that powers up to 3,000 homes per year. With this new facility additional waste from our trash is diverted from the landfill while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling and composting on campus is still encouraged as the preferred alternative. 

Zero Waste Event Services Program 

AS Recycling can help reduce your event’s environmental impact by providing recycling, compost and trash bins to help reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill. 

Refuse & Recycling Research Center 

The Refuse & Recycling Research Center (R3C) focuses on exploring the waste management actions necessary to make UCSB a zero waste institution by 2020. R3C is comprised of student-researchers under the supervision and guidance of UCSB’s Refuse & Recycling Manager and on occasion, select UCSB faculty.

Source Reduction  

UCSB is committed to reducing resource use by implementing sustainable procurement and use practices, such as restricting the use of virgin paper, expanded polystyrene (EPS), single-use plastics, and setting procurement guidelines for printer furniture, and equipment that reduce life cycle impacts.