Recycling &
Climate Action and Resilience Plan
Procurement + Waste Management
In our pursuit of becoming a Zero Waste institution by 2030, our Climate Action and Resilience Plan anchors itself in the realm of waste reduction, cost optimization, and innovative practices. This comprehensive strategy starts with a meticulous examination of current waste collection practices across both our UWO campuses, delving into annual costs, waste audits, and the waste collection analysis. By devising a multi-year plan, we aim to incrementally achieve our net-zero waste goal, identifying project ideas to reduce waste and costs.
Initiatives range from optimizing cardboard recycling to performing waste audits and introducing locks to dumpsters for added security. By reimagining our campus infrastructure, waste education, eliminating unnecessary trash cans, and advocating for an electronic-resource-centric culture, we seek not only to reduce costs but also to align our practices with sustainability principles. It is critical that a culture of reuse and limiting waste generation is instilled in both students and faculty at the university.
Drawing inspiration from exemplary institutions like UC Berkeley, Cornell University, and Vanderbilt University, our plan extends to creating a procurement and waste map for widespread recognition, emphasizing green purchasing standards, and integrating educational materials across campus to foster a culture of waste reduction.
UW Oshkosh takes an active role in reducing the waste generated by the campus and recycling materials wherever possible.
What we’ve done:
The Campus Sustainability Office and an ES 102 class conducted a waste audit in Spring of 22 and Spring of 23.
Data collected revealed savings could be realized through:
- elimination of unnecessary dumpsters
- removal of excessive dumpsters
- and reducing sizes of oversized dumpsters based on usage.
Click image above to see the
Outagamie County Recycling & Solid Waste recycling page.
https://www.recyclemoreoutagamie.org/
All entities, public or private, commercial or residential follow the same recycling rules in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties in Wisconsin.
Please follow these Single Stream Recycling rules across campus, in academic buildings and residence halls:
Cardboard
- Please separate Cardboard from the regular recycling
- Break boxes down flat and set them near recycling bins in hallways, or place them directly in the blue dumpsters
Electronic Recycling
E-waste Recycling Collection – coming again Spring 2025!
Computer Monitors (CRT & flat), TVs, Light Bulbs, *Rechargeable batteries, **Alkaline and other Disposable Batteries, Dehumidifiers, Small and Large Household Appliances, CDs, DVD players/VCRs, Fax Machines, Computer Speakers, Digital Clocks, Digital Cameras, Digital Watches, Boombox Stereos, Headphones/earphones, GPS Devices, Printers, Scanners, Chargers (of all kinds), MP3 playersFor more info on how to recycle these items use this website from the WI DNRAdditional resource: Outagamie County Recycling material searchAll recycling for Brown, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties is processed at the Outagamie county facility, so UWO follows their rules and policies.*Lithium batteries, small rechargeable batteries, nickel-cadmium, the small round batteries (for a watch) should be recycled. They should be stored so that the terminals do not touch (small batteries tape over the terminals) .**Regular alkaline batteries, dry-cell are permitted to be landfilled by the DNR.Questions? Contact Brad Spanbauer (spanbauerb@uwosh.edu)
Plastic Film
A friendly reminder these materials can always be recycled directly at stores such as Target and Festival Foods (collection bins near the entrances).We encourage you to consider ways to reduce your use of single-use plastics, including plastic bags.Thank you!
Please be sure to only use these bins for clean, dry plastic film. Review this list of acceptable materials.
Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations
UW Oshkosh
800 Algoma Blvd.
Oshkosh, WI 54901
