Zero Waste and Circularity Data
We traditionally think about materials that are thrown in the trash as waste and, therefore, they are assigned minimal value.
The term materials management recognizes that all items have inherent value and are oftentimes created from finite resources (think traditional plastics) and harmful extractive practices. Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) challenges us to systematically rethink how we use (or avoid using) and reuse materials more productively throughout their entire lifecycle. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, term circularity “entails decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.”
Instead of placing equal importance on reduction, reuse, and recycling, SMM and circularity most heavily emphasize source reduction (not using or producing something in the first place). All campus community members are encouraged to help in this effort by reducing what they purchase, reusing what they can and avoiding single-use products – even if they are recyclable or compostable – to the greatest extent possible.
ESF began to dramatically transform the ways that materials are viewed, managed, and
tracked in 2019. Compared to our 2018 baseline, the college-wide diversion rate (material
diverted from landfill/incineration by recycling, composting, or reuse) has increased
from 28.8% to 50.77% and the total weight of materials thrown in the trash has decreased by 34.75%*.
*as of January 1, 2024