Zero Waste

Zero waste is about reducing the amount of material we put in the landfill and throw away in our daily lives. Much of the material leaving CSUN's campus is recycled, composted, or reused, but almost half of it, roughly 4 pounds per minute, goes to a landfill where it will stay for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  CSUN's Road Map to Sustainability Plan focuses on reducing the amount of landfill-bound waste that is produced through campus operations. It also seeks to improve campus users' perspective on waste, by creating a culture of a circular economy and reuse community. 

The Zero Waste International Alliance defines Zero Waste as “a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.  Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.”

Play the Waste Sorting Game

Laws and Regulations that help guide CSUN's zero waste effort:

  • CSU Single Use Plastics Memo 11.23
  • State Bill 1383: Required organic waste composting 

  • Assembly Bill 341: (Chapter 476, Statutes of 2011) requires generators of four cubic yards or more of solid waste per week to arrange for recycling services.​

  • Assembly Bill 1826: (Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014) requires generators to recycle their compostable materials with a phase-in schedule depending on the amount of compostable materials or solid waste they generate per week. CSUN produces more than the first compliance tier (8 cubic yards of compostable materials per week), and was required to compost those materials as of April 1, 2016.​
  • Assembly Bill 2812: (Chapter 530, Statutes of 2016), requires each state agency to provide adequate receptacles, signage, education, and staffing, and arrange for recycling services consistent with existing recycling requirements for each office building of the state agency or large state facility. The bill requires, at least once per year, each covered state agency and large state facility to review the adequacy and condition of receptacles for recyclable material and of associated signage, education, and staffing. Additionally, the bill requires each state agency to include in its existing annual report to CalRecycle a summary of the state agency’s compliance with the act.
  • Assembly Bill 2048: Franchise Agreements
  • CSU-wide Sustainability Policy ​
  • CSU Single Use Plastics Ban 
  • SB 1335 Sustainable Food Packaging 

What Goes in Each Bin? 

Waste sorting can be confusing, and there's only so much information which can be put on a sign. We've created the guide below to help answer questions about what products go in each bin. Still have a question? Email zerowaste@csun.edu for more detailed information on where certain materials should be placed.

Our waste hauler provides a cheat sheet to guide you on where to dispose. 

Athens Cheat Sheet 

 

CSU and State Goals:

In 2014, The California State University Sustainability Policy established the following goals regarding waste for all CSU campuses:

  • Reduce solid waste disposal rate by 50% of 2006 levels by 2016
  • Reduce solid waste disposal rate by 80% of 2006 levels by 2020
  • Move to Zero Waste