Waste & Recycling

Similar to FY21, in FY22 the recycling team focused on maintaining current recycling operations with limited staff while pivoting to meet the needs of a changing campus. Office cleanouts remained steady as multiple large construction projects started and departments were moved to new offices. Over 22 tons of paper and 14 tons of cardboard were collected through the bulk paper program in the 4 summer months.

The Spring 2022 semester brought back more students and activity to campus which increased the volume of single stream recycling by 20% compared to Spring 2021. With a bustling campus comes more waste, which results in higher hauling costs. Hauling costs will continue to rise in FY23. However, the successful contract awarding process locked in low price increases for the next 3 years. The recycling program saw significant avoided costs and created revenue despite rising contract costs and material volume. Over $212,000 were saved/avoided in recycling contract avoided fees (including contamination fees). An additional $45,000 was saved in correcting invoices. The avoided contamination fees, contract savings, and revenue from paper and cardboard are proving the transition to internal hauling was the best option for UWM long-term.

More students on campus sparked full-scale move-out events in Housing and with the Neighborhood Housing Office. Donation stations were set up in all Housing units 3 weeks ahead of the official move-out dates to give residents options to get rid of unwanted clothing, housewares, and food. Over 15,000 lbs. of clothing and housewares and over 4,800 lbs of food were collected. Donations were given back to the campus community through the PantherCycle Free Store event in partnership with the Neighborhood Housing Office. The free store event was a redesign of 2019’s Move-Out Festival with the purpose of redistributing more donations on campus, further connecting students to the PantherCycle Facebook group, and addressing a lack of staffing between the host departments. Remaining donations were taken by the UWM Food Pantry & Center or Goodwill. The final move- out event, Dumpster Day, was also coordinated with the Neighborhood Housing Office to provide bulk waste disposal options for students living in private Housing near campus. Dumpster Day kept 4,320 lbs. of bulk waste off city curbs around campus. Both events attracted a total of 46 volunteers.

FY23 goals include further exploring opportunities to create a more efficient and cost-effective internal hauling operation, work with Marketing and Communications on a recycling rebranding campaign and develop strategies with Restaurant Operations to reduce waste upstream through purchasing.