Building upon its already ambitious sustainability goals, Harvard Campus Services has released the first comprehensive plan to help the University transition to zero waste. Accelerating a Zero Waste Future: A Framework for Waste Stewardship aligns with Harvard’s Sustainability Action Plan, and includes guiding objectives and actionable strategies that will empower schools and departments to carry out this work, engage the community and create a healthier environment.
Implementation began this year with Schools and departments using the provided toolkits and templates to develop customized action plans based on their specific needs. The Framework is a critical step toward advancing Harvard’s sustainability goals while creating a unified, evidence-based approach to materials management, compliance, and cross-campus collaboration.
Zero waste is defined as a reduction of 90 percent or more of waste diverted away from landfills or incinerators from a benchmark year and prioritizes waste prevention, reduction, repair, reuse and responsible material recovery. While Harvard has long been committed to this ideal, the new Framework is the first ever plan for how Harvard can accomplish it.
“Achieving a zero waste future requires a systemic approach,” said Harvard’s Recycling Services Supervisor Dailey Brannin. “Harvard is committed to sustainably managing all materials while also prioritizing waste prevention and reduction.”
Over the last year and a half, Brannin and Environmental Health & Safety’s Waste Reduction and Compliance Lead Courtney Forrester led a 60-person committee from across the University in developing the plan.
“Preventing, repurposing, and reusing materials can significantly help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” added Forrester. “But there are financial incentives as well since the Framework also provides a significant opportunity to save money while reducing waste.”
Going forward, Harvard will continue to pilot on-campus solutions for achieving zero waste while developing new tools to help community members participate in this effort. Some of the existing tools include:
• Top Tips for Waste Prevention — What can YOU do to prevent waste? Check out these top tips which will help guide your journey towards a zero waste future.
• The Waste Wizard — Not sure which bin an item should go in? Use the Waste Wizard to find the right disposal method for any item on campus!
Learn more about Harvard’s approach to achieving zero waste.