With more than 1 million pounds of waste produced each year at UCLA, the time has come for the campus community to clean up its act. To reduce what the university is throwing away and protect air, water and soil from pollution, UCLA students and employees are encouraged to participate in the Think Outside the Landfill Challenge. “The race to zero waste begins now, with every Bruin playing a role in helping this initiative succeed,” said Kikei Wong, UCLA’s zero waste manager. The project is a collaborative effort between staff in UCLA’s sustainability and facilities management departments.
The challenge features weekly waste-diversion tasks such as bringing your own bags to the supermarket, switching to rechargeable batteries, or shopping for clothes at a secondhand store. Students, faculty and staff who participate will be automatically entered into a random prize drawing, with a chance to win gift cards to the ASUCLA bookstore and Trader Joe’s, UCLA apparel, an air fryer and more.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates about two-thirds of all waste in the United States gets dumped in a landfill — literally trashing the planet. Currently, UCLA’s waste diversion rate, the amount of waste that is recycled or composted, is 56%. Nurit Katz, UCLA’s chief sustainablity officer, said the goal for the future is to reach 90%.