Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Scrapping The Status Quo for True Campus Commitment

Most of us at Southern Oregon University are familiar with the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but what does that really mean? More importantly, how does SOU prioritize these principles? We took a look at the university’s waste management wins throughout the last few years to understand the weight of our impact and empower our campus community to keep advocating for change.

To break it all down, let’s work backwards.

Recycle

Recycling is one of the most popular waste management efforts universities take on, and SOU is no different. In 2024, we recycled just over 308 tons of material, which comes to a whopping 616,000 pounds! 

We ended up diverting 52.4% of our waste away from the landfill in 2024, which results in major cost savings for the university. It costs the university $278 to have a 10-yard dumpster of trash picked up by Recology, whereas cardboard recycling and commingled recycling pick-up is only $154. This difference of $124 per dumpster not only saves the university money to allocate to other student resources, but it also incentivizes us to make decisions that benefit our environment.

To keep our recycling high-quality, we must continue to be careful with what we place in the recycling bin. Guidelines are posted on bins across campus that clarify what we can process locally. We are immensely thankful for our waste management partners at Recology Ashland for their continued guidance and commitment to bettering our recycling system on campus.

Reuse

Each time we reuse materials instead of purchasing new ones, we are promoting a circular economy model that displaces the use of raw materials. Many SOU buildings, groups, and departments have taken the “reuse” ideology into their own hands with designated spaces for shared resources. Here are just a few that have gone above and beyond:

• For two years, students from the Honors College have been running the Sustainable Good Closet in Suzanne Homes Hall. Here you can find free clothing, shoes, books, household items, and health resources. 
• Many buildings in the Oregon Center For The Arts, including the Sculpture Building, host free art supply shelves to encourage sustainable material usage. From magazines and newspapers to figurines and fake feathers, Art students are sure to find something that inspires their next project.
• Both the Business department in Britt Hall and Career Connections in the Stevenson Union organize racks with free interview clothes, shoes, and accessories for individuals looking to secure their next job. 

The Sustainability Office has also been delighted to see the use of reusable dinnerware and cutlery at events and meetings around campus, but SOU is still falling behind in its commitment to reuse the many materials we already have. Many of our staff and students within the Sustainability Office have been fortunate enough to experience how other campuses are dedicating themselves to low-waste dining possibilities, so there is no question about the availability of solutions.

Most groups on our campus are required to pay extra for reusable plates, silverware, and glasses for events, while single-use materials come at no additional cost to the organizer. The reality, though, is that the cost of single-use materials is higher — both in the repeated purchase and disposal of them and in the harm to the environment. We have the opportunity to promote reusable materials on campus, so why aren’t we taking it?

Reduce

While we can celebrate our wins in recycling and reusing materials, the most impactful action is reducing the amount of waste we create in the first place. This is where SOU needs the most improvement.

In 2024, SOU disposed of 559,974 pounds of waste to a landfill. That same year, 616,000 pounds of waste was recycled. Both of these waste groups are full of single-use plastics, papers, and metals that could be avoided in the first place. Before we recognize our work to divert waste from the landfill, we must ask why the SOU community entertains that waste in the first place. In many cases, it comes down to convenience.

In 2022, our previous Zero Waste Coordinator, Sarah Ross, ran a campaign to remove small trash cans from private offices and classrooms to centralize our waste collection and cut down on excessive trash bag usage. The campaign was successful for about a year before we saw personal bins begin to sneak their way back under desks across campus, despite them getting minimal usage.

Sarah once discovered one large trash bag filled with 18 individual personal bags, most of which only had one piece of trash in them to begin with. When we prioritize convenience over true commitment to waste reduction, it doesn’t matter how good our numbers make us look.

So What Can You Do?

Reduce your personal waste where you can:

• Bring your own silverware when you stop for lunch at Elmo’s, your own mug when you grab coffee at Southern Grounds, and your own reusable water bottle whenever you head out for class
• Prep snacks and meals at home so that your dining waste is low-impact. The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to reach for food wrapped in single-use plastic or paper. 
• Familiarize yourself with the guidelines that are posted on waste bins across campus. When in doubt, throw it out, and reduce the risk of contaminating a load of recycling.

How to Get Involved

But what about when the option to say no to waste simply isn’t there?

• Talk with the Sustainability Office (https://sustainability.sou.edu/campus-operations/material-waste-management/; sustainability@sou.edu) to understand what waste management procedures are already in place and what operations could use student input. One little question can lead to great, big change!
• Write to campus leadership about your desire to see less waste on campus, and get specific! The better you can articulate your passion, the more you can make someone understand why your opinion matters.
• Use the Green Fund to provide financial support for student-led sustainability projects. The Green Fund has already supported a number of projects that prevent plastic, paper, and water waste, and your bright idea could be next! The Innovation Fund through the Institute for Applied Sustainability at SOU provides micro-grants for staff and faculty members who wish to take on a project under similar guidelines.

You have the power to scrap misconceptions about waste management at SOU and make way for a more sustainable environment for our future Raiders. To follow along with our campus sustainability efforts, follow @sustainability_sou on Instagram or visit https://sustainability.sou.edu/.