Waste and recycling are managed by WPI’s Facilities Department. However, the Office of Sustainability works in conjunction with both Facilities and other campus organizations (such as sustainability-focused student clubs) to implement numerous projects addressing waste management. Recent research has focused on waste reduction and robotic approaches for sorting materials.
In WPI’s 2020-2025 Sustainability Plan, the following 5 Year Outcomes highlight just some of the initiatives tackling waste & recycling:
Objective O1.1: Reduce environmental impacts of water & other resources
- Task 1 – 25% reduction tons in waste
- Task 2 – 25% reduction in paper spending
- Task 3 – 10% reduction in lbs of food waste/semester
- Task 5 – 25% reduction in tons of chemical waste
- Task 8 – 15% reduction in gallons of water/FTE
The Office of Sustainability involves the campus community in measuring WPI progress and continuing initiatives through efforts including annual events, club collaboration, and student projects.
Other Examples of Office of Sustainability Waste Initiatives with Students . . .
Project Work Opportunities with Waste & Recycling
Several faculty members also conduct research regarding waste and recycling including:
- Berk Calli: bcalli@wpi.edu (RBE/CS)
- Adam Powell: acpowell@wpi.edu (ME/MTE)
- Yan Wang: yanwang@wpi.edu (ME/MTE)
- Mingjiang Tao: taomj@wpi.edu (CE/AREN)
Example Projects
- Waste to Energy: Optimization of Biofuel Production from Hospital Food Waste
- Glass Recycling in Caño Martín Peña
- Investigating Sustainability Efforts of a Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service
- Green Labs: assessing and Reducing Laboratory waste at WPI
- Recycling Our Own Waste in WPI via Robotic Systems
WPI Courses Related to Waste & Recycling
- Work Systems & Facilities Planning (OIE 3405)
Food Initiatives
Food sustainability focuses on the production, consumption, and disposal of food. This starts with the use of natural resources and ends with the recovery or final disposal of food. Diverting and reducing food waste saves organizations money, has the ability to help people, and conserves resources (EPA). Food waste produces methane in landfills contributing to greenhouse gases. Food waste can be donated, composted or used in anaerobic digestion to produce energy.
Chartwells Catering manages WPI’s Dining Services.
Dine on Campus is available to browse daily menu items for each dining location.
Food Waste Management at WPI
Currently, WPI sends its discarded food waste to Tyde Brook Farm in Holden, MA for animal feed.
The Food Recovery Network donates surplus food from dining halls around campus to local homeless shelters in the Worcester area. The Friendly House in Worcester supplies meals for 25-40 families per day.
WPI’s Green Team provides suggestions on reducing your environmental impact from the food industry by eating less meat, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, using reusable containers and reducing food waste.
Project Clean Plate is an event by WPI’s Green Team where people in Morgan Hall POD with no food waste are given a raffle ticket with the potential to win prizes. This found that 42% of students at WPI waste food with 0.16 lbs wasted per person.
EXAMPLE PROJECTS RELATED TO FOOD SUSTAINABILITY