Waste Diversion

At UMD, we're committed to reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting to cut the amount of waste our campus sends to the landfill. In FY22, the combined waste diversion rate for all campus locations, including academic buildings, operations, on-campus housing, and offsite locations like Glensheen and NRRI, totaled 42.5% (chart 1). Core Campus, which includes academic buildings, the dining center, and FM operations has a diversion rate of 60.8%. The variability between the two rates is the result of including on-campus housing, which generates more waste than the Core Campus and has much lower recycling and composting rates currently. 

Material Disposal from UMD campus by type and tonnage: Waste = 384 tons, compost = 170 tons 749 tons, Recycling =
Material disposal from campus core includes academic buildings, Dining services, & FM operations and shows waste is about 40% of campus core operations, with 60% being diverted from landfill

Right Thing, Right Bin   

Compost sign

Food (leftovers, scraps, peels), napkins and paper towels, compostable to-go items from UMD Dining

Recycling sign

Plastic jugs and tubs, metal cans, glass bottles and jars, paper, magazines, newspaper, cardboard

Waste sign

Greasy pizza boxes, chip bags and wrappers, styrofoam, hot coffee cups from off-campus

Quick Contacts

  • To request a recycling bin for your area, please email [email protected] or call 218-726-8262.

Specialty Recycling

Some things can't go in your regular recycling bin -- check this list to find out what to do with special items.       

Waste Audits & Assessments

In order to measure our progress towards proper sorting and waste diversion, waste audits and assessments are periodically performed. 

Composting Off-Campus

For information on composting opportunities in the Duluth area, visit the WLSSD website to learn about their Food Waste Recycling program and Drop Off locations.

Duluth Compost offers options for residential pickup.

MN Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) & Minnesota Materials Exchange

  • The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) is a grant funded, confidential, environmental outreach and assistance program for businesses and organizations throughout Minnesota. MnTAP works to improve public health and the environment by preventing pollution at the source, optimizing use of resources, and reducing energy use and costs. Our main focus areas are energy, water, waste, and chemicals. 
  • The Minnesota Materials Exchange is a reuse platform operated out of the Twin Cities campus. It has been around since 1990, and operates to serve as a place for Minnesota businesses, industry, non-profits, and institutions to post items they no longer want, need, or use. 
  • Please contact the site administrator, Jon Schroeder, at [email protected] or 612-624-6456 with any questions