Zero Waste

Whitman Zero Waste

As a campus community we are striving to become a zero waste institution. This means that we are mitigating our campus' carbon footprint through a reduction and elimination of our waste stream. A Zero Waste looks at the environmental impacts, social issues, and the financial impact of our waste. To achieve our institutional goals we encourage the campus community to eliminate unnecessary purchasing, recycle items that can be recycled, and to be aware of the life cycle of our purchasing.

Campus Recycling Center

Our student driven recycling center is coordinated with the assistance of the Physical Plant and the Office of Sustainability. The Outhouse provides student volunteers for the pickup of recycling from all residential campus spaces.

Acceptable items

Please rinse containers clean and remove lids or caps.

• Plastics labeled #1-2
• Tin Cans
• Aluminum
• Cardboard (No Gloss)
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Phonebooks and paperbacks
• All kinds of paper

Unacceptable Items:

Plastics 3-7, Motor Oil, Tires, Car Batteries, Household Batteries, Chemical containers, Paint Cans, Hazardous Waste, Electronic Waste, Glass, Food Wrappers, Soiled Paper, Hard

back Books, Scrap Metal, Furniture, Public Waste, Paper Towels, Glossy Cardboard, Milk Cartons, Ceramics, Garbage, Yard Clippings, Food waste

For Hazardous Waste and Electronic Waste Please contact Environmental Health & Safety: 509-527-5966 or ehs@whitman.edu

Who picks up what? When? Where does it all go?

The Outhouse continues an ongoing voluntary tradition of picking up the residence halls' recycling on weekends. Some smaller buildings on campus, including the interest houses, are serviced by the City's curbside pickup. All other campus buildings have their recycling picked up at designated locations by a small team of student employees. Both the Outhouse volunteers and the Recycling Center employees use the same truck to drop off loads of recycling to the Recycling Center, behind the Outhouse, where a Recycling Assistant sorts and bales the waste. We are unable to take community drop offs, but community recycling can be taken to Walla Walla Recycling. 

What's the story with glass?

Unfortunately, glass is not recyclable in Walla Walla due to a deflated market for it as a raw material. The best course of action is to reduce the amount of glass you consume and reuse it whenever applicable. When needed, put glass with other trash bound for the landfill. Glass does not decompose, and therefore does not contribute to climate change as waste. It physically breaks down into sand.