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Waste

The University of California's Sustainable Practices Policy has a zero waste goal to divert 90% of municipal solid waste from the landfill by prioritizing waste reduction in the following order: reduce, reuse, and then recycle and compost. You can help by reducing and properly sorting your waste to keep as much as possible from going to the landfill.

Residents are responsible for emptying their room waste into bins and chutes accessible in all Student Housing buildings. Please do not place room waste into common area bins or bathroom bins. For additional tips on waste reduction and more, visit our take action webpage.

Residence Halls and The Green: For locations on where to empty your room waste, refer to the following waste guide for your building.


Waste Streams

The following waste streams area available to residents living in Cuarto, Segundo, Tercero and The Green. If you live in another Student Housing Apartment, please contact your community advisor for waste sorting instructions.

Click on waste stream for details:


Student Housing Waste Guides

Segundo Residence Halls

Tercero Residence Halls

Cuarto Residence Halls

The Green

Primero Grove

Orchard Park

  • Waste Guide for Orchard Park coming soon

Waste Streams

Compost

Compostables, also known as organic waste, are items that can break down in nature in a relatively short period under the right conditions. Examples of compostable items accepted in the residence halls and The Green are:

Food Waste

  • Fruits, vegetables
  • Grains
  • Dairy
  • Meat, bones, fish
  • Pizza, popcorn, cookies, etc.
  • Drinks

Food Related Items

  • Compostable plastics – look for PLA 7 symbol (below) or word "compostable"
  • Food soiled paper, waxed coated items, paper food containers, and cardboard
  • Wood items such as toothpicks and chopsticks
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Non-food Related Items:

  • 100% cotton or wool cloth
  • Paper towels
  • Cotton balls and cotton swabs (made with cardboard sticks)
  • Hair and nail clippings
  • Pencil shavings
  • Plant materials such as flowers and leaves

Compost collection bins are accessible in all three residence hall areas and at The Green for residents to empty compostable waste into. Refer to your building's waste guide for nearest locations.

Compost collection bins are not provided in residents' rooms. Any container with a lid can be used to collect organic waste. A coffee can with a lid or disposable food container (such as a large yogurt container) are just a couple of examples. Containers can also be purchased at local retail stores. Residents are encouraged to empty compostable waste daily.

Recycling

All Student Housing areas collect recyclables in one bin, which is known as Mixed Recycling. In other words, you can put paper into the same bin as aluminum cans - no need to separate the items. Examples of recyclables accepted:

  • Plastics containers – look for recycling symbols shown below
  • Glass bottles and jars of any color (no Pyrex)
  • Aluminum, steel and tin cans
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Mixed paper and paperboard (non-corrugated boxes such as snack or cereal boxes)
  • Magazines, newspaper, mail
  • Note - above items must be free of liquid and food residue
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Recycling bins or chutes are accessible in all three residence hall areas and at The Green for residents to empty recyclables into. Refer to your building's waste guide for nearest locations.

Cardboard

Corrugated cardboard boxes are collected separately from Mixed Recycling. When disposing of cardboard, please flatten and put in the proper bin to be recycled.

Material accepted in the cardboard bin includes:

  • Flattened boxes
  • Pizza boxes free of grease and/or food residue
    • If the box is contaminated with grease and/or food residue, the box is to be deposited into the compost collection bin.

When disposing of cardboard, do not:

  • Dispose of in waste chutes, as they can pose a fire and safety hazard if chute becomes jammed
  • Dispose of in Mixed Recycle toters, as they take up too much room

Cardboard bins are accessible in all three residence hall areas and at The Green for residents to empty cardboard into. Refer to your building's waste guide for nearest locations.

Dispose of cardboard in mixed recyclables and cardboard bins but not waste chutes and mixed recycle toters

Landfill

Waste that cannot be reused, recycled, composted, collected as eWaste and are non-hazardous should be placed in containers marked Landfill. Examples of landfill items include:

  • Plastic utensils and straws (non-compostable)
  • Plastic bags and film
  • Beverage cartons and soup cartons (even ones marked "recyclable" as they are not accepted locally in Davis)
  • Candy, granola bar, chip bags, food wrappers
  • Polystyrene (aka StyrofoamTM), packing peanuts
  • Aerosol cans - only if completely empty (if full or partially full, see Household Hazardous Waste section)

Landfill bins and chutes accessible in all three residence hall areas and at The Green for residents to empty landfill waste into. Refer to your residence hall's waste guide for nearest locations.

Reusables

Reusable items are gently used items you can donate when you no longer need or want them so others can use them. Examples of reusables include:

  • School an office supplies
  • Books
  • Clothing and clothing accessories
  • Art and craft materials
  • Video games
  • Small (working) electronics

Collection bins for Reusables are located at the Area Service Desks in the residence hall areas. Reusable items are donated to the ASUCD Aggie Reuse Store, a student ran second-hand shop located in the Silo at building TB24, behind the Bike Barn.

Residents at The Green are encouraged to donate items directly to the Aggie Reuse Store or local thrift stores.

Electronic Waste (eWaste)

eWaste must be specially disposed of. Many common products require special care for disposal and, by California law, are banned from the trash.

  • Batteries
  • Small electronics and power cords
  • Inkjet cartridges
  • Cell phones
  • CD's and DVD's are no longer accepted as eWaste

If you live in the residence halls, collection bins for eWaste are located at the Area Service Desks in Cuarto, Segundo & Tercero.

For larger eWaste items, call 530-752-4265 or email shds.sustainability@ucdavis.edu for proper disposal directions.

If you live at The Green, contact the property manager at thegreen@tmo.com.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Many common products require special care for disposal and, by California law, are banned from the trash. Lights, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), household chemicals and paints are some of the items that must be specially disposed of. Examples of household hazardous waste include but not limited to:

  • Glue and adhesives
  • Household cleaners
  • Mercury thermometers
  • Nail polish and remover
  • Paint, oil and latex
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Solvents
  • Medical Sharps*
  • Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL's)**
  • Unknown substances
  • Aerosol cans - full or partially full (if completely empty, see Landfill section)

*Medical Sharps containers are located in all the dining commons near the dish return

**To properly dispose of an old CFL light bulb, take it to the Area Service Desks in Cuarto, Segundo & Tercero and exchange it for a new LED light bulb.

If you live in the residence halls, for all other HHW, email shds.sustainability@ucdavis.edu for proper disposal directions.

If you live at The Green, Primero Grove, or Orchard Park, visit facilities.ucdavis.edu/utilities/solid-waste.