Waste reduction and recycling

From collection to transportation to disposal, conscientiously managing the materials we use and responsibly reducing waste is a complex process that has tremendous economic, quality of life, and environmental impacts on our communities. Across MIT, we’re designing and testing strategies that reduce the generation of trash and increase the amount of clean material (i.e. paper goods, plastics, and food waste) that can be recycled and re-processed.

How do I know what to throw away and what to recycle?

The MIT Waste Wizard search engine is currently in beta, and you can help us build out the catalog. Did you search for an item and get no results? Let us know by filling out this short form and we will add it to the wizard.

You can also take this 10-minute course to help you learn how to sort most items you would want to dispose of while at MIT, from packing peanuts to pizza boxes.

Learn Responsible Waste Disposal Practices

How much waste does MIT generate every year?

Check out MIT Material Matters for a biannually updated data visualization that provides monthly waste totals for the major waste streams on campus.

You can also review MIT’s Campus Waste Audits to learn more about the Institute's waste disposal practices and waste stream contamination.

Progress Report

Reduce trash by 30% from 2019 baseline

white line drawing of water bottle in trash can

Reduce percent of trash and recycling comprised of single use items

Reduce percent of food scraps in trash

Centralized waste hubs at MIT

Why does MIT recommend central waste hubs instead of desk-side baskets?

Research has shown that centralized waste stations are better for decreasing waste stream contamination (i.e. placing the wrong material into the wrong bin such as a banana peel into the trash or recycling) and significantly reduces plastic bag use. A centralized bin collection system encourages practices that can lead to healthier workplaces and generate waste materials that can be recycled and reprocessed rather than landfilled or incinerated. See this study from Media Lab that reduced contamination by using centralized waste stations.

Will desk-side trash and recycling bins be served and cleaned by Custodial Services?

For spaces participating in the centralized bin program, desk-side bins have not been provided and will not be serviced by Custodial Services.

For folks who may have brought their own desk-side bins to hold waste materials temporarily until you are ready to bring your waste to a centralized bin station, please do not keep any food or food-soiled waste in a desk-side bin overnight in order to avoid pests and odor.

If people find that the centralized waste bins are not located in convenient places, the bins are light and flexible in the event they do need to be re-positioned within the space. If a move of bins is needed, we strongly recommend that DLC-operational leadership is consulted so that the move works well for everyone in the space.

If you have temporary or permanent mobility issues and need accommodation, please email us at binrequest@mit.edu.

How does my department adopting the centralized bin system help MIT reach its waste reduction goals?

Preventing food from entering the trash stream is one of the most effective changes people can make to fight climate change.

Food waste placed in the trash usually ends up in landfills; approximately 60 percent of landfill methane emissions are from food waste. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is captured as a renewable power resource when food waste is placed in campus food waste bins.

Since campus waste audits find 35 percent of MIT’s trash is food waste, the more buildings, departments, labs, and centers that adopt centralized waste bins, the more methane our community can divert from atmospheric release.

How do I learn more about transitioning to a centralized bin system in my office space?

For a no-commitment centralized waste system space assessment, contact Gunther Wellenstein, MIT’s Zero Waste Manager by email zerowaste@mit.edu

Where does our waste go once it leaves these bins?

All major campus waste streams (recycling, trash and food waste) are collected from bins by MIT Custodial Services or Residential Life housekeeping teams and taken by these teams to each building’s loading dock.

Recycling: Our recycling is picked up by our hauler, Casella, and sent to Save That Stuff and Casella Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) so that some materials are collected and made into different products. Watch this YouTube video to learn more.
Trash: Trash is incinerated in a waste-to-energy facility before the resulting ash is sent for landfilling. Primary facilities include Wheelabrator Saugus in Saugus, MA- Waste to Energy (WTE), Brookline Transfer Station in Brookline, MA, and BFI Waste Systems Transfer Station in Roxbury, MA.
Food Waste: Food waste is sent to the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District (GLSD) to be recycled into clean energy using a process called Anaerobic Digestion. First, MIT sends its food waste to a facility in Charlestown, MA for initial processing where it is then sent to the GLSD facility in North Andover, MA. A study initiated by the EPA has determined that anaerobic digestion at GLSD is a higher and better use for fighting climate change than traditional compost.

Take the “Responsible Waste Disposal Practices at MIT” online course developed by the MIT GSC Sustainability Committee to help answer questions about what goes where in the waste streams at MIT.

Other waste reduction resources

Download and print multilingual waste and recycling guides from Recycle Smart Massachusetts
Download and print signs for MIT waste bins, labels, and more for use in your own area, or order signage through CopyTech
Limit waste and make good purchasing decisions with our Sustainable Event Self-Certification.
Join Choose to Reuse by donating and/or swapping gently used items from your home or office, held on the third Thursday of the month in the Stata Center lobby.
Take the free, introductory “D-Lab: Waste” course to understand more about the multiple dimensions of the global waste system.
Learn how MIT’s food waste is processed for energy at the CORe facility in Charlestown
Learn about MIT’s laboratory pipette tip recycling program by contacting pipetip@mit.edu

What are some of MIT’s strategies to manage waste materials?

reduce or eliminate campus waste at or near the source of generation
promote use of reusable goods in place of single-use items
increase listings and exchanges of surplus supplies via an online market place and other tools
develop guidelines for purchasing materials that are made from renewable resources
evaluate and factor in the lifecycle of materials during the purchasing process
increase the diversion rate of campus waste through reuse, recycling, and processing of organic materials
test different strategies for communicating, collecting, handling and hauling waste materials

Eliminating food waste at MIT

MIT is committed to reducing the annual trash disposed of by 30 percent by 2030. Since campus waste audits show that at least 35 percent of MIT's trash is food waste, collecting food waste in bins before it gets placed in the trash is a critical opportunity to limit the waste generated at MIT and reduce MIT's climate impacts. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization report, food waste is responsible for one-sixth of humankind's annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Key initiatives:

MIT Recycling offers food waste collection boxes via the service request portal
A la carte meal service creates less food waste than pre-packaged boxed meals
Food waste collection bins are available to MIT administrative offices signing up to transition to a centralized bin collection system
Last semester, MIT Waste Watchers began an ongoing "Food Waste Fighters" program to expand food waste collection into the residence halls.

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