USC’s waste diversion practices have changed significantly due to RecycLA, the City of Los Angeles’s waste franchise agreement that went into effect in 2018. Through RecycLA, USC has contracted with Republic Services to manage the majority of our campus waste. We are now required to separate landfill, recycling, and compost waste on campus, rather than having our waste haulers sort our waste off-site, and construction and demolition waste is no longer included in USC’s waste diversion calculations.

USC and Republic are employing proven waste diversion tools such as recycling, composting, and metrics analysis to help reduce waste sent to landfill. An emphasis on zero waste campus events, installation of multi-stream waste bins, water bottle refill stations, and increased composting across the university are leading USC’s efforts to divert campus waste from landfills.

Waste Diversion Rates

As of December 2023, USC’s overall waste diversion rate is 54.44%. This does not include waste diverted through the USC Surplus Store, the Coliseum, construction and demolition, or paper shredding.

Waste diversion by location is as follows:

  1. University Park Campus – 60.10%
  2. Health Sciences Campus – 45.14%
  3. USC Village – 65.34%
  4. USC Housing (off campus) – 39.61%
  5. CAL building (off campus) – 18.42%

General Waste Information

Landfill

Waste in landfills produces greenhouse gas emissions, so waste diversion efforts reduce USC’s greenhouse gas footprint. It’s estimated that a 1% increase in recycling could provide an annual net savings equivalent to 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Sending waste to landfills is also expensive. Since 2001, average landfill rates in LA have almost doubled from $34 per ton to more than $54 per ton. By diverting our campus waste from landfill, USC saves money.

Reduce > Reuse > Recycle

The most effective way to minimize landfill is to stop trash before it starts. An easy way to do this is by eliminating single-use disposable items such as plastic water bottles, paper and plastic bags, plastic utensils, paper hand towels, and straws. Investing in reusable products is a great way to cut down on your waste footprint. Even if a product is recyclable or compostable, it takes energy to transport, break down, and then re-purpose. Many products — like water bottles, grocery bags, utensil sets, and more — now have convenient reusable alternatives.

Separate, Don’t Contaminate

“Wish-cycling” – putting non-recyclable items in the recycling bin – can be worse than not recycling at all. Items like greasy pizza boxes, foil wrappers, and left-over food can “contaminate” a recycling bin; just a few wrong items may result in the entire bin going to landfill. A good rule of thumb: when in doubt, throw it out. Explore more waste disposal and proper sorting tips.

USC Waste Diversion Initiatives

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Coliseum, home of the USC Trojans football program, runs one of the most successful sports arena waste diversion programs in the nation. The Coliseum is a controlled environment that allows for optimal waste diversion practices, including a robust vendor compliance program and several rounds of waste sorting to ensure minimal landfill waste. The stadium successfully diverts more than 90 percent of Trojan football game-day waste from local landfills, making it a model for other venues trying to go zero waste. Here’s how it works:

  1. Upstream in the waste process, 200+ food and beverage concessionaires have committed to using compostable containers, wrappers and serviceware, which means very little foil, plastic or non-recyclable/compostable products contaminate the waste stream.
  2. Midstream, the Coliseum’s custodial services provider facilitates an efficient waste separation process that operates back-of-house during football games and events.
  3. Downstream, the Coliseum’s waste hauler, Republic Services, ensures that waste separation is maintained throughout pickup, delivery, re-sort, and recycling or composting disposal. Republic tracks and reports waste metrics back to the Coliseum staff and the Office of Sustainability.

The Coliseum won the Pac-12’s Zero Waste Bowl in 2016 and 2017, and consistently ranks among the top Pac-12 schools in waste diversion. In 2021, for the third time, USC was declared the overall winner of the Pac-12 Zero Waste Challenge, achieving a 90% diversion rate for the 2021 Green Game.

See below for some examples of how the USC community has supported the Coliseum waste diversion program and results from the past few seasons:

For more information about the program, visit the Coliseum website.

Waste Sorting Infrastructure

In 2018-2019, FPM installed 106 trash bins, 84 recycling bins, and 15 composting bins throughout academic/administrative buildings and outdoor spaces at UPC and USC Village.

In 2019, FPM deployed 136 new multi-stream waste bins in UPC academic and administrative buildings, along with signage with instructions on proper landfill and recycling sorting. 49 multi-stream waste bins have been installed at HSC.

In 2020-2021, FPM worked to expand Trojans’ access to compost and recycling through the installation of new multi-stream waste bins across the UPC and HSC campuses. These bins include compost, recycling, landfill, and liquid pour stations (where applicable) to help sort waste and increase USC’s diversion rate from landfill.  

As of spring 2022, FPM installed 98 multi-stream bins replacing over 230 old receptacles, in the following locations:

  • USC Village – 45 bins
  • HSC- Pappas Quad – 8 bins
  • TCC – 10 bins
  • McCarthy Quad – 6 bins
  • Leavey Library exterior – 7 bins
  • Little Galen/Robert Wood – 9 bins
  • Gabilan Courtyard/Exterior School of Social Work – 3 bins
  • Suryan Plaza – 6 bins
  • JFF/JKP – 4 bins
  • USC is seeking to standardize waste sorting infrastructure where possible and provide the necessary resources — appropriate bins and signage — for Trojans to dispose of trash correctly. For more information on how to properly use these new bins, check out the video below.

    Zero Waste Events 

    President Carol Folt set the precedent for zero waste events at USC through her inauguration ceremonies, which diverted an estimated 4,535 pounds of waste from local landfills and helped to educate the USC community on the importance of recycling and composting. USC holds roughly 10,000 events each year; starting in 2019, we worked with event hosts to divert waste through composting, recycling, and donating leftover food. The Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management Services (FMS) also worked with campus groups to pilot zero waste campus tailgates, diverting 8,394 pounds of waste during the 2019 football season.

    In 2019, Zero Waste Events diverted 18,479 pounds of waste from landfills:

    • President’s Inaugural Events — 4,535 pounds
    • Campus Game-Day Tailgates — 8,394 pounds
    • Trojan Family Weekend — 3,600 pounds
    • President’s Staff Holiday Breakfast — 1,950 pounds

    USC Housing

    All USC Housing residents can sort their waste into blue recycling and black landfill bins in their rooms and apartments. Students empty their trash bins to separate trash chutes or collection bins that are then transferred to dedicated dumpsters for each waste stream.

    USC Housing also offers composting collection in many buildings for residents to utilize. Residents can collect food scraps and compostable items using the available green liner bags and then place them into designated bins located in either the trash rooms or the residential lobbies.  To learn more about this program and what items can be effectively composted refer to signage and information posted at collection sites.

    Forty bins have already been installed with plans for 20 more in USC Housing facilities. (USC Photo/Ling Luo)

    Additionally, USC Housing recycles its used furniture, repurposing it through charitable donation worldwide, or using component parts and remanufacturing it into new furniture. Carpet that is replaced is recycled and either made into new carpet or nylon parts for electric vehicles. Used foam mattresses are recycled into products like car seat padding and carpet pad. USC Housing also diverts thousands of pounds of donated household goods left behind by student residents each year through partnerships with charitable organizations specializing in textile and household goods resale.

    USC Hospitality

    In 2018, Residential Restaurants began banning straws and composting food, with Parkside, EVK, and USC Village Residential Restaurants now committed to composting all pre- and post-consumer food waste. This diverts food waste from the landfill which minimizes our carbon footprint and detriment to the environment.

    Hospitality has now eliminated 95% of single-use, personal consumption items—such as individually wrapped packets of sugar, butter, and condiments—to reduce waste.

    Hospitality does not utilize trays in Residential Restaurants, which reduces food waste by discouraging plate overloading and reduces the number of items to be washed, lowering USC’s water usage.

    Hospitality continues to separate recyclable items in all venues.

    Composting

    With the exception of the Coliseum and USC Housing, USC composts food on an ad hoc basis. Dining areas compost food in their enclosures, the School of Religion composts in its kitchen, and all University Village retail outlets have composting facilities with staff at each location being trained in appropriate practices.

    A Spring 2020 campuses-wide waste characterization revealed that 50-65% of USC’s landfill trash is food waste that could be composted. As such, USC is actively working to increase compost infrastructure across the university to allow more waste to be diverted from landfill.

    Hydration Stations

    All Trojans are encouraged to utilize reusable beverage containers wherever possible in order to cut down on waste, especially single-use plastics. To promote this behavior, USC has installed 172 water bottle refill stations — 13 exterior stations and 159 interior stations — around the University Park Campus. USC has also installed 33 water bottle refill stations — 4 exterior stations and 29 interior stations — around the Health Sciences Campus.

    Cardboard Recycling

    FMS collects, sorts and recycles cardboard from all buildings on both campuses.

    Styrofoam Recycling

    FMS runs a Styrofoam recycling program at the Health Sciences campus, running Styrofoam through a densifier to minimize storage and provide a higher value commodity.

    Waste Resources

    Universal and E-Waste Materials

    Universal Waste including E-waste, that is not damaged should always be reused/recycled.  EH&S offers free-of-charge Universal Waste Pick-up service for electronics and other Universal Waste items that can be requested by filling out the Universal Waste Pickup Request Form. For certain qualifying, good working order items, Universal Waste can also be re-sold at USC’s Surplus Store. University departments may use any university-approved IT recycling vendor. Many of USC’s larger university departments use human I-T. For more information related to IT recycling, please visit the FAQ page. For details about Universal Waste pickup, please view the Universal Waste Management Fact Sheet, or contact hazmat@usc.edu or (323) 442-2200.

    Request a Recycling Bin 

    Email Gina Whisenant at USC Facilities Management Services, gwhisena@usc.edu. Or for any additional questions regarding recycling, and the removal of large or unusual trash items (i.e., lumber, bricks, glass, etc.), please contact the Customer Resource Center (CRC) for your campus:

    University Park Campus – (213) 740-6833 
    Health Sciences Campus – (323) 224-7001

    Or visit the FMS Service Request Page.

    Battery Recycling/Disposal 

    USC Environmental Health & Safety distributes, pre-labeled battery recycling containers that can be found across UPC and HSC campuses. For more information and to find a container near you, view the EH&S Battery Recycling Locations Fact Sheet and Map.  

    For batteries larger than D-size please request a hazmat pick-up online by filling out the  Universal Waste Pickup Request Form , or for more information contact hazmat@usc.edu.

    Toner/Ink Cartridge Recycling 

    USC Business Services has partnered with WeCare, Inc., to offer a convenient option for recycling used ink and toner cartridges by simply packaging and dropping in your department’s outgoing mail, using the provided labels. For further information on procedures, and for a list of excluded items please visit Mailing and Materials Management Services.

    For additional information please contact mail7777@usc.edu or call (213) 821-1200.

    State and Local Waste Regulations

    CalRecycle and RecycLA are great sources of information about waste diversion regulations and programs in Los Angeles. Pertinent regulations that shape USC’s efforts include:

    • SB 1383 – Short-lived Climate Pollutants, Methane Emissions, and Landfill Organic Waste Reduction (2016)
      • January 1, 2018: State Air Resource Board to implement a strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants to achieve a reduction in methane by 40%, hydrofluorocarbon gases by 40%, and anthropogenic black carbon by 50% below 2013 levels by 2030. Also established specified targets for reducing organic waste in landfills.
      • Read SB 1383
    • AB 341 – Mandatory Commercial Recycling (2012)
      • A business that generates four cubic yards or more of commercial solid
        waste per week or is a multifamily residential dwelling of five units or more
        shall arrange for recycling services.
      • Read AB 341
    • AB 1826 – Mandatory Organics Recycling (2014)
      • The mandatory organics recycling law requires a business that meets the waste generation threshold to engage in organic recycling activities.
      • January 1, 2019: Businesses that generate 4 cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week shall arrange for organic waste recycling services.
      • Summer/Fall 2021: CalRecycle may expand to cover businesses that generate 2 cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week.
      • Read AB 1826

    Planning for Sustainability 2028

    As the university begins developing our Sustainability 2028 Plan, we are exploring the feasibility of achieving net zero waste in partnership with all partners in our campus waste management ecosystem. Vendors, custodial teams, the City-mandated waste hauler, and end-users are all crucial stakeholders. Options currently under consideration include:

    • Adopting a ban single-use plastics
    • Implementation of an Integrated Waste Management Plan
    • A comprehensive recycling program on HSC campus
    • Zero waste programs in Heritage Hall and the Galen Center
    • Centralized paper shredding to increase recycling uptake
    • Pilot food composting initiatives in areas with heavy food prep and consumption

    See below for notes from the Sustainability Steering Committee’s 2028 Planning waste meetings: