What Happens to UVA’s Recycling? A Behind the Scenes Look at Recycling, Composting, and Reuse on Grounds

Andrea Trimble is the Sustainability Director at the University of Virginia and has been a leader in sustainability in higher education for over 18 years. Andrea leads UVA's Office for Sustainability team, with focus on pan-University strategic planning and programs in engagement, communication, analysis, and sustainable operations on a range of scales and across impact areas.

“Is sorting my recycling worth it? I heard it all ends up in the trash anyway.”

We hear this question a lot from students and employees across UVA, who want to know if recycling actually makes a difference. The short answer is yes. When you place recyclable or compostable items in the correct bins at UVA, those materials are diverted from landfills. Let’s look around to learn more:

Across Grounds, waste bins and signage are being updated to ensure that wherever there is a trash bin, there is a recycling bin next to it - making sustainable choices more convenient. New signage will clarify and include QR codes that link directly to UVA’s Waste Directory, to help quickly identify what goes where. When recyclables are placed into designated bins, the Facilities Management Recycling team ensures that the materials are sent to recycling facilities.

Many materials, such as plastics, metal cans, and glass are hand-sorted by UVA Facilities Management Recycling staff at an Ivy Road sorting facility. From there, those materials are baled and sent to the Sonoco processing center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Other materials, like some cardboard, are sent to local processing facilities.

Reusable materials, such as furniture and office supplies, are collected to be sent to local resale locations. Last year, UVA’s ReUSE store, managed by Facilities Management, diverted over 1.2 million pounds of materials from the landfill through the distribution of 25,834 items to nonprofits, the general public and UVA affiliates. During student move-out, UVA's annual move-out donation drive provides on-Grounds students an opportunity to donate items to Goodwill Industries of the Valleys and local food banks. Over 10,000 pounds of materials were collected during two weeks in May 2025.

UVA has been increasing opportunities to compost food waste, compostable food wares, and paper towels. Compostable materials are sent to Black Bear Composting in Crimora, Virginia to be turned into nutrient-rich soil. UVA’s single-use plastics policy has also been a game changer. A new initiative is the use of an app to reduce food waste on Grounds, Free Food Alert, which connects event hosts with leftover food to students and employees who are interested in picking up free food. Over 1,300 people have subscribed to the alerts and the number continues to grow every week.

For decades, students have played an important role in advocating for recycling and UVA—and their impact continues to grow. New leadership programs and volunteer opportunities are expanding, giving students more ways to get involved. One standout initiative is the Office for Sustainability’s Green Games program, which has flourished with support from Virginia Athletics. In 2024, over 70 student volunteers helped divert 92,752 pounds of waste from landfills at home football games. This season we’re on track to surpass that milestone.

Another cohort - the Office for Sustainability Zero Waste Ambassadors - includes 23 students who help remove non-compostable materials daily, especially near high-traffic areas like food trucks at the Amphitheater. Their efforts kept 10,640 pounds of organic material out of landfills last year. In collaboration with UVA Recycling, the Office for Sustainability supported 68 zero waste events last year, hosted by 50 departments and student organizations and attended by over 35,000 people. Notable events included Alumni Reunions, First Year Food Fest, and Lighting of the Lawn. And the momentum continues as students are launch new initiatives like a tennis ball recycling program.

There is also a lot happening in the UVA Medical Center and in research labs. For example, UVA Health Pharmacy has switched to recyclable paper pill bottles from tradi­tional plastic medication bottles that are typically not easily recyclable or biodegradable. The Office for Sustainability’s Green Labs program is tackling hard-to-recycle lab waste. In October, the team collected over 429 pounds of clean pipette tip boxes from 22 labs in just a few hours. These boxes, which can’t be processed through conventional recycling streams, will be transformed into new products by JunkLabz, a local nonprofit specializing in creative reuse.

UVA’s 2030 Sustainability Plan includes a goal to reduce waste by 70%, and although great progress is being made, there is still a lot more to do. In the coming year we are hoping to continue to expand availability of recycling and compost bins across Grounds, increase awareness and engagement, add even more student leadership opportunities, and implement new initiatives to reduce food waste. If you’re interested in learning more, subscribing to the UVA Sustainability newsletter is a great way to stay connected!