American University Zero Waste

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American University Zero Waste

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09/02/2026

Throwback to Bring Your Child To Work Day!! 🌍💚

We are still smiling from our Spring 2026 partnership with AHealthyU and AU Human Resources after an incredible morning of campus sustainability! Right after an energizing kick-off breakfast at the Terrace Dining Room, the Zero Waste Office hosted our Planet Protectors Workshop: Mission Zero Waste!

During this 30 minute interactive training session, we broke down the basics of proper composting and recycling for all ages. The participation, curiosity, and excitement from our youngest generation of environmental stewards made the event a massive success.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this educational outreach possible! The workshop was led by our very own John Boyle Ruiz and Owen Krzywda, and wonderfully hosted by Natasha “Coco” Benitez. ♻️✨

How could you make learning about the environment and waste sorting fun for the folks in your life? Let us know in the comments. 👇

09/01/2026

WE’RE HIRING!! Join the Zero Waste Team! AU’s Zero Waste Office in Facilities Management is seeking passionate student employees dedicated to environmental justice, the circular economy, and hands-on sustainability. This is your chance to champion environmental action, fight food insecurity, and make a tangible impact on campus every week.

💸 Pay: $18.40 per hour
⏱️ Hours: 5-20 hours per week (Flexible around your class schedule! Limited weekend hours are available, but never mandatory.)
🎓 Eligibility: Must be an enrolled American University student.
💪 Requirement: Must be able to safely lift 50 lbs.

What You’ll Do:
🚛 Drive AU Facilities vehicles to collect food scraps from dining locations, manage our organics compactor, and track diverted weights.
🔍 Inspect the organics stream for contaminants and research/implement control interventions to keep our compost clean.
♻️ Help improve AU’s waste sorting signage and refine public space recycling designs.
🍎 Aid in the expansion of campus food recovery efforts and uplift hunger-fighting community partners to distribute recovered food.
📊 Track and improve overall campus recycling rates while developing fresh educational materials.

🔗 Apply today via this link! (https://american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/AU/job/Zero-Waste-Student-Employee—Student-_R4673)

08/27/2026

🌍📊♻️ Throwback to a great day on the AU Quad, when the Zero Waste Office hosted a hands-on waste audit with Kogod School of Business students, staff, and faculty (Kogod School of Business)!

A special shoutout to then Dean David Marchick for answering the call to action, rolling up his sleeves, and supporting the work firsthand. 🙌😄 Congratulations to our now Interim President Dave Marchick (American University Interim President Dave Marchick) on this exciting new role! We’re proud of your green leadership and support for zero waste and look forward to future collaborations. 🎉🌱

♻️🌎 The hard work is paying off: Kogod is ranked 3rd for Best Green MBA in the U.S. by The Princeton Review, while AU ranked 2nd in The Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges list for 2026!!

What is a waste audit? We physically sort and measure materials to understand what’s in our waste stream. Why? The data helps us reduce contamination, advance a circular economy, and make more informed decisions for a more sustainable and environmentally just community. How? Together, with the expertise of Zero Waste Office staff and the hard work of our sustainable student employees and campus partners! 📈🧤

Thank you to everyone who has joined us for a waste audit and helped turn campus waste into meaningful data and action! 💚 Would you suit up and join our next audit? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️

08/17/2026

Summer 2026 might be winding down, but our Zero Waste Facilities Management team has been working hard all season long! Check out this collage of our incredible staff and student employees getting their hands dirty to keep American University sustainable. ☀️♻️🔥

From hauling compost and baling mountains of cardboard to managing furniture surplus and sorting waste, our crew truly does it all! 📦🌱 Whether we’re processing community reuse donations, tackling plastic film recycling, cleaning up stations, or clearing mixed recycling, every single action counts.

Why do we do it? Because zero waste work is an absolute imperative. It is a justice-oriented, economically smart movement that builds a healthier, safer environment for absolutely everyone. 🌍🤝 Here’s to closing out the summer strong and building a circular campus for all! 🦅✨

A huge shoutout to the rockstars pictured in action: Owen K., Andrew W., Coratta A., Andres J., Nohe M., and Wes F.! 💪 And we couldn’t do it without the rest of our stellar Summer ‘26 team holding it down behind the scenes: Adriana C., Merrick C., Finnian W., Caroline B., Brad B., and John B.!

08/11/2026

We’re proud to share that American University has once again earned The Battery Network’s 2025 Leader in Sustainability Award, presented to AU Facilities Management’s Zero Waste Office! 🏆📸 Swipe to see Owen Krzywda of our Zero Waste Office staff accepting the award on AU’s behalf at the Osborn Building.

This is our SECOND consecutive year taking home this honor, and the numbers back it up! 🥈 AU ranked in the top 10 battery recyclers in the DC region for 2024. Now AU is the SECOND LARGEST recycler of batteries by weight in all of DC!! 😄

🔋 Why recycle batteries separately? Batteries contain metals and chemicals that can spark fires or leach into soil and water if thrown in regular trash. Recycling them keeps those materials out of landfills and allows valuable metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel to be recovered and reused, cutting down on the need for new mining.

♻️ You can help! Battery recycling boxes are located in lobbies across AU buildings, including MGSC and SBV, which are open to the surrounding community too not just AU affiliates. 💚 Tell us in the comments: do you recycle your batteries, and where’s your go-to drop off spot? 🌱

08/05/2026

The data is in: AU is leading the charge! 📈🦅♻️ What does collective action, grit, and a commitment to environmental justice look like? It looks like measurable, undeniable progress. The Zero Waste Office is thrilled to share a snapshot of our campus waste data from the 2023–2026 fiscal years. Swipe through these five graphs (brilliantly created by our own Caroline Boone) to see how our campus is championing the circular economy: 🌍💚

📊 Graph 1: Donated Food
We jumped from 1.44 tons in FY25 to a massive 8.39 tons in FY26! That is heavier than an adult male African elephant! 🐘 By rescuing prepared foods, we are fighting food insecurity in our local DC community and keeping potent methane-producing organics out of the landfill.

📊 Graph 2: Reused & Donated Furniture/Equipment
We diverted 46.28 tons in FY26, up from 38.91 tons in FY25. That’s roughly the weight of a commercial Boeing 737 airplane! ✈️ Instead of trashing old desks, chairs, and lab equipment, we are extending their life cycles and supporting local nonprofits through true circular economy practices.

📊 Graph 3: Compost Collected
We hauled 210.79 tons of compost in FY26, up from 190.86 tons in FY25. That is nearly the weight of the Statue of Liberty! 🗽 Every apple core and napkin you composted helped regenerate healthy soils rather than sitting in an incinerator or landfill.

📉 Graph 4: Front of House Diversion Rate
We hit a 39% diversion rate in Q1 2026, up from 38% in Q3 2025. “Front of House” means you! This measures the waste sorted in the public bins across campus. This steady growth proves that our community is taking that extra second to sort correctly.

📉 Graph 5: Total AU Diversion Rate
Our overall campus diversion rate soared to 46.9% in FY26, a huge leap from 41.2% in FY25! We are inching closer and closer to that 50% milestone. This impact encompasses everything from daily recycling to massive construction material diversion.

Which of these zero waste achievements surprises or inspires you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! 👇🌱

07/14/2026

Over the last academic year, the AU Zero Waste Office, in partnership with the Food Recovery Network (FRN), rescued and donated over 14,000 pounds of food! From pastas and rice to diverse proteins and fresh veggies, we are committed to fighting waste and feeding people. 🥦🍲

🍽️💚 Where does all this delicious, prepared food go? Sourced straight from the Terrace Dining Hall kitchen, we transport these nutritious surplus meals via Zero Waste staff vans and student volunteer rideshares directly to four incredible DC nonprofits:
🤝 Friendship Place (Tenleytown)
🏘️ James Creek Residential Council (Navy Yard)
🥣 So Others Might Eat (Truxton Circle)
🥕 Northwest Community Food (Van Ness)

Pictured here making the work happen are Zero Waste Coordinator John Boyle Ruiz and our recently graduated Zero Waste Intern, James McRae! (Congratulations to James on his graduation!) 🌍✨ Strictly following all food-safety regulations, our food recovery runs happen year-round every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These photos from May 2026 capture just a glimpse of the magic in action and our 14,000 pounds of impact!!

We believe that sustainability and food justice go hand-in-hand, and creating an inclusive, waste-free community takes all of us. This is your call to action! Whether you have time to volunteer just once or want to join us on the regular, we would love to have you on board. There is always a seat in the delivery truck for someone passionate about making a difference. 🚚

💬 Let’s chat in the comments: Have you ever participated in a food donation delivery? What is your favorite creative way to repurpose leftovers and prevent food waste in your own kitchen? Let us know below! 👇

07/10/2026

Why did the recycling bin break up with the trash can? Because it was tired of dealing with its garbage! 😂🗑️💔

Throwback to two Spring 2026 Waste Audits! ♻️🔍 Our audits took place out in the sunshine on the Eric A. Friedheim Quad alongside the Student Disability Support team, and down in the SIS Parking Garage with our amazing Compost Crew (because where we audit depends on the weather!). ☀️🌧️ We always dive right in!

Why do we get our hands dirty? Waste audits are an essential educational tool. They help us understand campus waste sorting habits, tackle bin contamination, and drive our environmental sustainability goals forward. Proper sorting isn’t just about following the rules; it’s about protecting ourselves and others, keeping our AU campus beautiful, supporting our city of DC, and caring for our Earth. Every item sorted correctly is a win for the planet! 🌎💚

A massive shoutout to the dream team who made these audits possible:
👥 Staff: Caroline B., Lia G., John B., Anna P., & Augustine E. (Not pictured: Owen K. & Andrew W.)
🎓 Students: Ada C., Aram E., Finnian W., Nohe M., & Trish N. (A very special congratulations to our recent graduates, Trish and Aram! 🎓🎉)

Fun Fact: Did you know AU’s Interim President David Marchick has suited up in protective gear to participate in a zero waste audit on the Quad with our students and staff? If he can do it... so will you? 👀🧤😄

Let’s all answer the call to action to sort smart and keep AU green! Do you have any questions about waste audits, bin contamination, or how to get involved? Drop them in the comments below! 👇💬

📸: Photos by Jeff Watts
⏱️: Time-lapse video by Anna Parse-Johnson

07/01/2026

♻️🌎 Taking a closer look at our waste helps us build a more sustainable campus! These photos from an early spring semester waste audit on the AU Quad (📸: Jeff Watts, the best!!) with the star-studded AU Women’s Soccer Team (American U. Women's Soccer) remind us that every item we sort, or mis-sort, has an impact.

One of the biggest challenges we continue to see is contamination:
🔵 Plastic film, food and liquids, and electronics mixed into recycling.
🟢 Plastic items, glass, and textiles erroneously mixed into compost.
⚫ Most critically, recyclable and compostable materials like soda bottles and leftover food ending up in the trash!

During the academic semester, American University generates approximately one ton of trash every eight hours. Every bottle, food scrap, cardboard box, or compostable item that ends up in the trash is a missed opportunity to recover valuable resources and reduce our environmental footprint. Thank you to everyone who takes the extra moment to recycle right, compost correctly, and reduce waste!
🌱🍃

💚 Sorting waste correctly helps conserve resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, supports environmental justice, protects the ecosystems that sustain us, and keeps Washington, DC cleaner and healthier for everyone! Small choices made by students, faculty, staff, contractors, and neighbors add up to a big difference. Together, we can continue building a more circular and sustainable AU community. 🌍✨

06/29/2026

Hi AU!! Waste audits help us understand what we’re throwing away, measure contamination, improve recycling and composting, and identify opportunities to reduce waste across campus. Join Zero Waste Coordinator John Boyle Ruiz as he explains the what and why of a campus waste audit! 🌎🧤📊

A special thank you to Sustainability Videographer Assistant Jason Keezer for capturing this spring quad audit, and to every student, faculty member, staff member, and volunteer who has rolled up their sleeves to participate in a waste audit with us — we couldn’t do this work without you! Every correctly sorted item helps move AU closer to its zero waste goals! 💚🙌

🗑️♻️ Interested in bringing a hands-on waste audit to your student organization, staff office, faculty class, or community group next semester? Send us a DM or email the Zero Waste Office to schedule an interactive, suited-up learning experience with our team!

Questions about waste sorting, recycling, composting, or waste audits? Drop them in the comments below! 🌱

😁

Address

4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington D.C., DC
20016

Telephone

+12028852351

Website

http://www.american.edu/zerowaste

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