In 2015, Waste Reduction & Recycling examined the waste-to-landfill dumpsters on campus and discovered that in our academic and administrative buildings, compostables made up 38% of the landfill waste, and recyclable paper and containers were nearly 22% of the landfill waste.

These findings inspired the Zero Waste Workplace program where offices, departments, and buildings can institute a few simple changes in order to strive for, and possibly achieve, zero waste.

Coordinated by the office of Waste Reduction & Recycling, with the support of University Housekeeping, the Zero Waste Workplace began as a pilot program in Administrative Services Building III in July 2016.

Zero Waste Workplace incorporates 3 primary components: bin optimization, composting, and education.

At the end of March 2017, WRR released it's second round of reports for Zero Waste Workplace in the Adminstrative Services Buildings: The monthly averages for compost collections increased by 85lbs! Recycling monthly averages also increased by 32%!

Zero Waste Workplace is working because of the building users. In order to recognize these efforts, a Zero Waste Workplace Champion recognition platform was created for those who:

Demonstrate a consistent pattern of commitment to the Zero Waste Workplace program; Cultivates and promotes recycling, composting, and overall waste diversion in the work environment; Exhibits behaviors consistent with NC State's overall sustainability goals and supports the best practices which strive for zero waste at NC State University.