American University Zero Waste

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? 🌱

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! 👇🌱

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! 👇

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

♻️🌎 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. 🌍✨

🌿💧♻️ Last month, the AU Zero Waste Office took a field trip to DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant for an extraordinary guided tour with Stephen Ayereko, Community Affairs Specialist!

Our staff and interns explored how Blue Plains is leading the way in sustainable waste management through Bloom Class A biosolids reuse, the Clean Rivers Project, nutrient-removed effluent, green building design, combined heat & power systems, and thermal hydrolysis technology. WOW! 🌊🪴

A huuuge thank you to .water for the incredibly inspiring behind-the-scenes look at innovative sustainability solutions that protect our waterways and advance environmental justice in and around Washington, DC. 💚

Attendees included Zero Waste Office staff John Boyle Ruiz and Owen Krzywda, alongside beloved interns Trish, Jalyn, Celeste, Adriana, Mariah, Alice, Ada, Nohe, Coratta, Princess, Aram, Andres, and Finnian. 🌎🏭🌱

♻️ Project Move Out is BACK! 📦🌿

Throwback to last year’s incredible efforts (📸: Jeff Watts) as we kick off Project Move Out 2026 — starting TODAY, April 29 through May 8, 9am–5pm!

Unlike Move In, this is your chance to give items a second life: donate gently used goods instead of sending them to incineration — and volunteers can take home free items too. 💚 In 2025 alone, we kept 18 tons of usable items out of the landfill and redistributed them to AU students!

📍 Drop-off locations: Letts-Anderson Quad, East Campus Parking Lot, McDowell Hall, Nebraska Hall
🎒 Donate: clean clothing, school supplies, storage items, unopened toiletries, nonperishable food, furniture, room decor & home goods
🚫 Please NO mattress pads or opened food!

Donations support Goods Recycling (clothing) and The Market at AU (food), with furniture and home goods saved for students in the fall. 🙌

Huge thanks to our partners in the Zero Waste Office, Housekeeping, Office of Sustainability, Housing & Residence Life, and Grounds & Facilities staff for making this possible! 🌎✨

Spring Semester 2026 shot in action here at AU’s Zero Waste Office!! 🌿♻️🙌

From waste audits and cardboard bales to compost routes, bin cleaning, and even snow removal — this semester was powered by an incredible team of student employees and staff working together every day to move the needle toward sustainability. 💚🌎

With a current diversion rate of 47%, we’re proud of the progress — and even more grateful for everyone on campus who properly sorted, composted, recycled, reused, reduced, repaired, repurposed, or simply took the time to learn. Every action matters! 

Special thanks to our dedicated Compost Crew and full-time staff for making it all happen: Ada, Adriana, Alice, Andres, Aram, Celeste, Coratta, Finnian, Gloria, James, Jalyn, Mariah, Merrick, Nohe, Princess, Randy, Trish, and Wes, as well as Caroline B., John B., Owen K., Andrew W., Bradley B., Francisco S., Greg K., and Laura M. You are all the heart of Zero Waste at American University! 🌱✨📸

See you soon for Project Move Out starting April 29th...