Boston University Begins Waste Audit As Part of Its Earth Day Programs

As part of its Earth Day 365 Program, Boston University Sustainability just held its first of three audits. From March 18 to April 27, BU Sustainability will hold different events centering around sustainability, including these audits in which members of the team will sort through trash, separating recyclables and compostables that were thrown away.

“With these waste audits, and specifically with this one, we’re looking at apartment-style living, where you’re going to have a kitchen and you’re going to be making your meals at home,” said Sam Moller, assistant director of communications at BU Sustainability. “These are items that you have in your kitchen or your pantry and in your home.”

The hope from Moller and BU Sustainability is that the waste audits will allow them to learn how to better support students with separating waste effectively.

“We approximate here at BU that 90% of our total waste can actually be recycled or composted,” he said. “This waste audit, specifically, along with the waste audits that we’re doing at the Center for Computing and Data Sciences and then also with the dental school, are all a part of those efforts in … figuring out what’s going into the trash stream in an undergraduate apartment style residence hall.”

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