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Sustainability

Waste Reduction & Recycling Celebrates a Year of Impactful Diversion Efforts

January 24, 2025
NC State’s Waste Reduction & Recycling office posing in front of trucks.

From game days at Carter-Finley Stadium to campus-wide waste reduction initiatives, 2024 was a successful year for NC State’s Waste Reduction & Recycling (WRR) office. Spearheaded by innovative programs like Zero Waste Wolfpack, Pack-N-Give, Zero Waste Workplace, Lab Waste Diversion, Office Recycling, Dearstyne Convenience Site, and Construction and Demolition Diversion Support, the WRR team achieved milestones that set new standards for waste diversion on campus.

Zero Waste Wolfpack volunteers after the post-game Sunday sort in November.

The Zero Waste Wolfpack program refined their diversion efforts during the 2024 football season, engaging fans and volunteers to promote sustainability on game days. Key season highlights include:

  • 94,850 pounds of waste diverted from going to landfill
  • 17,000 + aluminum cans collected by The Great Raleigh Cleanup with proceeds reinvested back into their program
  • 247 volunteers
  • 13% year-over-year increase in overall waste diversion
Waste Reduction & Recycling installing bins at University Towers over the summer.

Beyond game days, WRR’s year-round efforts amplified the university’s commitment to sustainability. Highlights of their achievements include:

  • Recycling 1,368 tons, composting 2,950 tons, and reusing 356 tons of materials for an impressive 55% diversion rate for FY24.
  • Hosting 505 visitors at the Compost Facility, which processed a staggering 790 tons of food waste.
  • Recycling 1,897 pallets and 193 tons of scrap metal
  • Recycling 2,091 pounds of mattress toppers during student move-out.
  • Donating 25,260 pounds of furniture, clothing, and appliances to TROSA and 1,317 pounds of food to NC State’s food pantry, Feed the Pack, during move-out.
  • Picking 4,882,099 pieces of contamination from compost (okay this one is made up but I bet Cory, our Compost Facility Operator would say it was more!)
  • Tipping FEL dumpsters an estimated 41,307 times to manage campus waste.
  • Delivering and picking up over 1,500 cleanout carts as apart of our office recycling initiative
  • Implementing Zero Waste Workplace at Nelson Hall and Weaver Labs
  • Hiring 14 paid student interns, providing professional development opportunities for NC State students.

“Each project we tackle reflects the dedication of our team and the Wolfpack community,” said WRR Manager Adam Bensley. “From move-out donations to compost facility tours, we’re constantly finding ways to educate, innovate, and create positive change.”

With the successes of 2024 as a foundation, WRR plans to expand its initiatives in the coming year. “We can’t achieve these numbers without the support and engagement of students, faculty/staff, and the NC State community as a whole,” says WRR’s Outreach Coordinator Meredith Smith. “We need YOUR help as we strive to achieve our 70% diversion goal.”

If you’re interested in learning more about WRR or how to get involved, contact us to request a presentation, visit our website recycling.ncsu.edu, and follow us on social media @ncstaterecycles.