NMU 2025 Waste Audit

To set strategic targets for reducing the production of waste on NMU's campus, we need to know our baseline and understand our current waste stream. Waste audits allow for organizations to have a better understanding of what makes up the waste they produce. Improvements can be made for waste reduction opportunities, cost savings, commitment to sustainability, and for the health of our environment. This waste audit examined the content of dumpsters across NMU's campus and reports on the amount and makeup of total waste generated by students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

  • Art & Design Building
  • Berry Events Center
  • The Dome
  • Jacobetti Center
  • NMU Golf Course
  • Northern Center
  • The PEIF
  • Quad I & Quad II / Magers / Meyland
  • Ripley Heating Plant
  • The Science Building
  • Spooner Hall
  • Student Services Building
  • Temaki & Tea / Smoothie King
  • Thomas Fine Arts
  • Whitman Hall
  • Woodland Park Apartments
  • The Woods

The audit was conducted between February 23 through March 23, 2025. We measured 2,721.23 pounds of waste during this time period at all of the sample locations. 825 of the 2,721.23 pounds (over 30%) of dumpster contents were recyclable materials.

The locations that tended to generate the most waste (weekly):

  • The Woods Dorm Complex (~979 lbs)
  • Berry Events Center (~302 lbs)
  • The Northern Center (~250 lbs)
  • Ripley Heat Plant (~135 lbs)
  • *Quad I & Quad II/Magers/Meyland (~112 lbs)
    • This was most likely higher, but we could not survey the dumpsters at a time when they were completely full

Additional Notes:

  • Students (dorms & apartments) sort their waste pretty well relative to academic buildings
  • Students tend to waste a lot of food
  • Students tend to eat out a lot (we found a large amounts of waste from McDonalds, Taco Bell, and pizza places)
  • Good recyclables and returnable are often thrown away
  • The majority of good recycling was contaminated (due to food, drink, spillage, etc.)
  • Starbucks & Dunkin' Donuts coffee cups dominate dumpsters
  • Good compost/food waste in excess
  • Erin O’Keefe & Isabella Beck conducted this research with the guidance of Dr. Jelili Adebiyi and Dr. Jessica Thompson
  • Worked from October 2024 until May 2025
  • Weekly meetings with Dr. Jelili Adebiyi
  • Waste audits took place between February-April 2025
  • 1-2 months worth of consistent data
  • Surveyed 17 different locations & 58 total dumpsters
    • Disclaimer: We visited each location once per month and our data is based on these assumptions. We tried to get to dumpster locations when they would be at their maximum capacity, but that wasn’t always the case. We would try to go to 7-9 locations per week.
  • Weather greatly impacted our work and at times the quality of work

Recommendations for Future Waste Audits

  • A larger team is needed. Two people collecting data was not enough.
  • A way to handle cold weather and wind when working in the winter is a necessary improvement.

Recommendations for Waste Diversion Improvement

  • Provide returnable drop-off containers in the dorms or encourage recyclable collection.
  • Provide more easily accessible compost drop-off locations.
  • Provide increased education about recycling for all on campus (students, staff, and faculty).
  • Create a permanent item exchange room / secondhand “school store.” This could be done alongside the NMU Food Pantry, Career Closet, and Ripple Effect.
diagram of waste at NMU - 61% of what we currently throw away could be recycled or composted

Waste Audit Findings

Of the waste that currently goes into the landfill, 61% could be either recycled or composted.

The average amount of materials within NMU's dumpsters are listed here from the highest to lowest amount.

  1. Recyclables (~54%)
  2. Contaminants (~22%)
  3. Food Waste (~9%)
  4. Hazards (~8%)
  5. Compostables (~7%)

This study was conducted for the purpose of understanding the state of Northern Michigan University's waste and how it could be made more sustainable for the future. The research team found that much of the waste created could be eliminated.  Overall, students seem to have a better understanding of how to properly dispose of waste materials as trash outside of student housing was better sorted than faculty/academic buildings.  And, in most cases, any contamination of recycling materials or compostable materials was due to food and beverage spillage.

NMU could make improvements by implementing 1) more easily accessible campus-wide compost and 2) expanding education for students and staff on how to properly dispose of different materials.

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A special thanks to Dr. Jelili Adebiyi, Dr. Jes Thompson, Erin O’Keefe, & Isabella Beck for conducting this research.

This research was funded by the 2024-2025 SISU Waste Audit Innovation Project.