This fall, USC students returned to campus to 10 updated waste separation bins outside of Tutor Campus Center and nine in the Little Galen Courtyard. Although the overall structure of the multistream bins remains the same as last school year, the new labels allocate more space to compostable materials.  

The re-labeled waste separation bins contain two compost streams and one recycling stream. USC Facilities Planning and Management also eliminated liquid waste disposal. They now act as smaller bins for landfill-destined items. With less room for landfill, students may have to pay more attention to how they dispose of their food waste. 

The University conducts audits of collected waste to determine how much trash is recyclable or compostable. Gina Whisenant, USC Facilities Planning and Management waste and recycling manager, said in a recent audit of TCC waste, 82% of the 200 pounds audited was compostable food waste, 9% was recycling and the remaining 9% was sent to landfills.

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She said these audit results indicate TCC could be a zero-waste zone if the waste management protocols are changed. 

“The decision was made that we could make [TCC] a zero-waste zone, but we need to make sure that we are providing the correct amount of compost because that is the majority of what will be coming out of that area,” Whisenant said.

The liquid waste disposal sites were eliminated in part because of consistent contamination. 

“We had [signs] next to the bin: please liquids only pour into the sink, there’s no garbage disposal in the sink,” Whisenant said. “[There was] Top Ramen. We were getting bits of fruit in there … A lot of leaves were going in there, just items that obviously cannot drain and so it would clog the pour stations and create a lot of work for operations.”

The Facilities team will initiate a new re-messaging campaign to let students know liquids should now be poured into the compost bins, which is permissible since the food waste will liquify anyway, according to Whisenant. 

Ronan Mornell, a sophomore majoring in economics, said he always tries to compost his food waste on campus and separate his recycling. Still, he does not believe other students make the same effort.  

“I already switched my compost and trash into different bins, but I think that [with] the students that didn’t, there will be very little effect in how much they’re switching,” Mornell said. “The label on the bin doesn’t really discourage those students.” 

Jake Haviland, a senior majoring in international relations and the global economy, said he sees students often putting nonbiodegradable waste in the compost bins. He also said he hopes students will make more of an effort to properly dispose of their waste with the re-labeled bins.

“I have noticed the new trash bins and my initial reaction is that it might be a little ambitious because I don’t always see students using it correctly, especially with the compost bins,” Haviland said. 

USC Facilities Planning and Management has updated its waste bins several times to reduce waste on campus as part of Assignment: Earth, President Carol Folt’s initiative to make USC a zero-waste campus by 2028. USC sustainability efforts are also made in response to California Senate Bill 1383, which requires all California jurisdictions to provide composting services. 

Items recycled at USC are sent to a Materials Recovery Facility, and the University’s compost is turned into feedstock, mulch and soil at another specialized facility.

Whisenant said Facilities Planning and Management frequently analyzes and audits the final destinations of waste before haulers come to campus to take it away. This helps the team understand which items are being disposed of most often, which items are frequently being disposed of incorrectly and which items students purchase with the most severe environmental implications. 

With this information, Facilities Planning and Management works to send educational messaging out to the USC community to promote on-campus sustainability.