{"id":103158,"date":"2023-09-26T01:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T06:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=103158"},"modified":"2023-09-25T15:43:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T20:43:24","slug":"med-center-cuts-down-on-waste-at-campus-bbq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/09\/26\/med-center-cuts-down-on-waste-at-campus-bbq\/","title":{"rendered":"Med center cuts down on waste at campus BBQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For the past three years, the UNMC Office of Sustainability has strived to make the annual BBQ event zero waste, which means at least 90% of waste by weight is diverted from the landfill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the event didn\u2019t reach the 90% goal, the Office of Sustainability was able to save almost 200 pounds from going to the landfill, while also engaging, educating and raising awareness among the med center community about sustainability efforts on campus that directly contribute to the med center\u2019s net zero waste<\/a> and engagement<\/a> goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Aug. 23, the campus held the #WeAreUNMC BBQ<\/a>, where students, staff and faculty could mingle, learn about various groups and enjoy a meal together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make this event more sustainable, the Office of Sustainability set up waste stations that included compost, recycling and H<\/a>efty Orange<\/a> bags, along with traditional landfill waste. With the help of volunteers, attendees were instructed on how to correctly sort their waste at the stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the event, the aggregated waste from each station was weighed and recorded. In all, 74% of all waste material was diverted from the landfill, a substantial increase from the 65% diverted in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The breakdown of waste streams was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n