Through the efforts of the Hanley Sustainability Institute, the University of Dayton has been improving its waste management each year.
In 2024, HSI Summer Fellow Lia Schmidt piloted a new recycling system, beginning in Marycrest Complex. After several waste audits, the pilot was deemed successful. During the following fall semester, the program expanded to multiple residence halls across campus.
In addition, the composting program organized by HSI’s Zero Waste Team has continued to grow. This spring semester, all offices, student neighborhood houses and, most recently, student apartments are able to participate in the composting program.
It is important that we continue expanding and improving these waste programs, but I believe their impact could grow even further with the addition of an educational component. That idea prompted the creation of a UD Waste Sorting Tool.
As a member of the Zero Waste team at HSI, I am very passionate about this initiative and helping waste diversion efforts. Due to my specific interest in waste management, I chose the creation of this Waste Sorting Tool as my annual personal project for HSI’s Sustainability Student Leaders program.
With the help of this educational tool, students will have the knowledge needed to correctly utilize our waste diversion programs and increase their impact. While the tool is still in its early stages, its concept and design are simple and accessible.
To use the Waste Sorting Tool, you first need an item to search. For example, let’s say that someone is trying to dispose of an apple. If they are unsure of the most sustainable disposal option, they can use the Waste Sorting Tool to find out. Users would navigate to the waste sorting tool website or scan a QR code linking directly to it. QR codes will be placed on recycling bins, waste bins and compost bins. Once on the website, users will select the category that the item belongs under. Some of the categories include organic matter, paper, cardboard, glass, cartons, plastics, steel and commercially compostable items. Because an apple falls under organic matter, the user would click the “organic matter” option.
From there, the user would be directed to a separate webpage explaining the disposal guidelines for organic matter. This page would explain that organic matter should be composted if a compost bin is available; if not, it should be placed in the landfill. The tool would also identify organic matter items that cannot be composted, such as raw meat and fruit pits. The page would be organized with clear headers, one describing what should be composted and another outlining what cannot be composted. This is the ideal system we plan to create as we continue building this tool. We hope to incorporate features that allow for a more dynamic user experience and further improve its usefulness.
This idea was inspired by an existing online waste sorting tool called “Waste Wizard,” which served as a blueprint for the UD Waste Sorting Tool. The difference is the UD tool will be tailored specifically to the facilities and waste systems on UD’s campus, making it uniquely practical for our campus community. The adjacent Waste Wizard image offers a glimpse into what the design of UD’s tool may look like.
As I continue to work on this personal project, there are a few features that I would still like to add. When first planning the tool’s functionality, I was adamant about adding a search feature. Originally, I wanted users to type their item into a search bar, but that feature is currently quite complex to implement, so I hope that with the help of others, it can be added in the future.
Another feature I would like to add is a feedback section near the bottom of each webpage. This feature would appear on the category selection page and on the other specific webpages for each category. This addition would allow the user to type common items or categories that they cannot find on the tool. These submissions would be collected in a spreadsheet, which the Zero Waste team and I would review regularly to make appropriate updates and additions. In the future, I hope these improvements are made and that this project continues to grow and evolve in support of our campus’s sustainability initiatives.