Tagged: Sustainability

Department: Student Life Facilities and Sustainability

Certification Level: Silver

Certification Date: June 6, 2024

The results are in from Facilities Operations and Development’s (FOD) 2025 Waste Characterization Study, which examined waste and recycling across Ohio State’s Columbus campus. This study was made possible through funding from Coca-Cola Consolidated, supporting the university’s ongoing resource stewardship efforts.

The study revealed a clear opportunity: more than half of what is currently thrown away could be recycled or composted today using existing campus infrastructure and programs. 

What’s in the trash?

Molly Kathleen, Zero Waste Manager for Facilities Operations and Development (FOD), was recognized by the University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC) in its Staff in the Spotlight. 

According to Kathleen's nominator: "Their ability to create an inclusive, respectful environment empowers everyone involved to take pride in their role and contribute to the university’s mission.”

CBS Evening News traveled to Ohio Stadium and that team up north's stadium to keep the rivalry strong and see which team diverts the most waste from the landfill during and after home game days. 

Lately, that's been Ohio State, where Mary Leciejewski is associate director of environmental sustainability.

"I mean, it just comes with the territory," Leciejewski said.

The Lantern recently featured Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) in an article detailing the crews who spend each Sunday cleaning the 'Shoe after home game days. 

Over 350,000 pounds of waste materials were gathered in 2024, according to Logan Gould, zero waste coordinator for FOD. 

Don’t let your pumpkins haunt the landfill after spooky season is over! Help next year’s pumpkins grow by composting your old jack-o’-lanterns, gourds, and cornstalks. 

Now through Tuesday, December 2, faculty, staff, and students living off-campus can drop off pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks in the labeled roll-off dumpster in the Uniprint parking lot located at 2500 Kenny Road. The site is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Behind every compost bin, recycling audit and sustainability tabling event at Ohio State is a passionate team of student interns working to help make the university a leader in zero-waste practices. These interns are not only gaining hands-on experience, they’re also helping shape a more sustainable campus.

For many of the students, the internship is more than just a job.

For the third consecutive year, Ohio State Athletics has been recognized as a national leader in sustainable athletics, receiving the 2025 Play to Zero Waste Champion Award from the Green Sports Alliance.

In 2024, the Recycling and Refuse Services team helped divert more than six tons of hard cover books from the landfill through our hard cover book recycling program, thanks in large part to faculty and staff who reached out during office cleanouts.

These cleanouts provide an excellent opportunity to responsibly recycle large volumes of materials that accumulate over time. Whether you're moving offices, clearing out storage, or just doing a bit of spring, or (fall) cleaning, Ohio State’s Zero Waste team is here to help make your efforts more sustainable.

The results are in, and The Ohio State University is leading the Big Ten in recycling - and leaving that team up north in the dust.

Ohio State placed first in the Big Ten and among all Ohio colleges in the Per Capita Recycling category of the 2025 Campus Race to Zero Waste competition, with an impressive 16.9 pounds of recycling per person. This category measures how much material is diverted from landfills per person - a true team effort from the Buckeye community.