An UU Living Lab carves the path to a zero waste campus

Utrecht University plans to be zero waste by 2030. With research and teaching laboratories, restaurants, and hundreds of offices, this is no small task. Delving into the complexities of waste management on campus, insights from 'living lab' research connecting research, education and operations hope to shift the university's waste management paradigm. "Our research highlights that waste ending up in landfills, incineration, or even low-quality recycling is simply mismanaged material," says Merilin Raidma, who led the study as part of her thesis research for the Master's Sustainable Business & Innovation. Seeing separated waste bins on campus during my first year made me wonder what happens to what we throw away. Merilin Raidma Student MSc Sustainable Business & Innovation "Seeing separated waste bins on campus during my first year made me wonder what happens to what we throw away," begins Merilin Raidma, a student on the MSc Sustainable Business & Innovation. Being a large multidisciplinary university with over 35,000 students and 8,500 employees there is indeed a lot that ends up in the organisation's waste and recycling system, though it is definitely not a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind.