Accelerating a zero-waste future
Zero Waste
A zero-waste future requires a systemic approach. At Harvard, we aim to sustainably manage all waste streams—including plastics, electronics, recyclables, and organics, as well as construction, demolition, and hazardous waste—while prioritizing waste prevention and reduction.
Framework for Waste Stewardship
Zero Waste Future
In 2025, Harvard launched “Accelerating a Zero Waste Future: A Framework for Waste Stewardship,” a new plan to transition our campuses to zero waste. Developed by the Waste Stewardship Steering Committee in collaboration with University leaders, the framework prioritizes waste prevention, reduction, reuse, and responsible recovery, and aligns with Harvard’s Sustainability Action Plan.
Explore upcoming Zero Waste events:
Events
Calendar of Events
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When global meat producers market themselves as environmentally friendly, how can we separate fact from fiction? Join Assistant Attorneys General Ashley Gregor and Rita McDonough of the New York State Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau, one of the nation’s leading state-level environmental enforcers. They will pull back the curtain on corporate greenwashing, detailing their office’s high-profile legal challenges against industry giant JBS and the fight to hold corporations accountable for their climate claims. A plant-based lunch will be served. Please register here to attend in person: https://forms.gle/xpnpnZeTH1EopoGk6 |
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Join us at our Freecycle in the Smith Campus Center! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods. The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability and the Harvard Alumni Association invite you to the next installment of Harvard Voices on Climate Change, a virtual series showcasing Harvard faculty and fellows on different dimensions of the climate challenge. This session will explore the science and measurement behind forest-based carbon emission reductions. Featuring Missy Holbrook, Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry, and Benton Taylor, Associate Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, the discussion will examine how researchers measure carbon stored in forests and assess the role of forest conservation and restoration in climate mitigation. |
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The Arctic is rapidly becoming a focal point for both ecological protection and energy development. Join Trustees for Alaska Senior Staff Attorney Bridget Psarianos and Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Margaret Williams as they explore how legal frameworks shape conflicts between oil extraction and the protection of Arctic wildlife. A plant-based lunch will be served. Please register here to attend in person: https://forms.gle/RdQwQRsDVqmxS7MHA |
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The Center for the Study of World Religions’ Transcendentalism Initiative will host a special screening of Episode 2 of Henry David Thoreau, a new documentary directed by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers and produced by Ken Burns. The film is narrated by George Clooney and features voice performances by Jeff Goldblum, Meryl Streep and Ted Danson. Director Erik Ewers will introduce the film. The documentary offers a vivid, integrated portrait of Thoreau, bringing together the contemplative naturalist of Walden and the political thinker behind “Civil Disobedience.” It traces a life in which attention to the natural world and a commitment to social justice are presented as intertwined expressions of a single moral vision. |
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Charlie’s Angels is a group of Harvard-affiliates dedicated to keeping the Charles River area — one that provides us with much peace and tranquility in our hectic personal and professional lives — clean. Our river-cleanups will be hosted nearly every Saturday throughout the months of April and May from 10 to 11:30am. Clean-up sessions will be limited to 24 people, so please click on the event to register. During the week of every session an email with an itinerary and waiver will be sent to all participants. Supplies will be provided (including gloves, safety vests, trash grabbers, buckets, etc.), as well as some refreshments to celebrate our morning’s work! So, if you are interested in venturing into a life of fighting grime…join us! |
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In the speaker series Climate Action Clinic: Where Research meets Practice, we spotlight lessons learned from efforts to link knowledge and action in order to develop and advance durable, effective solutions to the climate change and sustainability challenges confronting humanity. In this discussion, the University of Michigan’s Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action Shalanda Baker presents an overview of the Michigan Futures Initiative, a framework designed to accelerate research impacts and respond to urgent climate and sustainability issues focusing on: law and policy for equitable climate and energy policy; education innovation for the next generation of climate leaders; economic impact and workforce development fora sustainable economy; industrial transformation; and systems change tackling the interconnected challenges of water, food, and energy systems. Lunch will be served from 11:30 – 12:00 pm. |
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In celebration of Earth Day, join the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative for an evening of science, nature, and adventure from the Far North. We will screen the following short films: Nuisance Bear – Canada Open to all Harvard ID holders. Please RSVP. |
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Charlie’s Angels is a group of Harvard-affiliates dedicated to keeping the Charles River area — one that provides us with much peace and tranquility in our hectic personal and professional lives — clean. Our river-cleanups will be hosted nearly every Saturday throughout the months of April and May from 10 to 11:30am. Clean-up sessions will be limited to 24 people, so please click on the event to register. During the week of every session an email with an itinerary and waiver will be sent to all participants. Supplies will be provided (including gloves, safety vests, trash grabbers, buckets, etc.), as well as some refreshments to celebrate our morning’s work! So, if you are interested in venturing into a life of fighting grime…join us! |
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As part of 2026 Earth Month, the Harvard Kennedy School will host a bike repair day for the HKS community on Wednesday, April 15th from 9 am-12 pm. Have you been holding onto a broken item in the hopes of repairing it? (Or perhaps found a nearly-working item at a Freecycle?) If so, come to our Fixit Clinic at the Cabot Science Library! With help, you’ll disassemble your item, troubleshoot the issue, and (hopefully) repair it! Register your broken item ahead of time here. Don’t have anything to fix but have some fixing expertise to share? Sign up to be a coach here! Hosted by Harvard Libraries and Harvard Recycling & Waste. Contact dailey_brannin@harvard.edu with questions. |
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Charlie’s Angels is a group of Harvard-affiliates dedicated to keeping the Charles River area — one that provides us with much peace and tranquility in our hectic personal and professional lives — clean. Our river-cleanups will be hosted nearly every Saturday throughout the months of April and May from 10 to 11:30am. Clean-up sessions will be limited to 24 people, so please click on the event to register. During the week of every session an email with an itinerary and waiver will be sent to all participants. Supplies will be provided (including gloves, safety vests, trash grabbers, buckets, etc.), as well as some refreshments to celebrate our morning’s work! So, if you are interested in venturing into a life of fighting grime…join us! Come celebrate Japanese culture amongst the Arboretum’s beautiful cherry blossoms with taiko drumming, traditional Japanese dance, Japanese games and calligraphy, family activities, and the inside scoop on the Arboretum’s own cherry collection. |
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Take action on Earth Day and join your Harvard community members and friends for a Charles River Clean-up on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 10 am to 12 pm! The Charles River Conservancy will be providing a brief education on the local watershed and provide tools and training for the morning.
Join the Harvard Office for Sustainability and Harvard Common Spaces for an Earth Day Festival on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 12 to 2 pm at the Science Center Plaza. Join us for a Freecycle at the Earth Day Festival! Drop off reusable goods you no longer need, and browse a fantastic selection of items brought by others. Find some secondhand items to gift this year. Popular items include books, clothes, and working household goods. Everyone is welcome, and no donation is necessary to shop. |
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Come to the always-popular Freecycle in Kresge Atrium next to Sebastian’s Cafe on Wednesday, April 29, 11 am-2 pm! Bring extra housewares, clothes and shoes, accessories, books, school and office supplies, or other small re-useable items in good condition. Pick up something new-to-you, make friends, and build a sustainability-minded community. |
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Charlie’s Angels is a group of Harvard-affiliates dedicated to keeping the Charles River area — one that provides us with much peace and tranquility in our hectic personal and professional lives — clean. Our river-cleanups will be hosted nearly every Saturday throughout the months of April and May from 10 to 11:30am. Clean-up sessions will be limited to 24 people, so please click on the event to register. During the week of every session an email with an itinerary and waiver will be sent to all participants. Supplies will be provided (including gloves, safety vests, trash grabbers, buckets, etc.), as well as some refreshments to celebrate our morning’s work! So, if you are interested in venturing into a life of fighting grime…join us! |
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How is Harvard reducing waste?
Harvard is taking a systemic approach to waste prevention and reduction, aiming to ensure the materials that the University purchases and handles are used effectively and for as long as possible. Harvard is also strategically preventing waste throughout our value chain, while minimizing on-campus municipal solid waste (or trash) and sustainably managing other waste streams.
We are focused on piloting solutions on campus to reduce waste. The Waste Stewardship Committee is developing guidance and resources to help Schools and Business Units create their own zero-waste plans and goals.
Harvard will continue to measure and report data annually for Harvard’s major waste streams and aims to develop a strategic zero-waste plan by the end of 2024.
Harvard Recycling & Waste Management
The primary campus waste hauler office at Harvard manages all waste streams across Harvard’s Cambridge, Allston, and Longwood campuses. Explore their resources:
More Resources from Harvard Recycling & Waste ManagementOpens new window
Piloting Solutions
A Zero-Waste Future
New life for Harvard’s compost
Compostable materials collected on Harvard’s campus are used to produce energy.
How We Operate
Harvard is accelerating new systems that enable healthier, low-carbon living—creating systems that can be scaled and adopted more broadly.
