Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – And Beyond!
Minimizing waste and responsibly managing our purchases through end-of-life is essential to reducing our impact on the environment and improving public health, particularly as it relates to environmental justice concerns in Baltimore.
One important area is food and dining, which contributes significantly to climate change and sustainability through greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and transportation. Students and employees are also increasingly interested in healthy and sustainable food options and want to support local vendors, growers, and entrepreneurs, offering impactful solutions for the health of our planet and communities.
Throughout our business activities, our purchasing decisions present a significant opportunity to align with our sustainability values, which include a greater emphasis on supporting our HopkinsLocal vision and regional economic partnerships. JHU recognizes the importance of these opportunities and is committed to strengthening a culture of responsible consumption.
GOAL 7. Commit JHU on a Pathway to Zero Waste
JHU is committed to increasing our waste stream diversion to 50% by 2030, achieving zero preconsumer food waste at all dining and retail locations, and eliminating single use plastics in dining and retail locations with available alternatives.
In 2021, Johns Hopkins Facilities and Real Estate implemented a Construction and Demolition Waste Management Policy to require tracking, recycling, and reuse guidelines to divert waste from university construction projects. Specifically, this policy sets a 75% recycling requirement for all projects pursuing 3rd party green certification and establishes protocols to collect and redistribute furniture and materials to other JHU projects, the Hop Reuse Hub, or for donation to local charities or outside vendors.
TerraCycle is a program that collects and turns hard-to-recycle items into new products. While Terracycle items cannot go in the hallway recycling bins, students can place empty bathroom products like toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, hair care packaging, and cosmetic containers in the designated bins in residence hall lobbies and laundry rooms. Staff on the Homewood Campus can submit a work order to have writing utensils like pens and markers, food packaging like energy bar wrappers and coffee bean bags, and oral care items like toothpaste and toothbrushes picked up.
Campus events are an essential element of university life and culture; however, they can generate large amounts of waste. Steps can be taken by event planners to reduce waste and divert materials from the incinerator or landfill to compost and recycling. Learn about ways to plan a green event and promote sustainability while gathering with friends or colleagues.
JHU’s world-leading research produces hundreds of tons of laboratory waste annually. While much of this waste is required to be disposed as biohazardous waste, certain lab products can be diverted from landfill and incineration through specialty recycling or composting programs. Learn more.
The Hop Reuse Hub is a surplus furniture program established in 2013 to reduce waste by encouraging the use of quality, secondhand furniture previously owned by JHU departments. The program plays an important role in JHU’s reuse initiatives and helps save the university money by allowing departments to avoid the purchase of new furniture. Since its inception, the program has avoided the disposal of over 400,000 pounds of furniture and donated $100,000 worth of items to local non-profits.
All Homewood Campus cafés are committed to providing a discount to those who bring their own reusable cups and mugs! Find more sustainability tips on our Live Sustainably page.
GOAL 8. Leverage Our Food Systems to Enhance Sustainable Production, Consumption, and Local Economies
Hopkins is working to increase sustainable food procurement and consumption habits, expand local food procurement in the university’s dining programs, and leverage dining programs for translational education and research.
Johns Hopkins is the founding member of the Free Food Alert— an innovative platform established by three JHU students in 2017 to reduce food waste from campus events. Recently redeveloped, this platform provides a mobile alert system for notifying JHU community members of excess event food. Subscribe to send and receive Free Food Alerts below!
JHU affiliates and Baltimore community members alike can drop off their compost on the Homewood campus (at the Mudd/Levi lot behind Mudd Hall) and on the East Baltimore campus (in front of CRBII), both available 24/7. Find a Baltimore City food scrap drop-off location near you!
In September 2023, JHU partnered with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works to expand their Residential Food Scrap Drop-Off Program. With funding from a USDA-administered grant that DPW received, JHU established two new sites expanding access to composting across the city. Since the program’s start, over 4,900 lbs of waste have been collected and composted from 626 visits. While that initial grant ended in March 2025, the JHU drop-off program continues.
The Weigh Your Waste initiative promotes food waste reduction and sustainability on campus by encouraging students to be mindful of their plate waste. Using peer-to-peer education, we hope to change students’ behaviors in our dining halls in a respectful, guilt-free way. Last year, we saw an average 20% decrease in total waste and 25% decrease in edible food waste over the course of the campaign.
GOAL 9. Foster a Culture of Responsible Procurement
JHU is taking steps to adopt sustainable procurement practices and education across the university.
Recycling & Composting Guidelines
Help contribute to JHU’s waste reduction and diversion efforts by recycling and composting properly on campus.
