The Office of Sustainability provides oversight for the waste and waste diversion programs on behalf of the UWM campus. Collectively, this includes contract management for UWM’s 100+ dumpsters and serving as a central point of contact between the campus community and our waste hauling service provider.
For any of the following requests, please contact UWMWasteManagement-Group@uwm.edu:
- Overflowing, blocked, or damaged dumpsters
- Missed services or issues with vendor waste services
- Requests for relocating dumpsters due to construction, projects, and/or special events
- Requests for new or temporary dumpsters
- Changes in dumpster service schedules
- Other dumpster related concerns or issues
Additionally, the Office of Sustainability operates UWM’s recycling, surplus, and composting programs which divert over 1 million pounds of waste from landfills annually. You can learn more about these and other services in our Annual Reports.
What Goes in a Dumpster?
Environmental Services staff and Facilities staff are the only staff at UWM who should be placing waste into campus dumpsters. Waste should be bagged prior to being placed in building dumpsters.
What Should Not Go in Dumpsters?
The following list of items should not go in dumpsters, either because UWM has waste diversion programs in place for these items or because it is illegal and/or a safety hazard to dispose of certain materials in landfills. Please review the Department of Natural Resources website for a more detailed list.
- Appliances, including but not limited to: refrigerators, freezers, toasters, microwaves, stoves, coffee makers, washing machines, etc. These items often contain hazardous materials such as coolant and must be sent to Surplus for proper disposal. Please coordinate with your department to submit a Surplus Declaration Form.
- Electronics, including but not limited to: computers, monitors, televisions, phones, any devices which are operated by batteries, plug-in cables, or other power sources. Even if broken, these items require proper handling and must be sent to Surplus. Please coordinate with your department to submit a Surplus Declaration Form.
- Construction debris and building materials, including but not limited to: lumber, insulation, carpet, drywall, piping, conduit, etc.
- Construction debris and loose debris should only go into large “20-yard” or “30-yard” open top dumpsters. If you are unsure what that means, you likely should not be using a dumpster! Contact us instead: UWMWasteManagement-Group@uwm.edu. If these materials go in the incorrect dumpster, UWM is charged a fine.
- Chemicals and Hazardous Waste: If you have chemicals or hazardous waste, please contact University Safety & Assurances: hazwaste@uwm.edu.
- Laboratory Equipment and Capital Assets: Even if broken these items require proper handling and must be sent to Surplus. Please coordinate with your department to submit a Surplus Declaration Form.
- Universal Waste, including toner and ink cartridges, batteries, light bulbs/lamps, paint – see the Quick Guide Disposal for more details.
- Carboard, Paper, Bottles, and Cans: While there are exceptions to this rule, generally these items should be recycled in blue bins on campus. Visit our recycling page to learn more!
- Furniture: if you have furniture, even if broken, please submit these to UWM Surplus. The Surplus program manages 29 distinct waste, metal scrap, and specialty recycling streams to divert even broken furniture from ending up in the landfill. Please contact uwmsrpls@uwm.edu if you have any questions about furniture prior to disposal.
- Review this Quick Fact Disposal Guide for more details on different types of waste and what to do with them at UWM.
History of Waste Diversion at UW-Milwaukee
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