Waste reduction and management

Skidmore's comprehensive waste program helps minimize the negative environmental, economic, and social costs of our waste system by responsibly managing campus materials and limiting our contributions to landfills. Skidmore currently recycles or reuses mixed office paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum, tin, electronics, batteries, fryer oil, light bulbs, ink and toner cartridges, and furniture. We hope to reach a 60% diversion rate by 2025.

 

• Routine Waste and Recycling: Skidmore's Zero-sort recycling allows users to place all recyclable material (paper, cardboard, metals, glass and plastics) in one bin, making recycling much easier for our community.  Please see the image below for more information about what is currently accepted in the recycling containers located in offices and public spaces across campus.

Electronics Recycling: Skidmore will recycle, free of charge, all College-owned and student-owned electronics. College employees may contact Facilities Services to collect recyclables from offices. Students may recycle personal electronics by placing items in the Wait Hall basement (please contact Campus Safety for access). Read more about e-waste and the opportunities to recycle in Saratoga County and on campus on our E-waste webpage. 

Battery and Ink/Toner Recycling: Batteries and college-owned ink/toner cartridges can be recycled in the green recycling cabinet located a few steps past the Post Office Window in Case Center. We accept nickelcadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and rechargeable batteries. Lead-acid batteries are recycled on campus, but a work order should be submitted to Facilities Services for collection. This location does not accept wet cell, magnesium, mercury dry, zinc air mercury, or lithiumprimary batteries. Alkaline batteries are also not accepted in the recycling program and should be discarded in landfill container (following New York State guidelines).

Food Waste and Composting: The College manages three separate organic waste programs, including:

• Apartment Composting: Students living in the Northwoods and Sussman Apartment Villages may participate in the student-run Skidmore Compost program. Each apartment receives a small apartment compost bin at the beginning of every school year to collect food scraps. Paper bin liners are also available in apartment laundry rooms to keep bins clean. Food scraps may be dropped in the blue compost bins outside of every building. Student managers and volunteers will pick-up food waste each week. The compost generated by this program is used at the Skidmore Community Garden. A full list of acceptable and non-acceptable items can be found here. If you are missing an apartment bin or have questions, please contact the program managers at compost@skidmore.edu.
• Larger-Scale Composting:  Students help manage our larger-scale compost site located about 1-mile from campus. This program composts landscaping debris, horse manure, and coffee-grounds from the Skidmore's coffee shops. The compost generated at this site is used on the college's landscaped beds.
• Dining Hall Composting: All pre-consumer food waste is collected and composted by our partner, Natural Upcycling. This program diverts around 10,000 pounds from the landfill each month.
• Surplus Food Donation: FeedMore, a student-club, partners with the Dining Hall to collect surplus food from Dining Services to donate to local organizations, helping to address food insecurity in Saratoga Springs.

Give+Go Program: What you don't want, someone else might need. The Give+Go is an annual program designed to capture used goods students leave behind at the end of the year and bring them to local and regional nonprofits where the goods can be either reused or resold. This program diverts tons of material from the landfill and gives Skidmore students an opportunity to give back to their community. Over one hundred tons of material have been diverted from entering the landfill and are instead donated to local, regional and international agencies.

Skidmore currently partners with Trinity Alliance, Capital City Rescue Mission, and Backstretch Employee Service Team to collect and donate goods.

Residence hall and classroom renovation project donation: In addition to the many items donated by students in the Give+Go, the college also donates furniture and appliances that are being replaced during renovations to classrooms and student housing.