8. Avoid the purchase of disposables in kitchens, cafeterias, and offices.
Disposable beverage containers and dinnerware represent a growing part of the waste stream, especially at institutions with large food service operations. By minimizing the purchase and use of such disposables, universities can have a significant waste diversion impact.
Rutgers displays a special sign during such breakdowns apologizing for the use of disposables. Rutgers also posts a special sign at napkin holders asking students: how many Mercedes Benz could you buy with the money Rutgers spends on paper napkins every year? (The answer is two!) This humorous message encourages students to minimize their use of disposable napkins.

9. Provide incentives to use re-useables.
To curb the growing number of paper cups sent to the landfill (1,150,000 in 1989), Bowling Green University's food services purchased 16 ounce glasses and offered 5 and 10 cent rebates respectively for purchasing 10 and 16 ounce beverages in glass rather than paper. Serving a campus population of over 20,000, the department documented a net annual savings of more than $33,000, after accounting for the avoided purchase of disposables, avoided disposal costs, and the cost of purchasing new glasses and washing them.

10. Operate an on-campus waste exchange.
One department's waste may be another's needed products. A waste exchange is a listing of products or an actual storage area for products which may be reused. Items can include used furniture, office supplies, computer equipment, scientific equipment, boxes, and packaging material.

11. Reuse or remanufacture wooden shipping pallets.
Wood pallets used for the truckloads of products regularly delivered to campuses create a substantial amount of waste. They can be a large and bulky item in the waste stream, both expensive and awkward to dispose. However, pallets are often reuseable many times over. If not reused as pallets, pallet wood may be reused or recycled for other purposes.

12. Reuse student furniture and loft wood.
Sleeping lofts, sofas, upholstered chairs, and other furniture not owned by the university is often found in student rooms. At the end of the year, students have little opportunity to save, sell, or store their furniture, and if often gets left behind, creating a potential headache for housekeeping services, disposal crews, and the landfill operator.

13. Sponsor collection of clothing, appliances, and other items for reuse.
Students frequently have clothing, appliances, and other items which they choose not to take home when a term ends. These items can be collected as part of a standard recycling program so they may be to good use elsewhere. At Carleton College in Minnesota, clothes, books, and appliances are collected by a student volunteer group, Acting in the Community Together (ACT). ACT volunteers maintain charity boxes in dorm lounges and lobbies year-round, periodically emptying the boxes and giving the goods to local charities. Housekeeping staff occasionally inform ACT leaders if the boxes are overflowing.

14. Reuse/remanufacture laser printer toner cartridges.
Reusing laser printer toner cartridges not only extends the life of these components, it also keeps bulky and potentially hazardous wastes out of the landfill. At the University of Maine, the Central Supply office offers a toner cartridge reuse/remanufacture program for university operations. Laser printer users can return their old cartridge and its packaging, which in turn is taken for remanufacture by the recycling vendor. The users can then purchase remanufactured cartridges for 30% less than the cost of new ones.