Recycling

USD Recycling is partnering with Waste Management to introduce a single-stream toter system. This system allows our campus community to place certain, clean items in specially marked recycling toters on campus. We encourage you to use your building's paper shredder for sensitive documents. If you have stacks of heavy paper or books, please box them and place them next to the toters for our recycling team to pick up. Flattened Cardboard that doesn't fit in the toters can be placed behind them.

The following items can be recycled:

Get more recycling tips

Aramark Green Dining

Aramark launched a campaign to reduce waste across campus and at their retail locations by expanding reusable offerings, partnering with national brands and suppliers, encouraging consumer behavior change and prioritizing additional categories.

Single-Use Plastic Straw Reduction

• Residential: Plastic straws are not offered in residential dining.
• Retail: Green options are available, and consumers are encouraged to opt out of taking a straw at retail locations. 
• Catering: Plastic straws will not be provided unless requested. 

Learn More

Green Building & Planning

New buildings on campus are designed to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards as defined by the U.S. Green Building Council.

USD LEED Buildings

Green Product Purchasing

The university follows State of South Dakota policies and procedures for purchasing green products:

• Paper Products & Printing
  Institutions shall specify products that meet at least one of the following requirements when procuring any paper product or requesting bids or quotes for any printing project: (1) Green Seal certified; (2) Ecologo certified; or (3) Comply with the minimum requirements for recycled content as published in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines.
• Cleaning and Maintenance Products
  Institutions shall specify products that meet at least one of the following requirements when procuring any cleaning or maintenance product: (1) Green Seal certified; (2) Ecologo certified; (3) Designated for preferred procurement through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Designed for the Environment Safer Product Labeling Program by meeting the requirements of the EPA's DfE Standard for Safer Cleaning Products (SSCP); (4) Determined to be biobased products using ASTM Method D6866, 10 Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis. (5) Certified as meeting or exceeding any of the other requirements listed in this section by an independent and knowledgeable third party based on standardized test procedures.
• Electronic Products
  Institutions shall specify products that meet at least one of the following requirements when procuring energy consuming products:(1) Energy Star qualified; (2) Green Seal certified; or (3) Ecologo certified.

President's Committee on Sustainability

Submit the following form to help us in our commitment to the environment by offering your comments, suggestions or volunteer time to the President's Committee on Sustainability.