“Restore our Earth” is the Earth Day theme for 2021. UCR students, faculty and staff will be celebrating Earth Day, Earth Week and Earth Month in different ways to increase awareness and appreciate earth’s natural environment. One way to reduce our impact on our environment is by Taking the Pledge to Be a Zero Hero. Please visit https://ehs.ucr.edu/zero-waste for more information and resources.

UC Riverside experienced a reduction in per capita waste generation to 0.74 pounds, well below the 2025 target of 1.04 pounds in FY 2019-2020. This goal was achieved due to students, staff and faculty prioritizing waste reduction in the order of Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Compost to achieve the 90% diversion of our municipal waste. See more information and full report here and the policy on sustainable practices here. UC Riverside is also working on phasing out single use plastic as per the policy timetable below:

• Plastic bags in retail and food service establishments to be eliminated by Jan. 1, 2021.
• Single-use plastic dining accessories (e.g., straws, utensils, stirrers) will be eliminated and replaced with local compostable or reusable alternatives by July 1, 2021, with exceptions for accessibility needs.
• Dine-in facilities will provide reusable food service items (e.g., plates, cups, clamshell containers) for food consumed on site by July 1, 2022, and to-go facilities will provide reusable or locally compostable alternatives.
• Campus food service operations will phase out the purchase, sale and distribution of single-use plastic beverage bottles by Jan. 1, 2023 facilitated by installation of water refill stations.

UC Riverside departments and organizations are working together to achieve the zero waste diversion goal of 90% from the landfill in addition to phasing out single plastic use. Join this effort by Taking the Pledge to make UC Riverside a Zero Waste campus and “restore our earth.”

Learn more at the Office of Sustainability: https://sustainability.ucr.edu/