The Husky Dens’ waste disposal signage is important to replace because UW draws students, staff, and faculty from across Washington, as well as many from out of state and out of the country. Many may not be familiar with how to dispose of compost in particular. Food waste is not the only area where students, staff, and faculty may be confused. While UW dining locations switched to compostable serviceware at all dining locations in 2016, many still do not fully understand how much of their serviceware is compostable. UW does not formally educate students, staff, or faculty how to dispose of waste properly. As a result, signage at bin stations is the primary form of waste education at UW. Improving bin signage is the easiest way to both improve waste education on campus and ensure that UW's compost system and switch to compostable serviceware have a real impact.

While most UW bin stations have 2D signage, putting 3D signage in the HUB is important because 3D signage is the most effective type of signage availabe by a large degree. A study by students in ENVIR 250 found that UW’s 3D displays (referred to in the study as “signs with physical items”) had the highest rate of sorting accuracy of the signage studied. Waste was disposed with 81% accuracy at bins with 3D displays, compared to just 61% accuracy for posters and 68% for videos (Chiado et al.). Replacing the interim 2D posters currently in the Husky Den food court with 3D signage could reduce the amount of waste incorrectly thrown in the trash by as much as 20%. 

In addition to educating the campus about proper waste disposal, our project will serve as a way to increase awareness of and engagement with the waste disposal process. Over the course of winter quarter, EcoReps and UW Recycling worked together to fine-tune the design of the new 3D bins. After looking at products from over 10 venders, we settled on a cleaner, more modern design that is both more attractive and easier to clean than the previous bins were. It is important the bin redesign will make the HUB’s signage more visually appealing because the change will help these already effective bins engage additional HUB users who might otherwise have dirtied or ignored the bin signage.  

Each 3D display will also engage passersby by including facts about the waste cycle – including what happens to trash, recycling, and compost after it’s thrown into a bin, as well as how landfills impact communities and the environment. To extend the reach of these displays beyond the actual stations and reach out to the larger campus, we will work on posters to draw in attention to the new bin displays. The posters will tell the story of how we designed the 3D displays and educate students, staff, and faculty about how the UW’s waste is processed.  

More broadly, this project will show the university’s support for a culture of environmental sustainability on campus. For many, compost, recycling, and trash stations are the most visible sign of UW’s commitment to environmental sustainability.