The Stanford Zero-Wasters sifted through trash Friday in White Plaza in an effort to instigate further discussion about recycling and composting on campus, according to group member and lead audit organizer Michael Sojka ’15.

The group, one of four subsets of Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS), tracked and recorded the amount of waste in the area dumpsters of Green Library, Meyer Library and Coupa Café for several days. The Zero-Wasters then sorted through the trash in those dumpsters on Friday – wearing lab coats, gloves and goggles – to find out how much of the trash in the dumpsters could have been either recycled or composted.

The amount of trash that could have avoided the trip to the landfill is quantified by weight.

“I have not received the complete set of numbers yet, but from sorting, it appeared that there was a lot of compost that was thrown away,” Sojka wrote in an email to The Daily. “This is another sign that we need composting in all buildings.”

Approximately 15 members of the Zero-Wasters participated in the public audit, and a number of people passing by approached them during the event to see what was going on, according to Sojka.

The waste audit was part of a larger Earth Day celebration on Friday in White Plaza.

SSS acquired the garbage through Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI).

— Alice Phillips