HSG Students Launch Project to Reduce Waste on Campus

Hundreds of events take place at HSG every year. The approximately 150 student clubs organize cocktail receptions, workshops, and social events, as do the roughly 40 institutes and numerous researchers. This generates waste such as leftover food, packaging, and unwanted giveaways. “We want to help reduce the amount of waste on campus,” say HSG students Marina Butler Cerisola and Melanie Moser. Together with Carolin Einicke, Lejla Mamaj, and Michelle Rütsche, they have therefore launched the “Zero Waste” project as part of the “Integrative Sustainability Management” (SuM-HSG) bachelor’s certificate program.

Unclear Procedures as a Problem

The students’ analysis shows that waste at HSG is not primarily a problem of individual behavior. It is often generated earlier in the process. For example, when too much food is ordered for an event as a precaution, when it is unclear who is responsible for leftover items, or when student clubs fail to systematically manage their inventory. “It’s often unclear who is responsible for the leftovers,” says Moser. Added to this are regular changes in the executive boards of student clubs, which result in a loss of knowledge and responsibility.

The students are placing a special focus on Orientation Week. During this time, around 2,000 new HSG students encounter numerous events, organizers, and partners in just a few days. This also includes students receiving free giveaways. During StartWeek 2026, a “Goodie Exchange Table” will therefore be set up for the first time, where unwanted items can be dropped off and taken by other students. And in the future, instead of handing out multiple flyers for events, only one flyer with a QR code will be distributed.

Orientation Week as a Catalyst

During Orientation Week, around 2,000 new students, divided into groups, get their first taste of HSG and its campus culture. “We want to help ensure that students handle waste responsibly right from the start,” says Butler Cerisola. That’s why the project team provides group leaders with information on recycling and waste prevention at HSG and in St. Gallen, which they then share during Orientation Week. The Swiss recycling system can be unfamiliar, especially for international students, says Moser.

However, the students don’t want to stop at simply appealing to students. “If we only try to change the behavior of individuals, we’re not going far enough,” says Butler Cerisola. A first step, therefore, is the systematic measurement of waste during StartWeek 2026 and also during the current 2026–2027 academic year. In the future, plans include weighing household waste and tracking PET and aluminum by the number of bags. This will create, for the first time, a database that allows for comparisons of waste volumes and subsequent measures.

Collaboration with the HSG Facilities Management

To this end, the students are collaborating with the HSG Facility Services. “Measuring waste is the first step,” says René Schoch, Head Real Estate at HSG. Based on this, decisions can later be made about where to focus efforts. “The collaboration with the students is valuable to us. They can develop creative approaches and provide us with external input.”

The HSG Real Estate Department has already implemented various measures for waste prevention and recycling. These include recycling stations on campus and the switch from liquid to bar soap. Even the toilet paper on campus is sustainable; it is produced without using virgin wood pulp.

In the long term, the students want to expand the project. One proposed measure is a platform through which student organizations can share leftover food and other products with one another. They also plan to make better use of the existing option to obtain surplus food via the HSG Student Union’s campus app.

What will remain when the students leave?

The project’s actual goal goes beyond individual measures: The students want to create a system that will continue to function even after they graduate. Waste measurement is to be institutionalized, and the approach is to be expanded in the long term from StartWoche to other events at HSG. “Our idea is for SuM students to take over the project after us and carry it forward,” says Butler Cerisola.