Reuse: Economic Sustainability 
- Ninety-five percent of the mulch Campus Services uses is produced on-campus, allowing the university to meet almost all of its mulch needs through in-house production. To make up any difference, Iowa State also accepts donations from community members and organizations that have leftover mulch from projects.
- TreeCYcle is a program that ensures all suitable downed campus trees are
salvaged for lumber to be reused for class projects and various campus initiatives.
- When moving out of campus housing, students are encouraged to participate in the Move Out Donation Program. The program enables students to place unwanted items such as housewares and non-perishable foods in easy-to-find drop-off sites. The Department of Residence (DOR) then partners with community non-profits such as Goodwill, which sells, donates or recycles, all donations to ensure donations are not landfilled. This annual effort is organized with assistance from the DOR's student sustainability team, Central Stores and Facilities Planning & Management.
- Used grease from ISU Dining facilities is sold to ISU BioBus, a student organization that makes biodiesel from reclaimed vegetable oil and supplies it to CyRide for use in some of their Cybrid transit vehicles that serve Iowa State University and the community of Ames, providing a beneficial use for a waste product and reducing disposal costs.
- BYOC! Save $0.35 per coffee drink for bringing your own cup to any ISU Dining location. Using reusable containers saves money for customers, as well as operations, through not purchasing disposable cups, lids and sleeves.
- ISU Surplus provides an outlet to university departments and business units, as well as individuals and communities, for purchasing used items instead of investing money and budgets on new items.