The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has a dedicated Office of Waste Management (OWM) that operates the Waste Recovery and Transfer Facility. The facility processes and recycles various materials from the campus and the surrounding community, such as paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic, wood, and organic waste. The OWM also manages the disposal of hazardous and universal waste, such as batteries, fluorescent lamps, and electronic devices. The OWM works closely with the Amherst Transfer Station and Recycling Center, which is open to the public three days a week and accepts household trash, bulky items, yard waste, and recyclables. The OWM's mission is to reduce the environmental impact of waste generation and disposal at UMass Amherst and beyond.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university that offers a variety of academic programs and natural areas for its students and visitors. The campus is divided into three distinct zones: upland, midland, and lowland, each with its own topography and character. The campus natural systems include soils, hills, plateaus, floodplains, wetlands, open spaces, forests, and arboretums. These natural areas provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, and sustainability research. The university is also committed to reducing its environmental impact and has been ranked among the top 20 green colleges by the Princeton Review.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research university in Amherst and the sole public land-grant university in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it is the flagship and the largest campus in the University of Massachusetts system, as well as the first established. It is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College.

The University's campus is situated on 1,450 acres, mainly in the town of Amherst, but also partly in the neighboring town of Hadley. The campus extends about 1 mile from the Campus Center in all directions and may be thought of as a series of concentric rings, with the innermost ring harboring academic buildings and research labs, surrounded by a ring of seven residential areas and two University-owned apartment complexes. These include North Apartments, Sylvan, Northeast, Central, Orchard Hill, Southwest, Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex, as well as the two University-owned apartment complexes, North Village and Lincoln Apartments. These are in turn surrounded by a ring of athletic facilities, smaller administration buildings, and parking lots.