Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability

The Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM is a research hub developing sustainable solutions for waste and materials management that reduce pollution and create economic opportunities.

Overview

Transitioning to a more circular economy where materials are recycled to reduce pollution and create further value is central to human prosperity and environmental responsibility. However, this transition presents several challenges that require innovative solutions.

The Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability brings together leading scientists, engineers and waste management sector experts to address these challenges. It builds on three decades of collaboration between UVM and Casella Waste Systems, Inc. on research to reduce the environmental impact of waste. These efforts include decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from waste management systems, assessing and mitigating emerging contaminants that can pose obstacles to circularity, and life cycle assessments to clarify environmental costs and benefits. 

UVM Research Raju Badireddy in a lab wearing a white lab coat and blue gloves working with a test tube

Leading Experts

Drawing on expertise from UVM faculty, students, and industry partners, the Center addresses challenges as they emerge in real-time in the waste management sector.
A Casella truck on UVM's campus

Industry Collaboration

Creating stronger partnerships between industry and academia, the Center is built on collaborative relationships and expands UVM's circular economy research to find solutions that benefit the public and environment.
A group of UVM students in the RSENR ecodesign lab smiling and posing for a group photo

Benefit to Communities

Addressing the urgent need for practical solutions that work for people and planet, the Center's focus is to create more sustainable means for managing the materials that support everyday life.
Rows of steaming soil in a farm field on a sunny day

World Class Research Hub

The Center serves as an interdisciplinary hub for research, workshops, and lectures on sustainable waste and materials management, resource solutions, climate leadership, and community engagement.

Director

Eric Roy wearing a blue jacket and white shirt

Eric Roy

Associate Professor • Director of the Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability • Gund Institute for Environment Fellow

eric.roy@uvm.edu

Instructional programs: Environmental Sciences; Sustainability, Ecology, & Policy
Research: Nutrient biogeochemistry & management, Circular bioeconomy, Ecological engineering & design, Life cycle assessment, Green infrastructure, Emerging contaminants, Soil & water sciences, Waste management, Agricultural & biological engineering

Research Staff

Research Staff

Headshot of Tiffany Chin

Tiffany Chin, Research Coordinator, Tiffany.Chin@uvm.edu

 

Research Specialist coming soon.

Faculty Affiliates

Appala Raju Badireddy

Appala Raju Badireddy

Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Water Quality Engineering, Membrane Separation Processes, Resource Recovery from Solid- and Liquid-Waste, Environmental Photochemistry

Headshot of Hao Chen

Hao Chen

Assistant Professor

Soil Chemistry

CEMS Acting Dean Mandar Dewoolkar

Mandar Dewoolkar

Acting Dean, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences • Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering; transportation geotechnics, hazard mitigation; geotechnical aspects of space exploration; cultural preservation; engineering education

Joshua-Faulkner

Joshua Faulkner

Research Associate Professor • Director, Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab

Climate change impacts and adaptation in Northeastern agricultural systems; Treatment of agricultural wastewater and best management practices for control of nonpoint source pollution; Field scale hydrology and water management in agricultural landscapes; Fate and transport of nutrients in soil and water.

Meredith Niles

Meredith Niles, PhD

Professor

  • Food Systems Sustainability
  • Food Security
  • Farmer Behavior
  • Social-Ecological Systems

Matt Scarborough

Matthew J. Scarborough

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Biological Wastewater Treatment, Anaerobic Bioprocessing of Wastes, Landfill Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation, Microbiome Engineering, Modeling of Microbiomes.