U South Carolina Tries Out Off-Campus Housing Recycling Program
The University of South Carolina has partnered with Keep the Midlands Beautiful and Sonoco Recycling to run a trial recycling program at off-campus student housing locations. Sonoco has provided collection bins for aluminum and plastic materials and has agreed to empty them free of charge. The university's Off-Campus Student Services is working to get groups like Students Advocating a Greener Campus involved to help expand the program past the trial phase.
U Wisconsin Platteville Receives $1.18 Mil for Bio-Energy System
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Pioneer Farm has received $1.18 million for a bio-energy project to convert manure into methane used to generate electrical power. With plans to make the farm a showcase for new bio-energy technology with educational and research opportunities for students and faculty, the project will include the construction of a manure pit, solids separator, substrate holding tank, preheating and missing tank, anaerobic digester, gas scrubber and a gas-driven electrical generator. The campus farm will test other organic material in the digester including cheese whey, food waste and byproducts from biodiesel processing. The system is estimated to save the farm about $73,000 in annual energy costs and have a 14-year payback period. A $156,200 Focus on Energy grant will be awarded when the project is completed in December 2011.
U Chicago Makes Furniture from Trees Removed During Construction
Trees that were removed in preparation for a new campus library at the University of Chicago (IL) have recently reappeared as furniture on campus. Where possible, trees that were removed during the construction of the Manseuto Library were replanted nearby. The university worked with Horigan Urban Forest Products, Inc. and local woodworkers to repurpose the remaining trees that were slated for disposal into benches, conference tables and closet doors.
Austin College Hosts Community E-Waste Recycling Event
Austin College (TX) recently recycled seven pallets of electronic waste during its community e-waste recycling event as part of the college’s Great Day of Service and the Thinking Green initiative. A truck was provided by certified green recycler e-Waste Collections to accept and properly process the unwanted electrical equipment and materials for recycling. A wide variety of items were dropped off including broken air-conditioning units, computer monitors, printers, power supplies, keyboards and binding machines. Items collected will be reviewed for possible reuse or refurbishing.
Illinois State U Starts Community Composting Initiative
Illinois State University has created a community composting initiative, a public-private partnership aimed to divert food waste from landfills. Local businesses such as hotels and restaurants, as well as schools and other entities handling food will be provided an outlet to compost food waste at the university farm. The $137,000 start-up costs were covered by state grants. Midwest Fiber will serve as the program’s hauler, contracting with businesses to pick up the food waste.
John Carroll U Revamps Recycling Program
John Carroll University (OH) has begun to revamp its recycling program. The university is working to make recycling bins more distinguishable and make recycling easier and more obvious to students in residence halls. Small blue receptacles will be distributed to each student’s room. Additionally, the university renegotiated its contract with Landmark Disposal for Waste that will include the installation of scales on the truck to measure how much waste the campus generates.
U Guelph Begins Organic Power Plant
Production is expected to begin in February on an organic power plant at the University of Guelph's (ON) Ridgetown campus. The university received a $2.6 million grant through the Federal Development Agency for Southern Ontario to assist in the construction of an anaerobic digester that will turn manure and other waste into electricity. The plant will also feature a dry-feeder system, pasteurization unit and biogas engine. Biogas will be produced from several organic waste streams including dairy manure, swine manure, beef manure, corn silage and other off-farm waste that would otherwise go to a landfill.
U Pennsylvania Expands Recycling Program
The University of Pennsylvania has expanded its recycling program. The university will recycle all plastic containers and plastic types numbered one through seven. Blue Mountain Recycling has installed new equipment on campus capable of sorting and recycling beyond number one and two plastics. The university hopes that the expanded plastic recycling will boost its goal for a 40 percent campus recycling rate by 2014.
Seattle U Bans Bottled Water
As a result of a three-year, student-led initiative, Seattle University (WA) has banned the sale of bottled water on campus including vending machines, athletics concession stands, the college bookstore, on-campus restaurants and catering. Fostering students’ concern for justice and the competence to promote it; keeping water as a human right and not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit; and moving further toward its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal are the reasons listed by the university to ban the sale of bottled water.
Brigham Young U Idaho Opens New Recycling Center
Brigham Young University–Idaho has opened a new recycling center in an effort to recycle at least 30 percent of its garbage, which would equate to 261 tons a year. The center will sort the materials into seven different areas from aluminum and white paper to cardboard and plastic. Recycling efforts began when students and faculty weighed and sorted one week’s worth of garbage and found that 54 percent of garbage thrown away was recyclable. Recycling revenue and money saved from reduced garbage disposal will cover the extra costs of sorting and delivering recyclables, making the new process cost neutral for the university.
DePaul U Installs Water Bottle Refill Stations
DePaul University (IL) has installed water bottle refill stations to help reduce its plastic water bottle waste. Sponsored by the Student Government Association, the university has placed refill stations that are controlled by an electric sensor at high traffic areas throughout campus. Each station tallies the number of times the unit has refilled a water bottle, providing an idea of how many plastic bottles were prevented from ending up in a landfill.
Drury U Expands Recycling, Composting Programs
Drury University (MO) has expanded its recycling and composting efforts. The university has purchased single-stream receptacles to place throughout campus and launched a composting program to eliminate food waste. All disposable food service items will be compostable including plates, forks and cups. The university hopes to establish an in-vessel composting operation on campus in the near future.
Portland Community College Debuts Rocket Composter
As a result of student-driven research, Portland Community College (OR) has unveiled its new rocket composter. The self-contained, continuous-cycle composting unit allows the daily feeding of service ware and the harvest of compost. To speed up the process, it regulates water, temperature and humidity to facilitate four stages of the breakdown of compost. Last year, students were given the opportunity to determine where money from the college’s increased enrollment income could be used to improve the college’s infrastructure. As a result, the pilot project, if successful, will lead to the purchase of additional rocket composters.
Agnes Scott College Diverts 64% of Campus Waste from Landfills
Agnes Scott College (GA) has diverted 64 percent of its overall campus waste from landfills due to several recent sustainability initiatives. The college’s goal is to divert 80 percent of its waste from the landfill waste by June 2011, and achieve close to zero percent waste by the following year. Sustainable initiatives include a single-stream recycling program, compost program and the college has partnered with Terracycle to recycle chip and candy wrappers. Terracycle transforms the waste into a variety of products including tote bags and toys. The college also began offering reusable, plastic take-out containers to further minimize waste and in campus dining areas.
Duke U Turns Hog Waste into Energy
Duke University (NC) and Duke Energy have launched a pilot system to manage hog waste that can control greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollutants and generate renewable energy. The $1.8 million prototype system is intended to serve as a model for other hog farms seeking to manage waste and develop on-farm renewable power. Methane gas collected from an anaerobic digester will be used to generate clean energy. Grant funding came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Lagoon Conversion Program.
New York U Green Grant Increases Recycling by 178%
New York University's student-led Stern Centralized Recycling Pilot Project increased the average weight of recycled material in the Stern School of Business by 178 percent. Funded by a New York University Sustainability Task Force Green Grant, the project removed all trash cans from classrooms and placed them in public areas, pairing them with single-stream recycling receptacles.
John Carroll U Partners with Coke for Campus Recycling Efforts
John Carroll University (OH) has signed a beverage agreement with Coca-Cola. New campus vending machines conserve energy by turning off at night and Coca-Cola pledged to give the university $10,000 worth of new recycling containers in support of its recycling and sustainability initiatives.
New York U Green Grantee Collects $5,000 Worth of E-Waste
New York University's student-led “TERRE: Technical Education Reusing and Repurposing E-Waste” project diverted electronic waste from three buildings on campus and used it as raw material to run two electronic construction workshops. The student project, funded by a New York University Sustainability Task Force Green Grant, collected at least 2,061 individual electronic components, 25 devices and more than 100 feet of wire. The value of the items collected was estimated at more than $5,000. The waste stream audit suggests that the flow of surplus electronics is enough to sustain an expanded science, technology, engineering and math education program.
North Carolina State U Launches Composting Program
North Carolina State University has implemented a composting program. To reduce the possibility of contaminating the compost material, University Dining has removed all plastic utensils and trash cans in serving and seating areas of the dining halls. In kitchen areas, trash cans have been replaced with bins for trash, compost and recycling. The compost will be shipped to a nearby facility to convert the collected food waste to soil. The initiative will help the university reach its goal of diverting 65 percent of its waste from the landfill by 2015.
Ohio State U Holds Zero-Waste Event
The Ohio State University hosted its first zero-waste event. The Scarlet, Gray and Green Buckeye Bash was organized by The Ohio State University Alumni Association, in partnership with Green Columbus and Ohio State’s Department of Facilities Operations and Development. The goals were to eliminate waste, use local food and beverages, incorporate alternative energy and educate guests. The university was able to divert 96 percent of the event's waste from the landfill.
Rice U Installs Recycling Kiosk
Rice University (TX) has installed a recycling kiosk as part of a pilot project by the Greenopolis Group at Waste Management, a national company that handles the university's solid waste. The Greenopolis Group is the division of Waste Management focused on developing technologies to increase recycling levels. The kiosk is a one-year trial at the university. It is capable of storing up to 9,000 aluminum cans and 1,700 bottles. Users are able to register on the Greenopolis website to receive points that can be redeemed for rewards as an incentive for using the recycling kiosk.
Syracuse U Labs Start Recycling Plastic Foam
Laboratories at Syracuse University (NY) have launched a plastic foam recycling initiative. The student-initiated program collects cold-shipping polystyrene boxes from campus labs and the university's Physical Plant department delivers them to a local company for recycling. Since the start of the initiative this year, more than 141 boxes have been recycled.
New York U Implements Mixed Recycling System
New York University has implemented an improved mixed recycling system in an effort to increase the amount of recycled waste. The new system will allow all recyclable items including paper, glass, aluminum and cardboard to be disposed of in one labeled bin. Goods are later sorted in a new recovery facility. The expansion of the collection program includes new bins that take ink and toner cartridges, batteries, jewel cases, video tapes, cassettes, diskettes, CDs, DVDs and all types of cables.
Wake Forest U Starts New Composting Pilot Project
Wake Forest University (NC) has partnered with GaiaRecycle to launch a pilot project that will evaluate functionality, performance and operating procedures for processing and diverting on-site food scraps and other organic waste on campus. GaiaRecycle features modular systems and plant-level implementations, ranging from 220 pounds to two tons a day. The accelerated organic decomposition process is based on drying, sterilizing and grinding food scraps and organic waste while reducing waste volume and weight by up to 90 percent during its eight to 11 hour-processing cycle. The system will be used to process the waste stream from the university’s dining facility. Soil amendment and water output products will be analyzed for possible reuse in the campus composting program and for landscaping use.
Carleton U Starts Composting Program
Carleton University (ON) has debuted a new composting program. All kitchens in the University Center will begin collecting organics with compost bins placed for public use around campus. The university hopes to engage students in the composting campaign.
ESPN Launches 'College Game Day' Recycling Initiative
This college football season, ESPN's sustainability team will work to recycle as many bottles and cans as possible from ESPN College GameDay venues. ESPN will work with environmental club volunteers from host institutions to set up recycling bins and spread the word as recycling and environmental practices ambassadors. "ESPN College GameDay Goes Green" kicked off Sept. 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Ala and will continue at every ESPN College GameDay site throughout the college football season.
Suffolk U Expands Recycling Program
In an effort to increase its recycling rate, Suffolk University (MA) has expanded its campus recycling efforts to single-stream recycling. Employees, students and visitors are no longer required to sort recyclables as papers, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can go in any recycling bin on campus.
Syracuse U Launches Composting Program
Syracuse University (NY) has launched a composting program in an effort to divert several tons of food waste away from Food Services dumpster. All eight of the campus dining locations will sort and collect a variety of food waste. The waste will be delivered to Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to be turned into compost.
U Minnesota Collects State Fair Food and Farm Waste for Fuel
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have begun collecting samples of food waste and manure from the Minnesota State Fair to learn whether they can be combined with waste from the university’s campus and converted to renewable energy. The university will use an anaerobic digester to break down organic materials to produce methane gas, which can be used to fuel generators that produce electricity and heat. Solids from the process are reused as animal bedding, compost or fertilizer. The State Fair averages 1,200 tons of food waste and 2,000 tons of animal manure each year.
U Northern Iowa Implements In-Room Dorm Recycling
The University of Northern Iowa has placed recycling containers in all individual dorm rooms and the ROTH campus apartments this fall, distributing 2,800 containers throughout campus. A room in each residence hall has been designated as the collection center for sorting recycled plastic, tin, glass, cardboard and mixed paper. A pilot in-room recycling program in the university's Rider Hall was launched in 2009 with weekly measurements taken. The residents averaged less than 40 pounds per week of recycling before given individual recycling bins; after a semester of the pilot program, the average shot up to 121 pounds of recycling per week.
Jones County Junior College Receives Award for Recycling Efforts
Jones County Junior College (MS) has been awarded a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award, designed to provide education on green building and sustainability in higher education. The award was given to the college for their leadership and progress in recycling. Since partnering with Sumrall Recycling in the fall of 2009, disposal fees have been cut in half.
U Michigan Offers Single-Stream Recycling
The University of Michigan has announced plans to offer single-stream recycling. The new system will allow paper and container recyclables to be collected in the same bin. New materials that can be recycled in the program include all plastics except for No. 3, plastic grocery bags, plastic films and plastic foam.
College of William and Mary Enhances Campus Recycling
The College of William and Mary (VA) is expanding its campus-wide recycling efforts. The college has added 1,000 new recycling containers across campus to collect paper, glass, plastic bottles and aluminum or tin cans. The college will also coordinate all indoor and outdoor collection through facilities management and residential life.
Humboldt State U Expands Recycling Efforts
Humboldt State University's (CA) student-initiated Campus Recycling Program has changed its name to the Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) to reflect its growing efforts. The program now includes a reusable office supply exchange, composting, tap water promotion efforts and advocates for zero waste campus events.
Richland College Installs Grease and Oil Recycling Station
Dallas County Community College District and Dallas Water Utilities have announced the installation of a cooking grease and oil recycling station at Richland College (TX). The cooking oil and grease recycling program is part of an effort to reduce the number of sewer pipe blockages in a sustainable way. Collected cooking oil will be used to make biodiesel for Dallas County school buses.
San Francisco State U Creates Green Move-In Day
San Francisco State University (CA) students and their families were asked to reduce waste on campus to achieve a sustainable move-in. Parents were encouraged to take cardboard boxes home to be re-used, or to drop them in recycling bins behind each residence building. Coat hangers saved from last year’s residents were available for free at residence building community desks.
Wake Forest U Offers 10 Green Move-In Tips
Wake Forest University (NC) has offered 10 steps to a greener college move-in. To reduce the amount of cardboard boxes, Styrofoam packing materials and heaps of unanticipated duplicates that end up in the trash, the university offers examples including the recycling and reuse of school supplies, and the use of pillowcases and sheets to pack clothing in.
Arizona State U Expands Recycling Program
Arizona State University’s Waste Management has expanded its recycling program to help reach its goal of zero solid waste. The university is now equipped to handle pizza boxes, glass, soft plastic bags, liquid-free paper cups, vinyl banners, corrugated plastic signs, metal odds and ends and non aerosol cans. Waste Management is working to keep 90 percent of the items collected out of the landfill.
Stanford U Treats Wastewater With Rocket Science
Engineers at Stanford University (CA) have designed a self-powering wastewater treatment plant that uses rocket science to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. The university received a grant from the Woods Institute Environmental Venture Projects to research sewage treatment with the goal of making the process both energy-neutral and emissions-free. The sewage treatment process produces two greenhouse gases that power the treatment plant and a small rocket thruster. The new design has the potential to create wastewater management plants that are entirely self-sufficient.
U California San Diego Greens Print Operations
The University of California, San Diego has discontinued the use of non-recycled paper in centrally-operated, multifunctional campus copier machines as part of a larger effort to make the university’s print operations greener.
U Maryland Increases Recycling With 'Can the Can' Initiative
Within the debut month of its Can the Can program, the recycling rate at the University of Maryland's main administration building rose from 49 to 71 percent. The initiative, which began in June, encourages recycling by making it harder to throw things away. Facilities management replaced the garbage cans in every office with desktop bins the size of coffee cans with the words “This is all the garbage I make” printed on the side. The size of the trash cans make it inconvenient to throw out recyclable cans or bottles.
Middlebury College Uses Compost for Organic Maintenance
Middlebury College (VT) has started spreading compost on its natural-grass athletic fields to transition those grounds to organic maintenance practices. The college composts 10,000 pounds of food waste from its dining halls and residential houses annually, measuring to 1,500 cubic yards of compost.
Vanderbilt U Improves Student Move-In Day Recycling Efforts
As students return to Vanderbilt University (TN) in the fall, the university will offer plastic film recycling in addition to the cardboard and plastic foam recycling offered previously. Last year, two 26-foot trucks were filled with plastic foam and 7.5 tons of cardboard were recycled. To help divert water bottles from the landfills, the university will also provide 12 water cooler filling stations instead of handing out water bottles.
U Tennessee Starts Compost Initiative
The University of Tennessee has created a pilot composting program from on-campus, pre-consumer waste and leftovers from the campus cafeteria. Coffee is also collected from both campus locations of Starbucks. The university expects to compost all food items by the spring and currently sends it to a student-run organic farm. The university is looking to purchase a $230,000 wood grinder to assist in the expansion of the program.
Cal Poly Pomona Introduces Recycling Dream Machine to Campus
Cal Poly Pomona (CA) has installed three recycling Dream Machines on campus. The kiosks feature a wireless Internet connection that allows users to learn more about recycling, accumulate rewards points and keep track of their recycling activities. Starting in the fall, points can be redeemed for discounts around campus, or for entertainment, dining and travel coupons at Greenopolis.com. The university hopes to recycle 20,000 bottles and cans by December.
Emory U Diverts 68 Tons of Animal Bedding from Landfills
Emory University (GA) has announced the diversion of more than 68 tons of animal bedding from Georgia landfills since the start of its composting program in November 2009. The bedding, which consists of wood waste and is used primarily with campus lab rats and mice, used to be incinerated or buried in landfills. Now the university has partnered with Greenco Environmental, which handles the composting of non-infectious animal bedding materials and campus food waste. To date, 196 combined tons of animal bedding and food waste have been collected from the university and sent to Greenco. The campus plans to divert 95 percent of its bedding materials from landfills by 2015.
U Mississippi Uses Biodiesel for Lawnmowers
The University of Mississippi has started using 20 percent biodiesel fuel to operate all campus mowers. The biodiesel fuel is made by research technicians at the University of Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute, who say that the new practice should cut campus lawnmower pollution by as much as 50 percent. Seven industrial lawnmowers use biodiesel and the landscaping crew is also experimenting with biodiesel in small engine machinery.
U Chicago Recycling Event Collects 22,680 Pounds of E-Waste
The University of Chicago (IL) has announced that 22,680 pounds of recyclable materials were collected during the university's first electronic waste recycling event. Among the unwanted items dropped off by community members and university staff, faculty and students were TVs, radios, cell phones, DVD players, vacuum cleaners and almost 700 pounds of plastic foam. By properly recycling electronic waste, materials were diverted from the landfill and the contaminants often found in these products were prevented from leaching into the water supply.
U Notre Dame Purchases New Recycling Compactors
The University of Notre Dame has purchased new single-stream recycling compactors. Eighteen trash-to-recycling compactors have been distributed across campus, with more compactors scheduled for installation in heavily-used buildings. The single-stream compactors have been converted to handle the increasing volume of recyclable materials, making it easier for people on campus to recycle.
Smith College Pilots Reusable Pizza Box Program
Smith College (MA) has announced a pilot program to implement reusable, plastic pizza boxes on campus. In partnership with local restaurant Pizza Amore, the initiative will circulate three plastic carry-out containers. Each container is estimated to last for 500 uses and can be recycled at the end of their usability. The University hopes to employ reusable containers on campus for other types of food in the future.
