The University of Utahs Recycling Effort

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The University of UtahsRecycling Effort
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• What the U is doing to promote recycling on campus

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Expanded Program

• The recycling program on campus was recently
  expanded, which improved on the original
  centralized recycling system that started
  February 2007. The U now has more bins and has
  added more recycling opportunities for people on
  campus.

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We now have

• 5,500 personal bins
• 1,700 classroom bins
• 400 curbside totes

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FOR PAPER !
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What paper products can be recycled on campus?
There are two different types of paper bins, each
takes a specific types of paper
Office Pack
Mixed Pack
Basic white paper, envelopes, very light colored
copy paper
Brightly colored paper, newspaper, catalogs,
magazines
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• Very new to the U is the addition of bins for
  can and plastic bottle recycling, we have

70 bins for aluminum recycling 135 bins for
plastic recycling (both PET 1 and 2)
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Challenges

• Several aspects of recycling pose challenges to
• the success of our recycling program.

First, because our paper recycling bins consist
of two groups (office pack and mixed pack), often
students put the wrong paper products in the
wrong bin and even put things in the bin that can
be contaminants (i.e. food wrappers, disposable
coffee cups, etc). If a bin has been contaminated
with these types of products, staff are forced to
toss all the contents of the bin in the trash!
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Challenges

• Second, because the Salt Lake City recycling
  program is a toss-all-in-the-bin curbside pick up
  endeavor, and the U program is not set up that
  way, there is some confusion about what can be
  recycled and where.
• Students recycle products at their homes but
  throwing them all in the same bin and then come
  up to campus and are forced to look for specific
  bins to put their recyclables in. Because of
  this, to recycle properly on campus students must
  get into the habit of knowing where to put
  certain things, which is not necessary when they
  are at home.

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Challenges

• Because recycling on campus is relatively new
  and evolving, there are many recyclables that
  cannot be disposed of properly on campus. This
  forces students to either bring those products
  home and put them in their residential bin or
  toss them in the trash if they choose not to
  carry them around all day.
• To make recycling very efficient, we must make
  it convenient for students to properly dispose of
  their items. Unfortunately, many will not recycle
  if it requires too much effort for them to do so.

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Economic Challenges

• Currently, the University of Utah is paying to
  have recycling taken. The value of recycled
  products will not increase until the economy
  comes out of this recession.
• Consumers must demand recycled products in order
  to make it viable.

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The Bright Side!!!

• The U has made a lot of progress since the
  start of the initial recycling program on campus.
  We will continue to move in a positive direction
  through events, education and improvement. People
  are recycling on campus! We expect that even more
  students will join in once they are educated on
  the energy-saving benefits of recycling and once
  proper disposal is even more convenient on campus!