Universities and colleges in the USA often have populations of students, staff and faculty that rival small cities. As a result, a large amount of trash is produced on a daily basis. By running a school-wide recycling program, you can help ensure that the amount of trash that ends up in landfills is reduced, and that recyclable items are turned into new products. A school-wide recycling program is also an educational opportunity for the students to learn more about environmentally-friendly practices. Your first stop should be at our College Campus Recycling Containers page. Once you've had a chance to browse some options, here are four tips that can help you build a successful recycling program for your college or university:
1. Put Recycling Bins in Accessible Places
Having recycling bins in the right places can make all the difference when it comes to getting your fellow students to recycle. Having recycling bins in the residence halls of dormitories is a great place to start, and having the right recycling containers can make a big difference as well. The Simple Sort recycling bin collection offers customizable recycling stations, which can include bins for bottles & cans, organic compostables, paper, and other trash. The Kaleidoscope collection offers attractive, customizable recycling station options as well, with bins that can handle recyclables, trash, paper, and cans & bottles. The compact Two-Stream Kaleidoscope recycling container is another option, especially if space for a larger station is not available. Other areas on school campuses that can provide accessible locations to recycle include classrooms, cafeterias, and faculty lounges.
2. Reflect Your School's Spirit and Aesthetic
When you're considering introducing recycling bins to your school's campus, choosing bins that reflect the look and feel of your school's campus can make them an aesthetically pleasing part of your school's environment. For campuses with a more classical look and architectural style, the Aristata collection offers schools recycling bins that blend in well with a more traditionally-styled campus. Should your campus have a modern edge, then the Precision collection provides schools with recycling bins that have a sleek, modern design. Other recycling bin collections with a modern look include the Glaro collection and the Echelon collection.
3. Provide Sustainable and Functional Recycling Options
The point of providing recycling bins on your school campus is to offer students sustainable ways to dispose of their waste. An important aspect of this is the functionality of your recycling bins. The Stadium collection is a great option for areas like football stadiums, campus plazas, and other large areas that need to be able to handle a large of foot traffic. Other large-capacity recycling bins, such as the ErgoCan XL with Dome Lid, are able to handle high volumes of recyclables. All containers in the ErgoCan collection come with free, customizable graphic designs, providing your school's campus with recycling bins that are as eye-catching as they are eco-friendly.
4. Be a Part of Something Bigger
Schools across America have participated in recycling programs, utilizing a variety of resources to handle their recyclable waste load. Recycle Away has compiled a list of these resources available for you to use, available here. Have your college or university take part in something bigger, and help educate your school about recycling and better waste management. Recycle Away is a sponsor of the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), an organization dedicated to helping collegiate recycling programs get the information and support they need.
Recycle Away has provided recycling bins to over forty college campuses and universities. No matter what your school's recycling bin needs are, our in-house recycling experts would love to help find the recycling bins and options you'll need to run an effective on-campus recycling program.