On November 15, OSU hosted its second annual special recycling collection event in the Memorial Union Brick Mall for America Recycles Day.
The purpose of the event was to give the opportunity to recycle hard-to-recycle items all in one convenient location, as well as educate people about recycling and waste reduction all year long. Materials collected included Styrofoam, packing peanuts, film plastics, electronics, CDs and DVDs, ink and toner cartridges, household batteries and scrap metal.
A resource guide was provided that specified where all the recyclables could be taken around town, year-round. Download the handout here.
In addition to collecting recycling, passersby and those dropping off material were invited to write a message in a bottle and attach it to our “bottle igloo.” The message was a sustainability pledge: something they would like to do to be more sustainable in their everyday life.
Results
We met our goal of meeting or exceeding last year’s measurements! The volume of plastics (Styrofoam, peanuts and film) is roughly the same as in 2011. The weight of everything else is over twice as much, even when the weight of newly accepted items (ink and toner and scrap metal) is not counted.
| Material | 2011 Amount | 2012 Amount |
| Styrofoam | 5,000 gal | 5,321 gal |
| Packing peanuts | 572 gal | 250 gal |
| Film plastic | 359 gal | 299 gal |
| Electronics | 2,129 lbs | 4,609 lbs |
| CDs & DVDs | 358 lbs | 91 lbs |
| Batteries | 483 lbs | 247 lbs |
| Ink & toner | Not collected | 93 lbs |
| Scrap metal | Not collected | 218 lbs |
In total, we collected nearly 5,300 lbs plus 29 cubic yards of material, in just four hours!
The event was planned and staffed by the Waste Watchers, a volunteer team coordinated by Campus Recycling and the Student Sustainability Initiative. The team is now working on monthly Repair Fair events and the event lineup for RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition between universities that will be held January 20th through March 30th.
CATEGORIES: Campus Recycling Waste Reduction
One thought on “America Recycles Day collection event exceeds 2011 results”
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Being in the weighing business we see first hand how recycling works since many groups measure the amount they recycle by the pound. We’re doing a lot now but we have a long way to go. Nice to read about your efforts.