Campus Recycling Promotion and Education

1
Campus RecyclingPromotion and Education

• CURC Webinar series, January 2008
• Bill Rudy, Brigham Young University
• recycling_at_byu.edu

2
BYU Overview

• 30,000 undergrads, 3,000 graduate students
• 7,500 live on campus in 157 residence halls
• 25 married
• 33 from Utah, another third from western states
• Recycling is expanding in Utah. Curbside
  recycling started again in our county within the
  last five years after failing in the 1990s.
• We are a conservative campus in everything from
  political attitudes to social behavior. For
  example, posters can only be placed on bulletin
  boards and must first be cleared through campus
  or college offices.

3
BYU Recycling and Waste Operations

• We collect and process our own recycling and
  garbage
• All custodians are BYU employees
• Recycling employs
• Two half time student drivers to collect paper
  toters
• Three or four half time students who sort paper
  in our MRF.
• One full time supervisor
• One promotion and record keeping person
• Our garbage truck or heavy equipment operators
  collect cardboard dumpsters or rolloffs.
• Gardening and heavy equipment crews take care of
  our composting and metal recycling.

4
Talks and Training Sessions

• Tell them what you see, they will ask what to do
• One-on-one
• Group custodial training (15 minutes/year)
• RA staff training (5 minutes a semester)
• Summer camp counselors (5 minutes/year)
• Lunch and plastic clothing (NAPCOR) fashion show
  (broader vision and more fun)

5
Cheap Give-aways

• Bookmarks (1990s)
• Stress balls/earth balls (good for throwing)
• Flashlights, yo-yos
• T-shirts (ARD, student created)
• Flowers (secretaries)
• Tote bags (campus housing, custodians, faculty
  moves and class bags, student to student for
  shopping
• Make sure delivery method is part of your plan.

6
Competitions

• Dorm vs Dorm (pizza or cash prizes, the organized
  win, and over zealous competitors)
• Recycle Mania
• has helped staff connect with recycling
• Web site provides great posters
• Office vs Office (measuring difficulties pay off
  with high interest and competitiveness)

7
Demonstrations

• Buying recycled seminar (initial flop)
• Free shredding brought shredder to quad
• Stack paper bales on campus (now a trademark,
  became a stage this last fall)

8
Events and Recognitions

• Dance/pledge drive (attracted the converted)
• Sprite can costume (so good it disappeared)
• Hunger Banquet
• Patagonia fleece jacket to custodian (too
  limited)
• Recycled glass candy jars (monthly custodian
  award)

9
Mass Media Opportunities

• Send out press releases
• Take photos, youll make the front page
• Always take time to talk with student reporters
• E-mail new faculty
• Web site answer local questions, connect with
  local concerns and culture

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Students, Faculty, Administration

• Environment clubs (tabling, student to student,
  posters, business cards)
• Political and other clubs
• MRF tours
• Waste and Recycling Power Point for faculty
• Class projects (garbage sorts and tracking,
  newspaper utilization, recycling habits survey,
  cost-benefit analysis)
• Presidents recycling bin

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On the drawing board

• Belt buckle award (rodeo style)
• Recycle Mania congressional alma maters
• Turn in your trash can and get a tote bag of
  recycled products