Improvements to UK Recycling Program

The goal of the University of Kentucky’s recycling program is to increase the University’s recycling and waste diversion rates. A best management practice towards increasing recycling is to use consistent recycling containers throughout campus, placed in key convenient locations. Our proposed project includes the purchase and placement of outdoor and indoor containers, consistent with what is found throughout the rest of the campus, in the Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, and in the Singletary Center for the Arts, making recycling consistent and convenient in these facilities. Improving data collecting and recording is needed to help the UK Recycling program measure how much material processed. Acquiring scales for our facilities will improve our data and weight collection on different recycling waste streams, and will help us assess the program’s progress. Lastly, education and promotion of recycling is key to increasing recycling participation and reduction of contamination in the recycling stream. Partnering with an organization such as Bluegrass Greensource will increase outreach opportunities and increase awareness, knowledge and participation in UK’s recycling program.