RecycleMania
UCCS placed 41st overall and 17th among public institutions in its first time participation in RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition among more than 400 colleges and universities. UCCS initiated a comprehensive recycling program in 2007 with a two-year goal of recycling 26% of its waste. During the competition, UCCS achieved a 25% recycling rate.
What is RecyleMania?
RecycleMania is a friendly competition among college and university recycling programs in the United States that provides the campus community with a fun, proactive activity in waste reduction. Over a 10-week period, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.
Waste and Recycling
Recycling is the most visible sign that a campus is committed to sustainability. Our program "Let it Rip" encourages students, faculty, and staff to practice recycling both on campus and at home. As tipping fees to landfills increase, recycling will provide increased savings for the university and reduce our contribution of greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling goals at UCCSWhat is recyclable at UCCS?
Where can I find recycle bins?
Why should I recycle?
How can I get involved?
Construction Waste Recycling
Recycling resources
Recycling goals at UCCS
UCCS recently conducted a five-year Sustainability Strategic Plan that includes the development and implementation of a comprehensive recycling program. Below is an excerpt from this strategic plan.
Waste/Recycling Objective: Institute comprehensive recycling program at UCCS to reduce material waste, divert waste from the landfill, and provide recycling education to the UCCS community.
Five-year waste/recycling targets:
- Recycle at least 26% of waste
- Achieve at least 50% construction waste recycling on all new projects and renovations
- Develop campus-wide program for recycling or refilling printer toner cartridges
What is recyclable at UCCS?
The new UCCS recycling program accepts a much greater variety of materials. The 3 traditional categories are mixed containers, mixed paper, and corrugated cardboard. A comprehensive list of recycling items follows a description of these categories. Is it recyclable? Check out the materials listed below. Still have a question? Email recycle@uccs.edu.
Mixed Containers
- Plastic containers number 1-7
(hint: look on the bottom of the container)
- Tin and steel food cans
- Aluminum cans
- Glass bottles and Jars
- Aerosol cans
- Plastic six pack rings
Mixed Paper - Let it Rip!
- All white and colored paper (including shredded)
- Legal pads, steno pads, spiral notebooks
- Scratch, message pads, post it notes
- Envelopes (plastic windows and labels ok)
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Corrugated cardboard
Got staples, paper clips, and spring clamps? Don't sweat it. Throw those in too.
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| Batteries: | At this time, disposable batteries cannot be recycled on campus; please contact the El Paso County Household Chemical Waste Collection Facility for more information: 719-520-7878 Rechargeable batteries are accepted in drop boxes located at the Facilities Services Department (Campus Services Building) or at the Public Safety Department. Rechargeable batteries include:
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| Books: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles |
| Corrugated Cardboard: |
Academic departments: flatten and place behind blue recycle bins in hallways Campus housing: students should place flattened cardboard behind blue receptacles in Alpine and near built-in recycling areas in Summit |
| Cans (aluminum, tin, and steel): | Accepted in all campus Mixed Container receptacles |
| Computers, fax machines, and printers: | Please contact Thomas Gomez with Facilities Services: 719-262-3313 |
| Cell Phones: | Accepted at most electronics retail locations:
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| Envelopes: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles, labels and plastic windows included. |
| File Folders: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles. |
| Fluorescent bulbs: | For fluorescent tubes, please contact David Shurtleff with Facilities Services: 719-262-3366. Compact fluorescent bulbs are accepted at the following ACE Hardware locations:
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| Glass: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Container receptacles. Please rinse glass bottles and jars and remove caps, lids and neck rings. No broken glass or mirrors. |
| Hazardous Waste: | Please contact Ron Honn, UCCS Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, for more information: 719-262-3201 |
| Magazines: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles |
| Milk Cartons: | Accepted at the local Recycle America facility: 602 E 4th Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. Please do not bag cartons with other materials |
| Newspaper: | Accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles |
| Pallets (wooden): | Please contact Darwin at JCT Pallet for more information: 719-271-0399 |
| Paper (mixed) | The following are all accepted in all campus Mixed Paper receptacles:
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| Pizza Boxes: | Treated as corrugated cardboard. Academic departments: flatten and place outside office door for pickup Campus housing: students should place flattened cardboard behind blue receptacles. |
| Plastics: | Grades 1 - 7 accepted in all campus Mixed Container receptacles |
| Plastic Bags (plastic #2): | Accepted in all campus Mixed Container receptacles |
| Scrap Metal: | Please contact Joe at Western Scrap for more information: 719-491-7827 |
| Solvents: | Please contact Ron Honn, UCCS Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, for more information: 719-262-3201 |
| Steel: | Please contact Joe at Western Scrap for more information: 719-491-7827 |
| Tetra-Paks : | Tetra-Paks are not currently accepted in any local recycling program; for more information, please visit either www.tetrapakusa.com or www.colorado-recycles.org |
| Toner Cartridges: | Please contact the UCCS Bookstore for more information regarding the ink-refill program: 719-262-3247 |
| Alpine Village | Forester House |
| Campus Services | Main Hall |
| CITTI Building | Public Safety |
| Columbine Hall | Recreation Center |
| Cragmor Hall | Science |
| Dwire Hall | Summit Village |
| Eagle Rock/ROTC | Theatre Cottage |
| Engineering | Ulrich House |
| Family Development | University Center |
| Fine Arts Building | University Hall |
Why should I recycle?
- Recycling saves trees. Half the Earth's forests are gone, and up to 95 percent of the original forest area in the U.S. has been cut down.
- Recycling protects wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Using recycled materials reduces the need to chop down, extract, process, refine and transport natural resources such as timber, crude petroleum and mineral ores. As a result, destruction of forests, wetlands, rivers and other places essential to wildlife is also reduced.
- Recycling lowers the use of toxic chemicals. Making products from already refined waste materials reduces -- and often avoids altogether -- the need for manufacturers to use toxic chemicals, essential when using virgin materials.
- Recycling helps curb global warming. Using recycled materials cuts down on the energy used in the manufacturing process, dramatically reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. For example, recycling one ton of glass results in energy savings of more than 300 percent and lowers carbon dioxide emissions by 3.46 tons. More on climate change
- Recycling stems the flow of water pollution. Making goods from recycled materials generates far less water pollution than manufacturing from virgin materials. Turning trees into paper uses more water than any other industrial process in the U.S., dumping billions of gallons of wastewater -- contaminated with pollutants such as chlorinated dioxin -- each year into rivers, lakes and streams. Paper recycling mills don't pollute the water nearly as much, and almost always use less of it. In addition, some recycling plants use treated wastewater for the manufacturing process.
- Recycling reduces the need for landfills. Toxic pollution from landfills -- including cyanide, dioxins, mercury, methane, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and lead -- escapes into the air and leaches into groundwater.
- Recycling reduces the need for incinerators. Municipal waste incinerators spew out all kinds of air pollutants; in addition they produce contaminated ash. And they are often located in urban neighborhoods where they seriously threaten the health of the community. Keeping paper, glass, plastic and metal out of incinerators by recycling them cuts both how much incinerators pollute and how harmful the emissions are.
Source: NRDC - http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/ften.asp
How can I get involved? (coming soon)
Construction Waste Recycling
The Campus Recreation Center was opened in August 2007. More than 80% of the construction waste was recycled. The building is expected to receive LEED certification.
The Science Engineering Building, currently under construction and expected to be complete in the summer of 2009 is expected to achieve more than seventy-five percent construction waste recycling.
These two buildings are the first such projects to commit to construction waste recycling. We hope that this will be the standard for all new construction on the campus.
