Recycling
Recycling at Union
The college has had a recycling program in some form or another since 1991. While the program has had moderate forms of success over a period of time, we currently recycle the following:
In Dining Services - all corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and tin which amounts to about 1980 cubic yards per year.
In Facilities - all corrugated cardboard, metal, batteries, and appliances. Also all leaves and landscape materials. This amounts to about 750 cubic yards per year.
In Security/Safety - all hazardous materials, budgeting $22,000 per year. We exceed that budget most years.
This fall we have begun a voluntary paper-recycling program with faculty and staff. People interested in recycling paper are provided with small individual containers, as well as a larger container located within the departmental office. Facilities staff members then remove the paper to a remote recycling dumpster to be taken away by our waste hauler.
Participation has been successful, and we are currently working to expand the program to student residences with the help of the Union College environmental club. As interest grows in recycling, we hope to expand our program to glass and aluminum campus wide.
Union College recycled 9.2% of the total 202.53 tons of solid waste that was removed from campus during the fall term. Of the 18.7 tons that was recycled, 12.68 tons were in the form of mixed paper and 5.7 tons of cardboard. 74,163 items were taken out of the waste system in forms of plastic, glass and aluminum and processed accordingly.
Graph for
October and November '07 