University of Florida Office of Sustainability

Please post suggestions for Zero Waste Initiative improvements on Campus.

Installing sprinklers that have rain sensors could help save energy and decrease any salinization that would occur from overwatering. Even though irrigation water is reclaimed, there is an uneeded cost in pumping the water that could be avoided.

Have bottle, plastic and aluminum reclying containers all over campus in every building, just like the paper recyling containers. There was must tons of this material that gets thrown out in the gargabe yearly. It would seem that the money earned by selling these items would pay for the extra containers and man power to collect the items.

Judy,

I absolutely agree! Rinker hall already has a sample of what could be installed in buildings throughout campus. The openings in the bins are shaped like the items they contain. For example, paper is a slim rectangle, plastic bottles are small circles, and trash is a much larger circle. If these containers were available all over campus, both inside and outside, we could significantly reduce our waste.

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Allen Guthier
(352) 258-6556
guthiera@ufl.edu

recycling in the laboratory would help with our waste problems . . .science magazine highlighted some laboratories and individuals in their efforts in the laboratory . . .it seems like everyone turns a blind eye in their own laboratories, but they don't have to . ..

we can start with:

- lab classes
- new professors
- new graduate students
- undergraduate researchers

Thank you. So true. New soil moisture sensors are another technology we are looking into for turf areas.

We appreciate your comment.

Please see the attached PDF file.

Recycling at UF: An Overview

--Adrian Erlenbach

The recycling program at UF began in August 1989 under Al Krause, the former solid waste coordinator with UF’s Physical Plant.

It has since expanded to include programs for recycling dozens of types of waste, including chemicals, yard debris, toner cartridges, and many more, according to Physical Plant.

There are currently eight Physical Plant employees who work with the recycling program, according to Dale Morris, UF’s current solid waste coordinator. UF’s campus has 132 receptacles for beverage containers and 1257 bins for paper.

These receptacles receive at least 1800 scheduled services per week."The majority are emptied weekly, some are emptied multiple times a week, and others in isolated areas are emptied every two to four weeks," said Morris.

In fiscal year 2005, 36.93% of the solid waste generated at UF was recycled. With UF’s goal of becoming a zero-waste institution by 2015, improving on-campus recycling lies largely in the hands of students.

Environmental science major Ryan Graunke has been interning for the Office of Sustainability since May and is currently working on an education campaign to help educate students about the importance of recycling.

"It’s surprising how many misconceptions students have about recycling," said Graunke. He developed a brochure that answers basic questions about what can and cannot be recycled at UF.

According to the brochure, number one and two plastics can be recycled, along with all glass and aluminum cans. Newspaper, office paper, magazines, soft-cover books and corrugated cardboard can also be recycled on campus.

Graunke set up a table at Gators for a Sustainable Campus’ recent Sustainability festival. He displayed several recyclable and not recyclable items and asks students to sort them into their proper containers.

"I decided to take a more hands-on approach to educating students because I think it will help them remember more," said Graunke.

Although his efforts are valuable, Graunke feels that UF’s recycling program cannot be successful without more student participation.

"You can’t just go put more bins out there, you have to educate the students too," said Graunke.

In fact, developing higher levels of participation and promoting the use of existing collection centers is considered a main priority, according to the Physical Plant.

In the future, Graunke says he would like to see the marriage of trash and recycling receptacles.

"If every trash can on campus also had a recycling bin next to it, I think students would get the idea," said Graunke.

I heard from teachers at PK Young (a part of the University of Florida) use to have recycling containers for cans but do not have it anymore (nobody picked them up). I suggest that we need to place containers there again - a good way to get kids on campus involved.

Who do we contact to set this up and who will follow up on this?