New bins to be used for trash, recycling

University of Toledo

UT's Rocket Recycling program provides receptacles for recycling and trash on main campus.

Chloe Clark, Staff Reporter

UT’s Rocket Recycling program provided new refuse bins over the summer months. Arrays of five bins — four for different materials for recycling and one for trash — have been placed in strategic locations on campus.

Brooke Mason, UT’s sustainability specialist who also manages the Rocket Recycling Program, wanted the old waste disposal units removed because she felt they were unsightly and unappealing to students who use them.

“They were old, all beat up and scratched up, and not very aesthetically pleasing,” Mason said.

Mason said the receptacles also have convenient openings, so no physical contact with the bins is necessary.

According to Mason, the recycling bins were purchased from a grant received in May 2012 for $100,000, half of which came from the Environmental Protection Agency while the other half was matched by the University of Toledo. Half of UT’s share came from Mason’s sustainability budget and the other half came from private donations.

Mason said the new bins are being maintained by a group of UT student interns at Plant Operations. Once the bins are full, they will be emptied and the material will be collected for processing by the Rocket Recycling staff.

Despite the new bins’ ease of use, Mason said there are few minor restrictions on what can and cannot be recycled in them. She said glass cannot be recycled because of some restrictions made by landfill companies. Starbucks cups also cannot be recycled because the contents of the cup can cause contamination in the bins, according to Mason.

As a result, Starbucks cups and other items which don’t fit into a bin category should be placed in the bin labeled “Landfill.”

However, for students who want to be more eco-friendly, there are other ways to help. Jenny Kiger, manager of UT’s Starbucks in the Student Union, confirmed that if a customer purchases a thermal cup at a Starbucks location, they’ll save 10 cents on coffee purchases every time the cup is brought in to be filled.

For more information or questions regarding the new bins, visit the Rocket Recycling page at http://www.utoledo.edu/facilities/recycling/binrecycling.html.

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