You soon will notice new recycling containers on campus as part of an update to the University’s Rocket Recycling program.
There will be four separate bins for recyclable materials: one for office paper, one for newspaper, one for metal and one for plastic. The new containers will join some older ones that will be relabeled.
A grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency allowed the University to purchase 2,000 new recycling containers.
The new bins will help cut down on time and costs associated with sorting recyclables, which is now being done in house, said Brooke Mason, interim sustainability specialist.
The University previously worked with Lott Industries; however, the company is leaving the recycling business. UT staff and students will collect and bale the recyclables, then sell them to a local company to cover the costs, Mason said.
A new volunteer tailgating program also is part of this recycling makeover for UT.
Rockets Recycle: Green Tailgating will encourage students to be more responsible in their recycling habits. Volunteers will pass out bags for trash and recyclable materials to tailgaters to encourage them to recycle and not litter. The volunteers will pick up the bags when fans are finished, sort the materials and recycle them.
For more information or to volunteer for the program, contact Mason at brooke.mason@utoledo.edu or 419.530.1042.
