Celebrate America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 by learning about the new self-service waste initiative coming to the University this year.
America Recycles Day is a national observance in the United States to promote recycling across the nation. America Recycles Day is observed on Nov. 15 each year and is the signature recycling program of Keep America Beautiful, the largest community improvement organization in the United States. America Recycles Day became a national observance after President Bill Clinton published and signed a proclamation in 1999.
UMB’s Office of Sustainability would like to use the occasion of America Recycles Day to educate the campus community about waste and recycling on campus, and especially let the UMB community know about the self-service waste initiative that is being rolled out in the coming year. Under this new system for waste collection, faculty and staff will be responsible for bringing their office waste to conveniently located, common receptacles that include trash, cardboard and paper recycling, and mixed plastics, metal, and glass recycling. Be on the lookout for improved bins and signage coming to your building!
Why is UMB implementing this program? Research has shown that centralized waste stations decrease waste stream contamination by encouraging people to use clearly labeled, centralized bins. All material disposed of as trash at UMB is sent to the Wheelabrator incinerator just down the road from our campus; this means that about 3 million pounds of waste produced at UMB are incinerated each year. By sorting our waste properly, we have the opportunity to ensure more material is recycled and diverted from the incinerator, thus decreasing the amount of pollutants released into the air we breathe.
More information on the self-service waste initiative, including copies of the new standard waste signage, can be found on the Environmental Services website. For a short educational video about the initiative, visit the UMB Office of Sustainability Instagram.
Looking to learn more about waste and recycling in the meantime? Celebrate America Recycles Day with the Office of Sustainability on Tuesday, Nov. 15! Stop by our table in the Campus Center lobby between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Pick up a magnet with information about what can be recycled on UMB’s campus. Sign up for our monthly sustainability newsletter and get a restickable sticker and a raffle entry to win a collapsible Chico bag! Play our waste sorting game and get a reusable metal spork.
The Office of Sustainability is also available to give a waste and recycling presentation to departments, student organizations, or other groups on campus. Send us an email at sustainability@umaryland.edu to have us come to an upcoming meeting for 10 to 15 minutes to educate your constituents about waste management on campus!