A nationally recognized pioneer in institutional recycling, the U of M recycling program processes approximately 3,800 tons of recyclable material annually, or 41% of the University’s municipal solid waste stream. There are nearly 5,000 color-coded recycling containers that make recycling and convenient across campus. FM’s long-term goal is to bring the amount of materials recovered by recycling up to 50% of the school’s waste stream.

It All Adds Up

As part of the It All Adds Up conservation campaign, the recycling program is committed to recovering an additional five percent of recyclables (450 tons) from the campus waste stream by the end of 2012. Such an increase would prevent nearly 900 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and save more than $50,000 annually. They are developing new approaches, increasing awareness and updating infrastructure in order to meet this goal. Improved educational programs and infrastructure will help increase the percentage of materials recovered and the efficiency of processing them.