Campus Recycling Promotion and Education

1. Campus RecyclingPromotion and Education CURC Webinar series, January 2008 Bill Rudy, Brigham Young University recycling@byu.edu

2. BYU Overview • 30,000+ undergrads, 3,000 graduate students • 7,500 live on campus in 157 residence halls • 25% married • 33% from Utah, another third from western states • Recycling is expanding in Utah. Curbside recycling started again in our county within the last five yearsafter failing in the 1990s. • We are a conservative campus in everything from political attitudes to social behavior. For example, posters can only be placed on bulletin boards and must first be cleared through campus or college offices.

3. BYU Recycling and Waste Operations • We collect and process our own recycling and garbage • All custodians are BYU employees • Recycling employs • Two half time student drivers to collect paper toters • Three or four half time students who sort paper in our MRF. • One full time supervisor • One promotion and record keeping person • Our garbage truck or heavy equipment operators collect cardboard dumpsters or rolloffs. • Gardening and heavy equipment crews take care of our composting and metal recycling.

4. Talks and Training Sessions • Tell them what you see, they will ask what to do • One-on-one • Group custodial training (15 minutes/year) • RA staff training (5 minutes a semester) • Summer camp counselors (5 minutes/year) • Lunch and plastic clothing (NAPCOR) fashion show (broader vision and more fun)

5. Cheap Give-aways • Bookmarks (1990s) • Stress balls/earth balls (good for throwing) • Flashlights, yo-yos • T-shirts (ARD, student created) • Flowers (secretaries) • Tote bags (campus housing, custodians, faculty moves and class bags, student to student for shopping • Make sure delivery method is part of your plan.

6. Competitions • Dorm vs Dorm (pizza or cash prizes, the organized win, and over zealous competitors) • Recycle Mania • has helped staff connect with recycling • Web site provides great posters • Office vs Office (measuring difficulties pay off with high interest and competitiveness)

7. Demonstrations • Buying recycled seminar (initial flop) • Free shredding – brought shredder to quad • Stack paper bales on campus (now a trademark, became a stage this last fall)

8. Events and Recognitions • Dance/pledge drive (attracted the converted) • Sprite can costume (so good it disappeared) • Hunger Banquet • Patagonia fleece jacket to custodian (too limited) • Recycled glass candy jars (monthly custodian award)

9. Mass Media Opportunities • Send out press releases • Take photos, you’ll make the front page • Always take time to talk with student reporters • E-mail new faculty • Web site – answer local questions, connect with local concerns and culture

10. Students, Faculty, Administration • Environment clubs (tabling, student to student, posters, business cards) • Political and other clubs • MRF tours • Waste and Recycling Power Point for faculty • Class projects (garbage sorts and tracking, newspaper utilization, recycling habits survey, cost-benefit analysis) • President’s recycling bin

11. On the drawing board • Belt buckle award (rodeo style) • Recycle Mania congressional alma maters • Turn in your trash can and get a tote bag of recycled products