Recycling + Waste Reduction
Mention sustainability and the things that often come to mind first are recycling and waste reduction. With a little effort from everyone, the amount of material sent to the landfill is reduced.
Recycling at UI
The University of Iowa has transformed the way it manages recyclable materials by introducing a new single-stream recycling program across campus. Single stream recycling means that newspaper, office paper, cardboard, lab plastics, nonredeemable drink containers, plastics, tin, aluminum, and most food containers can now be placed in the same collection bin instead of being sorted into individual containers. Learn more...
Waste Audits
Waste audits are a key component to discovering opportunities for reduction, reuse and recycling. Facilities Management and the Office of Sustainability collaborate with several community partners to proctor waste audits with the University community. The audits provide students, faculty and staff with the opportunity to examine the actual composition of their waste stream and review baseline data for planning future reduction efforts - reducing landfill waste. Interested in conducting a waste audit for your UI community? Let us know.
UI student group, ECO Hawk, conducted a waste audit in April. Find photos from the event on our Facebook page!
UI Surplus
University Surplus sells equipment, furniture and other goods, and recycles items that cannot be reused through demanufacturing, reducing the amount of waste that is sent to the landfill. Learn more...
The WiderNet Project
The WiderNet Project is a University of Iowa service organization based at the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science. The project is dedicated to improving digital communications to all communities and individuals around the world in need of educational resources, knowledge and training. Watch a YouTube video featuring the project. Learn more...
Composting
Each semester, about 12 tons of food waste from Hillcrest and Burge dining halls is composted with other organic waste at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center. When the compost is ready, some is returned to campus as a soil amendment for the Student Garden and the rest is sold to the public as one component of Iowa City Community Compost.
In the 2010 spring semester, a second group of students from Dr. Schnoor's class is studying the possibility of including post-consumer food waste in the UI program. This addition could potentially divert another 350 tons of food waste from the landfill. Besides reducing waste the UI sends to the landfill, the inclusion of post-consumer waste will allow the City to offer the program to other businesses in Johnson County.
The Office of Sustainability provides containers for composting at large events and meetings on campus. Here's a form to check out the Cleartainers for your event.
Rummage in the Ramp
Rummage in the Ramp is an annual Iowa City-sponsored effort that began in 2007 in order to keep tons of reusable items out of the landfill and get it to those who need it when the lease changeover occurs annually at the end of July. Environmental and human services non-profit groups provide the labor and split the profits. University of Iowa students, staff and faculty are among the volunteers that make this a successful event: UI Engineers for a Sustainable World, UI Urban and Regional Planning Student Association, UI Engineers without Borders, UI Homecoming Committee. Learn more...
The Furniture Project
The Furniture Project is a program that provides good used furniture to local households in need at no cost. It is managed by the Habitat ReStore and sponsored by the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center. Placement of the furniture is made through referrals from various local human service agencies. The service area includes all of Johnson County and the communities of Kalona and Riverside. This partnership annually benefits hundreds of families in Johnson County and diverts about two tons of reusable furniture from the landfill each month. Learn more...
Electronics Recycling Event
ECO Iowa City held a subsidized electronic waste collection on Saturday, January 23, 2010. In four hours, 13,011 pounds of e-waste was collected for recycling, including televisions, VCRs stereos, computers, laptops, cell phones and numerous other items. In total, 40 pallets were filled with materials, and according to Jen Jordan, Recycling Coordinator for the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, that's about equal to a typical month's worth of e-waste recycling for the Center.
Approximately 200 people participated in the event. ECO Iowa City partnered with University of Iowa Engineers for a Sustainable World, Midwest Electronics Recovery and the Iowa City Fire Department.
