Sustainability at The University of Alabama is a shared movement fueled by student passion, strategic partnerships and collaboration across campus. From composting initiatives to community-driven projects, UA continues to lead by example in creating a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Students Leading the Way
The Environmental Council, a student-run organization, remains at the heart of campus sustainability efforts. President Ella Koenig said the group’s mission is “to promote sustainability through recycling and composting as well as provide advocacy and awareness of environmental issues that affect UA’s campus and Alabama.”
One of its most successful projects, a composting partnership with UA Dining and the Arboretum, helps reduce food waste and teach students about sustainable habits.
“Our composting program has made a great impact,” Koenig said. “It allows students to feel like they are taking a little step toward environmental sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint.”
These efforts, combined with recycling initiatives, have produced measurable results. As of October 2024, UA’s recycling programs have saved 4,524 trees, 101,122 gallons of oil, 1,064,440 kilowatts of energy and 1,862,770 gallons of water, showing how small everyday actions can create meaningful impact.
Campus Partnerships Driving Impact
According to Jeremy Faulkner, director of UA’s Office of Sustainability, collaboration has been key to advancing these efforts. The Student Government Association has been a particularly strong partner through its environmental affairs team, which organizes tree plantings, recycling drives and the Rising Tides project.
“After last year’s UGA game, Rising Tides collected roughly 19,000 cans from the stadium bleachers that might have otherwise ended up in the landfill,” Faulkner said. “This year, students continued that tradition after the LSU game, collecting thousands of cans and bottles from Bryant-Denny Stadium.”
SGA also leads Green Week, a recycling competition among fraternities and an annual residence hall energy conservation contest.
UA’s partnership with Coca-Cola has also made a visible impact. Coca-Cola provides an annual grant to UA Recycling and helped install four reverse vending machines across campus. “These look like regular vending machines, but they allow students to feed in empty bottles and cans, which are then crushed, sorted and tracked,” Faulkner said.
The machines, located at the Student Center, Transportation Hub Parking Deck, Ridgecrest South and the Robert E. Witt Student Activity Center, make recycling simple and accessible for everyone.
Measuring Progress and Setting New Goals
UA’s Office of Sustainability and Recycling tracks measurable progress through several key metrics. “Everything collected by UA Recycling is weighed before being shipped to a buyer,” Faulkner said. “That helps us determine exactly how much material is diverted from the landfill.”
In fiscal year 2024-2025, the University achieved a 17% landfill diversion rate with a record 200,311 pounds of cardboard recycled in August 2025. These results are part of a larger effort to raise the diversion rate from 16.4% to at least 18% this year.
Sustainability Starts with Students
To make sustainability part of daily campus life, the Office of Sustainability collaborates with students, faculty and staff throughout the year. Recycling and Energy Management departments host educational booths at Get On Board Day and game day tailgates on the Quad.
Energy Ambassadors, student employees who work alongside SGA, help promote the annual Residence Hall Energy Conservation Competition. “Each residence hall competes to reduce its energy consumption by the greatest percentage,” Faulkner said. “Last year, Riverside West reduced its energy use by 3.69% and saved $15,000 in energy across all halls in just two weeks.”
Through outreach events, facility tours and peer-led education, UA continues to empower its community to live more sustainably.
UA’s commitment also extends to the Tuscaloosa community. Through the UA community recycling drop-off location at 1115 14th Street, students, employees and residents can recycle paper, plastic, cardboard and scrap metal such as tin cans. The site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
By providing an accessible space for participation, UA encourages the community to join in reducing waste and protecting natural resources.
Even small changes can make a big difference. Students can help by:
- Recycling correctly and avoiding food contamination in bins
- Composting food scraps at dining halls or drop-off sites
- Reducing single-use plastics by carrying reusable bottles and utensils
“If each person in the community gave these small things a chance,” Koenig said, “there would be less of an impact on the environment and more sustainability overall.”