UA Grows Green

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Enrollment numbers are not the only ones growing on The University of Alabama campus as the number of tons of recyclable materials collected by UA over the past year has more than doubled from the previous year.

Between October 2007 and September 2008, UA recycled 468 tons of material, said Tony Johnson, director of logistics and support services at UA. That figure represents a 151 percent increase over the 186 tons of recyclables UA collected during the same period the previous year.

“We, the entire University, all benefit from the success of recycling,” Johnson said. “It is something we can do on a daily basis to make a difference.

“A lot of people think recycling is too much work, but if we all work together, it would be easier. It’s got to be a team effort.”

This team effort has steadily grown in recent years. For example, in 2000-2001, UA recycled 56 tons of materials, and that number grew to 127 tons by 2005-2006.

Johnson said six new agreements signed with four different recycling vendors during 2008 have increased the types of material UA can recycle as well as the amount of money UA earns from its recyclables.

As examples, prior to the new agreements, vendors only accepted certain types of plastics and paper from UA, and some items, like phone books, weren’t being accepted. Under one of the new agreements, money represented from UA’s scrap metal recycling efforts went from an average of 1.5 cents per pound to an average of 8.1 cents per pound, Johnson said.

Others are taking notice of UA’s results. George Nicholson, general manager of American Recycling-Alabama, one of UA’s vendors, said he decided to mirror UA’s program in proposals he is developing to share with other universities around the Southeast.

“Usually a university or a business does not make the effort – nor go to the depths – Tony has to make The University of Alabama’s recycling program such a success,” he said.

Items UA recycles include aluminum cans, scrap metal, plastic, and a wide variety of paper, including newspaper, cardboard, computer paper, envelopes, magazines, books and directories.

An increased emphasis on collecting cardboard has proven successful, with UA jumping from some 27,000 pounds recycled in the previous fiscal year to 130,000 pounds in the latest fiscal year.

While the biggest benefits to UA of recycling are not monetary, the items UA diverts from the landfill do decrease the University’s waste disposal fees, Johnson said.

“We’re just one university, and, here, in one month, (August 2008) we recycled twenty-nine thousand pounds of cardboard.”

Johnson said the recycling efforts have been successful, in part, due to the support given by Dr. Lynda Gilbert, vice president for financial affairs, and Nancy Whittaker, associate vice president for administration in financial affairs.

Teamwork between custodial services and the four members of the logistics and support services recycling team is vital, Johnson said. He also recognized some of the key partnerships between the recycling department and several campus departments including facilities, construction administration, housing and residential communities, athletics, food service and university printing. Johnson lauded all UA faculty, staff, and students, and the SGA for their efforts.

“It’s great to be part of an outstanding University where people work together as one to make recycling a success.”

During residence hall move-in days in August, UA focused on increasing the amount of cardboard collected, and cardboard recycling dumpsters at new construction sites on campus are also proving effective.

Other points of recent emphasis include collecting recyclables from sorority dining halls, materials from vendors who stock Bryant-Denny Stadium concession stands during the week prior to home football games and the establishment of a recycling tent on the Quad immediately prior to home games.

Johnson reminds departments that it’s no longer necessary to separate white office paper from colored paper or even from newspaper as was once the case. “Paper is paper.”

It’s now all baled together at UA rather than separating it by grade, a move that also helped UA increase the price obtained for its paper from $20 a ton to the current market value of $190 a ton.

For more information on UA recycling see http://financialaffairs.ua.edu/admin/lss/recycle/.

Johnson said the University will expand its numbers, but a goal is to ensure that all newly implemented efforts are sustainable over time.

“Our numbers are good, and we have big increases,” Johnson said, “but we can do more.”