How UK stayed ‘green’ at Big Blue Move-in
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2024) — During Big Blue Move-in the University of Kentucky welcomed more than 8,000 new and returning Wildcats to their residence halls. UK Sustainability and Recycling saw the exciting time as not only an opportunity to celebrate new students, but as a chance to engage students and their families in efforts related to the university’s goal of becoming a zero-waste campus by 2030.
Zero-waste means at least 90% of all waste produced will no longer be sent to the landfill. Instead, the waste will be diverted via recycling, composting, donations and reuse.
Partnering with UK Grounds, Housing and Auxiliary Services, this year’s Big Blue Move-in encouraged students to help with that goal by using the provided hydration stations and assisting with recycling cardboard.
“With so much happening during move-in, it has to be a team effort to help reduce all the waste that’s created,” said UK Zero-Waste Specialist Ryan Lark. “This year we were able to divert a record amount of cardboard from the landfill, and that wouldn’t have been possible without UK Grounds who helped us staff the containers each day and evening.”
Below are highlights from this year’s move-in.
- Nine hydration stations were placed throughout campus for students and families to use instead of plastic water bottles. 2,077.6 gallons of chilled, filtered water was distributed using the stations, offsetting 22,537 single-use water bottles.
- 26.4 tons of cardboard were collected during move-in compared to 20.81 tons of cardboard in 2023.
- Wildcat Wheels provided more than 150 bicycles to students through the Big Blue Cycles program, a program that provides bikes to students living on campus who agree to not bring a car for one year.
For more information about UK Recycling and the university’s waste reduction goals, click here or follow @UKYRecycles on all social media platforms.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.