UK celebrates America Recycles Day
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2023) — Communities nationwide honor America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 by celebrating the impact of recycling, which has contributed to national job opportunities and environmental protection, with education and activities.
This year, University of Kentucky Recycling is celebrating all week with a Sculpture Scavenger Hunt. Hidden across campus are three cardboard sculptures, each created by students in the UK College of Fine Arts School of Art and Visual Studies. The sculptures are made of cardboard to promote UK's efforts to become a zero-waste campus. Beside each sculpture, you will find a fun fact about cardboard recycling at UK.
The Sculpture Scavenger Hunt is available to all UK students, staff and faculty. Find all three sculptures to win prizes to build your zero-waste toolkit. Prizes include a reusable straw, a mending kit, a reusable water bottle, a tote bag and a tire gauge.
Follow these easy steps to win:
- Take a picture of, or selfie, with all three sculptures.
- Tag UK Recycling (@ukyrecycles) in all three photos on social media or direct message them to UK Recycling. Don't have social media? No problem! You can email the photos to recycle@uky.edu.
- Claim your prize.
This year, UK Recycling wants to remind the UK community all types of cardboard are recyclable on campus.
“Unfortunately, cardboard is one of the top 10 materials we see in our landfill waste at UK," said Ryan Lark, UK's zero-waste specialist. "We’re using these cardboard sculptures to remind and educate people that cardboard of all shapes and sizes is recyclable in the mixed recycling containers at UK. Whether it’s a greasy pizza box or an empty Amazon package, we’ll take your cardboard and send it to be recycled into new products like shipping boxes.”
Help UK become a zero-waste campus by recycling your cardboard waste in any mixed recycling container on campus. Visit the UK Recycling website for a complete list of recyclables.*
In addition to the scavenger hunt, UK Recycling will host tabling all week, where you can receive giveaways and learn about all the zero-waste efforts on campus:
- 1:30–3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at the Jacobs Science Building
- 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, Nov. 14, at The 90
- 1–3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at The 90
- 10:30 a.m.–noon Thursday, Nov. 16, at Jacobs Science Building
- 10:30 a.m.–noon Friday, Nov. 17, at White Hall Classroom Building
Follow UK Recycling on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @UKYRecycles. Have questions about what you can recycle? Send an email to recycle@uky.edu.
*What is recyclable at UK may be different from your home. The recycling centers available to your community may accept different recyclables. Please check with your local recycling centers about what items they can recycle.
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.