UK Recycling on Track to Meet Sustainability Goals
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 5, 2020) — The University of Kentucky has a target of diverting 50% of its waste from the landfill by 2022. This goal — which means working to recycle, donate, reuse or compost at least as much material as it landfills — is part of the UK Sustainability Strategic Plan. UK Recycling is leading the university’s efforts on this front and works diligently with partners throughout campus to increase recycling and reduce the university’s landfill waste. Data from 2019 highlights significant progress toward this goal.
In 2018, the university's diversion rate was 27%. UK Recycling is pleased to announce that the diversion rate increased to 34% in 2019, and that UK is on track to hit its goal of diverting half of its waste by 2022.
Compared to 2018, there was a 9% decrease — nearly 2 million pounds — in the amount of material UK sent to a landfill in 2019. This is the largest year-to-year drop in landfill weights the university has had in recent years. This decrease is especially noteworthy given the continued growth of the campus.
The university also made significant progress in these areas:
- There was a 17% increase in general recycling, translating to an additional 370,000 pounds of material recycled compared to the previous year. This recycling stream includes mixed office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and jugs, steel cans, and glass bottles and jars.
- Over 120,000 pounds of food waste was captured in the first six months of the new food waste collection and composting program. This program is a partnership with UK Dining and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
- There was a 72% increase in donations and reuse resulting in 1.1 million more pounds of material than the previous year. UK Housing and UK Surplus were key partners in this effort.
- Thanks to UK Grounds, over 670,000 pounds of leaves, logs, branches and other plant material was diverted from the landfill and composted. A portion of that compost was brought back to campus as a soil amendment.
- Thanks to a strong partnership with UK HealthCare, there was an 88% increase in Blue Wrap recycling. Blue Wrap is a plastic fabric used to wrap surgical instruments for sterilization at UK HealthCare that, until recently, was not being recycled.
For more information about UK recycling and the university’s waste reduction goals visit https://www.uky.edu/facilities/cppd/services/facilities-services/recycling and follow @UKYRecycles on social media.
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.