UK Celebrates America Recycles Day With the #BringontheBoxes Campaign
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2019) — For the fifth year in a row the University of Kentucky will be celebrating America Recycles Day, during the month of November. This national program, operated and managed since 1997 by Keep America Beautiful, helps to end littering, improve recycling and beautify communities.
This year UK Recycling will be introducing the #BringontheBoxes campaign, bringing a targeted focus on recycling cardboard. UK Recycling hopes the campaign will raise awareness of campus cardboard waste, empower students and staff to recycle correctly and contribute to UK’s goal of increasing our waste diversion rate to 50% by 2022 — a core component of UK’s Sustainability Strategic Plan. Currently 5.6% of what UK sends to the landfill is still cardboard, which amounts to 575 tons or 1,150,000 pounds of cardboard.
Cardboard that can be recycled includes:
- cardboard packing boxes;
- cardboard tubes;
- boxes with grey or brown interior; and
- empty pizza boxes, as well as empty cereal and cracker boxes or any box that does not have plastic coating.
Boxes with a white interior, Styrofoam, and frozen food or drink boxes cannot be recycled
This month is full of opportunities for students, faculty and staff. UK Recycling will be tabling throughout campus all month long, so look for the recycling flags and tables. At the tablings you can sign a recycling pledge and learn more about what UK recycles. Everyone is encouraged to pledge to recycle both on and off campus and think about why they should recycle. Anyone who takes the pledge will receive a free recycling sticker and be entered for the chance to win other prizes. If you cannot make it out to one of the tabling events, you can always sign the pledge online here.
In addition to the tabling opportunities, UK Recycling will host Lunch & Learns where prizes will be given out. The schedule is as follows:
- 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, The Food Connection at The 90;
- 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, Gatton Student Center 330D;
- noon Monday, Nov. 18, The Food Connection at The 90; and
- 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, Gatton Student Center 330D.
“There are always questions about what is recyclable on campus. We want to provide opportunities to talk with students, faculty and staff about what is recyclable,” says Joanna Ashford, UK Recycling coordinator.
Many items in staff and department’s offices can also be recycled that you may not realize — such as batteries, CDs and DVDs, hardbound books and more. For a complete list and details about how to recycle these items, visit www.uky.edu/facilities/cppd/services/facilities-services/recycling/other-recycling.
For more information about how to give objects a second life or to participate in this month’s events, contact recycle@uky.edu.
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.