UK Recycling sets record with over 15 tons collected during 2025 campus move-out
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 23, 2025) — As University of Kentucky students moved out of campus housing this spring, UK Recycling set a new benchmark for sustainability efforts — collecting a record 31,110 pounds (15.6 tons) of donations and recyclables through its 2025 move-out initiative.
The Give and Go donation drive, which helps divert gently used items from the landfill, hit a new high this year with 26,411 pounds donated, a 35% increase from 2024. The donations included 26,004 pounds of household items and 406 pounds of unopened food.
In a new addition to this year’s efforts, UK Recycling also collected 4,699 pounds of used mattress toppers for recycling, marking the first time the program has targeted this commonly discarded item.
“This year’s results are a direct reflection of our growing partnerships and a campus culture that’s embracing zero-waste practices,” said Ryan Lark, zero-waste specialist in UK Facilities Management. “By expanding donation bins to more fraternity and sorority houses and placing bins near outdoor compactors where vehicles are being loaded, we made it easier for students to donate rather than dump. The support from the UK Grounds and Trucking teams also helped us divert even more usable items.”
UK Recycling, in partnership with UK Housing, has been organizing move-out donation efforts since the fall of 2016, beginning with small bins in residence halls. The program has evolved over the years, expanding to include partnerships with Goodwill Industries and more recently with the fraternity and sorority community. This year marked the second year of fraternity and sorority house participation and the program saw increases in donations from those locations.
“Students are beginning to anticipate the program, especially in the Greek houses, and that’s making a big impact,” Lark added. “Now that they know what to expect, they’re better prepared to donate.”
Since 2016, UK Recycling’s Give and Go initiative has collected 158,612 pounds (79.31 tons) of donations, not including mattress toppers. The goal is twofold: to reduce waste and to support the community. All food donations are distributed to the Big Blue Pantry, supporting students facing food insecurity, while clothing and household goods are donated to Goodwill Industries.
“As a university striving for zero-waste, this program demonstrates how strategic partnerships and student participation can drive meaningful environmental change,” Lark said.
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.