Move-Out Services for On- & Off-campus Students: Spring 2009

The Recycling & Refuse Department (aka Campus Recycling) coordinates many campus recycling and waste-reduction activities throughout the academic year, such as:

• Annual move-in and move-out days at the residence halls
• Organize & participate in the annual RecycleMania national competition
  (OU helped start it!)
• Sponsor the Trash Dance during the RecycleMania competition
• Give presentations to students, faculty, and staff about campus recycling services
• Campus event recycling (athletics, conferences, etc.)
  

Campus Recycling has set a goal of recycling 80% of the waste generated at Ohio University. We are responsible for maintaining, monitoring, troubleshooting and upgrading the recycling and solid waste at all campus buildings and grounds areas. Within these areas are 4,000 recycling units in residence halls consisting of 16,000 bins; 350 bins in apartments; and recycling containers in all offices and other areas in academic, administrative and support areas.

Every time you recycle, you are:

• Reducing average waste costs to Ohio University
• Reducing waste
• Reducing air, water and terrestrial degradation
• Conserving natural resources like coal, oil, gas minerals    and timber
• Reducing pressure on our home - The Biosphere
• Reducing the rate of species extinction and habitat loss
• Creating jobs and positive economic activity locally, regionally and beyond
• Contributing to a better world

The Recycling and Refuse Office consists of one manager, one supervisor and approximately eight student staff. We work closely with the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management, and other campus departments and organizations to encourage a culture of reusing, reducing, and recycling on the Ohio University campus.

We maintain a collection contract with the Athens County Recycling Center for recycling and trash collection. They also work with local non-profit reuse organizations such as APAC (Appalachian Peoples Action Coalition), Re-Use Industries, New To You, Albany Tutoring Center and other organizations for dispersing of items diverted away from conventional trash disposal at a landfill.