The below article is by Alison Richardson who works in the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling at the University of Michigan. Last summer, the office worked to compile recycling best practices among top recycling buildings on campus. These best practices were condensed into a guide to help lower performing buildings boost their recycling rates. The full report is available here. The below article is a summary of the key take-aways and findings.
Across the University of Michigan campus, and campuses in general, recycling rates vary widely by building. The U-M Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling sought to document the waste practices of top performing buildings with the goal of assisting facilities with lower recycling rates. The project began with identifying recycling rates, averaged over a three year period, fiscal years 2008-2010, for U-M buildings. Buildings were placed in one of six usage categories; administrative, athletic/recreational, classroom, residence, research and unions, to ensure buildings with similar functions were compared. Current practices were compiled into a best practices report largely applicable to any campus building.
