Seen as a way to both cut waste disposal fees and appeal to students’ desire for environmentally sustainable measures, more and more colleges and universities are moving to enact plans designed to achieve a goal of “zero waste”. One of the schools that has recently embraced recycling practices is Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. School officials have announced that they have established a goal of diverting ninety percent of all generated waste from regional landfills within the next ten years.

The University currently has a forty percent diversion rate and the first step to improving that was the implementation of single-stream recycling throughout all campus academic and administrative buildings. Students, teachers, and employees will now be able to mix all recyclable material in one disposal container instead of having to separate. It is expected that this switch will bring instant increases in the amount of recyclables collected each month and reduce the total amount of recyclables that end up in the trash.

The University will also be using the initiative to better analyze the consumption habits of the campus community as a way to plan future ways to promote re-use and reduction. Additional plans for expansion of recycling services, including recycling efforts in dormitory buildings, cafeterias and snack cafes, and athletic facilities, will continue to be implemented in the weeks and months ahead.

WasteCare Wants You to Remember: The most important part of addressing your waste disposal and recycling habits is to come up with both long term and short term plans. Where is your business right now in terms of expenses and consumption? Where would you like to be? Starting even with small steps today can save you money tomorrow!