Sustainability @ the
University of Rochester

Outdoor Recycling Comes to the University of Rochester Medical Center

January 2012

Happy New Year, everyone! What better way to celebrate the coming of 2012 but with a new sustainable addition to the Medical Center? Right now, a total of 34 new outdoor recycling receptacles are being installed across the Medical Center’s campus. You may have already seen some around.

The University Council on Sustainability formed working subcomittes to develop projects that would make a difference in the University’s efforts to become greener campus.  The Operations Subcommittee indentified the need for outdoor recycling containers as a top priority to address. In the fall of 2010, outdoor recycling containers started to appear on the University’s River Campus and now this exciting new addition offers a big opportunity to recycle outdoors on the Medical Center campus as well. The new containers match the black iron trash receptacles already around campus, but now offer an opportunity to recycle your plastic, metal, and glass items wherever there is an opportunity to throw away your trash.

Three different types of Victor Stanley Ironsite recycling container models are incorporated in this project. The receptacles are made out of approximately 98% recycled content steel. The durability of steel ensures that the containers will last for many years, unlike some plastics, making them an even more sustainable option.

Seven brand new double MegaCan receptacles will be installed at high profile locations of the Medical Center. These containers are large and in charge, demanding attention, but also very comprehensive. The double units include two separate bins: one for trash, and one for recycling. Like all Ironsites, they have the advantage of being able to be moved and/or placed on any surface, anytime, to provide versatility. Additionally, fifteen “recycling couples” will be installed. What makes a couple? Instead of ordering totally new containers, this innovative and sustainable method transforms older trash receptacles into brand new recycling containers! By replacing the old lid with a new lid designed to collect recyclables, new containers are created. The new recycling receptacles are then “coupled” next to regular trash containers. Coupling the units reduces contamination of the recycling containers, as people have the equal option to dispose of their waste properly.

And finally, the Medical Center’s campus will feature twelve Dual-Flow containers. Like the “recycling couples” these containers are made by transforming existing trash containers as a more sustainable option. The big difference is that both the recycling and trash receptacle are combined into a single unit. By adding new dual stream lids and liners, recycling can now be incorporated without taking up any more space than a single receptacle. The lids designate an opening for trash items and a separate circular opening to accommodate recycling, primarily be bottles and cans. By combining trash and recycling into one receptacle fewer materials are used to make the container than would be necessary for two separate containers.

The operating team behind this has worked hard to make this project a reality. The team chose options that would be both environmentally and financially sustainable. Amy Kadrie (Recycling Coordinator), Mary Ockenden and Sarah Hammer (Medical Center Space Planning), Robert Maloney (Medical Center Project Manager), Dan Schied (Grounds Manager), Mike Miller (Grounds Department), and the rest of the Grounds Department have all played major roles in selecting, installing, and servicing these containers. Their efforts will surely be appreciated by the many visitors and campus-goers of the Medical Center.

Check out the map of new containers: www.rochester.edu/sustainability/pdf/MedicalCampusRecyclingLocations.pdf
For more information on recycling at the University of Rochester, please visit www.rochester.edu/sustainability/recycling/.