Ohio State is enhancing recycling infrastructure on campus, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and $25,000 from the Office of Administration and Planning.
A portion of the funding was used to conduct a waste characterization study, which helped determine the top three recycling opportunities in the medical center: cardboard, specialty plastics and commingled recycling.
A cross-functional team, with representatives from Automated Transport System, Facilities, Environmental Services, Marketing and Communications, the Green Team Employee Resource Group and Sustainability, decided to focus first on recycling cardboard and commingled recycling. To support this effort, they purchased new carts to fit on the Automated Transport System. Carts began service in late June and will aid in bringing recycling back through the automated system. The team also worked to engage Environmental Services staff to encourage the use of the pneumatic tubing system in The James, so that recycling bags could be sent directly to the dock. New recycling bins were also purchased for non-public facing spaces.