The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the University of Rochester for its success in its national WasteWise program. The WasteWise program helps organizations and businesses apply sustainable materials management practices to reduce municipal and industrial wastes.
In the college/university category, the University received honorable mention for 2014.
WasteWise participants reported preventing and diverting a total of nearly 7.6 million tons of waste from being disposed in landfills or incinerators in 2013. This amount of waste diversion represents a reduction in greenhouse gases equivalent to taking more than 2.3 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year.
Amy Kadrie, recycling coordinator in University Facilities and Services, notes that as a WasteWise program participant, the University submits recycling, reuse, and waste data on an annual basis, and the EPA determines a waste diversion rate—the percentage of material that is either recycled or reused from total waste output. This includes materials that are required to be recycled, such as paper, cardboard, and electronics, as well as materials the University additionally wants to divert from landfills, including food and clothing, medical supplies and instruments, and organic materials for compost.
For more information about the University’s recycling program, visit http://www.rochester.edu/sustainability/recycling/.
