Recycling & Waste Minimization

 
Kent State Stark students, faculty and staff recycle more than 50 tons of paper and nearly 12 tons of plastic, aluminum and glass yearly, as reported by the Stark County Regional Planning Commission. Each campus office and public space has recycling containers. Recycling establishes good habits for the students, decreases waste in landfills and has eliminated one of the campus’ weekly trash collections.

Duplex Printing Saves Paper
To help promote waste minimization on campus, all computer labs offering printing services offers the option to have a different price per page charged if students decide to print on both sides of the page. The pay-to-print stations, located in each lab and public area, are now set to a discounted rate if the student prints duplex. Normal printing is still 5¢ per page. When a student chooses duplex printing the cost is 4¢ per page. 

Additionally, a color laser printer has been added in the Main Hall East Wing computer lab. The cost of each color page is 15¢ or 14¢ per page if printing duplex.

Use these tips to make a big difference in waste minimization at Kent State Stark:

• Consider the environment before printing any documents and save digital images of material instead of printing.
• Properly recycle your plastic, aluminum or glass trash in their respective bins.
• Use reusable water bottles and cups. Water refill stations are available around campus.
• Be aware that all items that are thrown away in the trash bins contribute to landfills.

Recycling Do's & Don'ts
In the Fall of 2005, Kent State Stark began recycling paper, aluminum, plastic and glass. Recycling containers are placed throughout campus for your convenience. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in making our recycling program a success! Bins that end up with a careless "mix" of recyclables will be thrown out with the regular trash.

There are only a few simple do's and don'ts in our recycling program:

1. DO separate your recyclables. Just look for the signs and labels to tell you what to put in each bin. The small, "unmarked" blue basket-size bins, located in all offices, classrooms, etc., are for PAPER recycling ONLY. The MID-size, blue bin is for "PLASTIC, GLASS ALUMINUM ONLY" and is labeled as such, (For kitchen staff, this also includes steel cans); these are conveniently located near all building restrooms/stairwells. These are located adjacent to the MID-size bins in public areas.
2. DON'T put trash or food in the recycling bins.
3. DON'T bring in recyclables from home to place in bins.
4. DO encourage your friends and colleagues to participate in our on-campus recycling program. With everyone's participation, we can become a community leader in recycling!

Tips to Help Green Your Life

1. Recycle More: Buy more recycled products. Waste less: think about what you are about to throw away, the likelihood is it will be going to a landfill.
2. Change to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Save money and energy. CFLs last longer to help save money on replacements as well as using less energy.
3. Save Water: Turn off water when brushing teeth and take shorter showers. Even better, take a navy shower, shutting off the water while soaping up and shampooing.
4. Drive Less: Use local transportation, walk, bike or carpool. Turn your car off if you're going to be idle for more than one minute.
5. Check your Tires: Correct air pressure in tires saves gasoline. Did you know 50 to 80 percent of tires are underinflated? Underinflated tires waste up to five percent of a car's fuel.
6. Be a Minimalist: Avoid excess packaging and waste. Go paperless. Consider reading your newspaper and magazine subscriptions online. Switch to electronic banking and credit card payment, too. Think before you print or copy.
7. Turn it Off: Shut down electronics when not in use. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors when not in use (especially overnight). Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it.
8. Save Energy: Close windows, shut doors in the winter. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.
9. Plant a Tree: One tree can absorb 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. Get off junk mail lists. 
10. Help Spread the Word: Encourage friends and family to take part in recycling, waste minimization and energy saving practices.
11. Reuse your Water Bottle: Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.
12. Join Freecycle.org: Freecycle.org is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.