RIT Recycling
The recycling program at RIT currently recycles over 2,000 tons a year, diverting about 38.5% of our waste stream from the landfill. The Recycling Department has set a goal of recycling over 50% of the waste that leaves the campus. When met, this goal will place RIT's recycling program amongst the top schools nationwide.
In order to meet the goal of recycling half of the Institute's waste, the Recycling Department at RIT is working continuously to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling and to make recycling more convenient for everyone.
Reasons to Recycle
- Americans discard 4 million tons of paper per year. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 4100kw of electricity, 60 pounds of air pollution, and 2.5 cubic yards of landfill space.
- On average, each American uses 120 pounds of newsprint a year. If every newspaper were recycled, 250 million trees would be saved.
- Every three months Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild every plane in our commercial air fleet. Using recycled aluminum instead of raw materials reduces air pollution by 95%, water pollution by 97%, and energy use by 95%.
- Each year, the US produces plastic that is equivalent to 10 pounds for every person on Earth. Plastic is NOT biodegradable and will remain in landfills indefinitely.
Upcoming Events
- Recycling Showcase (at Brick City)
- RecycleMania!
- America Recycles Day
- Past Events
What is Recyclable
How to Recycle
Hundreds of bins are located all over the campus with stickers on them.
The blue sticker represents paper containers.
The green sticker represents metal, glass, and plastic.
The RIT recycling program is committed to providing labeled recycling bins all throughout campus. Your help is needed: if you see an area that needs a recycling bin or is insufficiently labeled, please email the Recycling Administrator at recycle@rit.edu.
Recycle Bin Map
In addition to the smaller recycling stations there are also approximately 50 dumpster size recycling centers. See a map of the locations of these recycling centers on campus.
Other Green Initiatives at RIT
- Energy Audit by ESW: The Engineers for a Sustainable World is currently working on an Energy Audit of on-campus apartments. They are also working on a proposal for changing incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent lamps, which will reduce RIT's energy costs significantly. For more information visit the ESW website.
- "Clean & Green": Consumer cleaning products contain powerful chemicals which are hazardous to the environment. Center for Residence Life's Charon Sattler found some low cost suggestions to clean with the environment in mind.
- Student Environmental Action League (SEAL): is an RIT club that strives for overall environmental improvement. They host events such as the E-Waste Recycling, Campus Clean-up, and Invasive Species Removal.
- RIT Green: Visit the RIT Green website to learn about even more green initiatives on campus.
Current Projects
- Increasing the accessibility of bins at RIT events and on campus in general
- Bringing more bins into the RIT apartments
- Encouraging recycling through events like Recyclemania, America Recycles Day, and a public waste audit
Stephanie Collins is responsible for all campus recycling duties - everything from recycling pickup to placement of recycling containers. If you have questions or comments feel free to call her at 475-7827 or send her an email at recycle@rit.edu.
