INITIATIVES CURRENTLY UNDERWAY
New and innovative recycling initiatives being launched across campus aim to make significant strides toward the University’s Climate Action Plan goal of a 40 percent diversion rate of glass, plastic, metal, paper, and cardboard by 2014.
- The School of Engineering and Applied Science will expand its battery recycling and deskside recycling programs.
- The School of Arts and Sciences will hold a deskside recycling pilot in one of its buildings.
- The Perelman School of Medicine will offer hardcover book recycling in the Biomedical Research Building (BRB) lobby throughout the eight weeks of RecycleMania.
- The Wharton School will complete a recycling pilot in five Huntsman Hall group study rooms.
- Penn Business Services has launched a Green Team with representatives from the majority of the Division's units. The team will be focusing on initiatives surrounding RecycleMania, Earth Day and helping develop proposals for the Green Fund.
- Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services will begin the second phase of its outdoor bin consolidation project, which will ensure that every outdoor trash can is accompanied by a recycling bin.
Has your office, building, or department started its own recycling initiative? Let us know at sustainability@upenn.edu and we'll add it to this list!
Combined with increased individual efforts from students, faculty, and staff across campus, these new departmental initiatives can contribute greatly towards Penn’s RecycleMania goal of a 32 percent cumulative recycling rate of glass, plastic, metal, paper, and cardboard over the eight-week competition. The campus’ monthly diversion rate of those materials currently stands at approximately 29 percent.
HOW YOUR OFFICE, LAB OR DEPARTMENT CAN GET INVOLVED
Improve recycling signage.
In need of some clear recycling signage for your office? Download recycling signs from our website and hang them in your office's designated waste collection areas.
Establish a central location for trash/recycling bins and eliminate personal trash bins.
Most, if not all of the waste you generate in your workplace is recyclable. Instead of risking these materials being disposed as trash in personal desk-side bins, choose central locations for trash and recycling bins to improve your office’s recycling rate.
Recycle pipette tip boxes in your lab.
Recycle pipette tip boxes in your lab. Pipette tip boxes that have a recycling mark with number 1 through 7, can go into any regular recycling bin.
Start recycling battery and portable electronic recycling.
Your office can use the Big Green Box program to recycle portable electronics and all batteries, including alkaline. The Big Green Box is shipped to your office pre-constructed. Place the box in a convenient location and start recycling your portable electronic and batteries. Once the box is full, drop it off at any FedEx shipping location to have the contents recycled. Shipping costs are included in the initial price of the box.
Designate a box in your office to recycle writing instruments.
Penn Now Recycles Pens! Purchasing Services has partnered with Sanford, Office Depot, and TerraCycle to collect and recycle writing instruments such as pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters. TerraCycle “up-cycles” the writing instruments into fun and innovative new products.
All brands of pens and markers are acceptable. For every writing instrument that Penn recycles, the University will receive two cents ($0.02) which will be designated to the Green Fund.
For more information on this program, or to volunteer to be a location coordinator to assist with collection process in your department or building, please contact JoAnn Murphy, Director of Purchasing.
Recycle all ink and toner cartridges.
Penn Purchasing Services works with Telrose Corporation and Office Depot to provide easy, convenient and green recycling programs for all of your used ink and toner cartridges.
Rather than shipping the used ink or toner cartridges individually, Telrose Corporation is consolidating shipments for the entire University. Your Telrose Corporation delivery person will pick up used cartridges from your office, palletize them, and ship them in bulk to the recycler.
- To request a pick-up of your used cartridges, simply send an email with your name, address and suite/office to Telrose Corporation Customer Service.
- If you need a collection box for used ink and toner cartridges, simply send an email request to Telrose Corporation Customer Service and a box will be delivered to you free of charge.
Please direct all questions related to this program to Martin Hull at Telrose.
Consolidate your office supply orders and purchases.
When ordering products from the Penn Marketplace, consolidate your purchases to reduce the amount of packaging used for shipping. Buying in bulk can also help your office save money—Office Depot offers a 3% discount on orders over $200.
Install a Quench water filter.
Reduce the need for plastic bottles and bottled water by installing a Quench Water Filter. Purchasing Services has partnered with Quench USA to offer Inline Water Filter Systems to all departments. The Quench system uses UV filtration to purify and cool or heat municipal water. Please direct all questions regarding Quench inline water filtration systems to Debbie Gallagher at (484) 390-6217.
Start a junk mail collection bin.
Collect your office’s unwanted junk mail and designate a time to unsubscribe the names from future mailings by contacting the companies or departments responsible. Or use www.catalogchoice.org to unsubscribe from unwanted junk mail.
Share extra items with other Penn offices and departments.
List unneeded but usable items in Ben’s Attic, Penn’s newest way to reuse items.
Make Notepads from Excess Paper
If you happen to have a lot of single-sided documents, bring them to the Campus Copy Center and ask them to recycle your waste paper into notepads.
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