Each year the university reduces the amount of trash it sends to landfills. During the ’07-‘08 academic year, 45% of the total daily trash was recycled or composted. This includes paper, beverage containers, food waste, and animal bedding. The program avoids $210,000 in landfill tipping fees and waste hauling costs annually. UNC efforts have contributed to Orange County becoming the first county in North Carolina to achieve a 40% per capita reduction in waste sent to a landfill.
During ‘06-‘07, Carolina recycled almost 2,898 tons of fiber (includes office, confidential and mixed paper, newspapers, magazines, corrugated cardboard, and hardback books), thereby saving 49,18730 trees, 20 million gallons of water, 1.3 million gallons of oil, 1.7 million pounds of air pollution, 8,850 cubic yards of landfill space, and more than 11.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.
Indoor and outdoor recycling bins are easy to find across campus and their appearance can be customized to the building interior. In residence halls, each room is provided with a recycling tote and a list of materials the campus recycles.
The Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling (OWRR) is responsible for most of the waste management and recycling programs on campus, including the development of policies to handle construction and demolition waste. Hazardous materials management and recycling is the responsibility of Environment, Health and Safety. Tree and yard waste are managed by Grounds Servicesand returned to campus as mulch and compost. The Cogeneration Plant produces 25,000 tons of fly ash annually that is used for structural fill and sewage treatment. At the two campus service stations, waste oil and antifreeze are collected for recycling.
Materials collected on campus include: construction and demolition waste, newspapers and magazines, office paper, mixed paper, confidential paper, circuit boards, printer cartridges, polystyrene, cardboard, food waste and animal bedding, beverage containers, batteries, light tubes, appliances, and scrap metal. OWRR provides a map of campus recycling locations, a list of recyclable materials, and annual recycling statistics as well as many other recycling resources.