Vice Chancellor David N. Sheldon

Recycling History at UCSB

UCSB Recycling Committee was formed by
Vice Chancellor David Sheldon (pictured at left) in 1986.

This committee brought together the key players that were affected by recycling (Custodial, Grounds, Purchasing, Students, Faculty, etc.) and committed to its success on this campus.

 

Paper was the initial recyclable rich material that was targeted. The waste stream of ten of our major and most utilized buildings was analyzed and it was found that approximately 64% of our waste was paper. Utilizing a community based non-profit organization, we initially started with 6 dumpsters just for paper. We now have 146 dumpsters and provide service to all buildings on campus for paper, cardboard, newspress, glass/co-mingle (aluminum and plastic). We annually do waste stream office audits on one or two buildings and the statistics still show office pack is our largest recyclable material.

Recycling Dumpsters

In 1994 the Associated Students Recycling Committee, which is a member of the UCSB. Recycling Committee, brought momentum to recycling on this campus by successfully presenting to the Spring (1994) General Elections ballot a lock-in of $.75 per student per quarter. This now funds the A.S. Recycling Program. The A.S. Recycling Program was able to provide to the campus, in just two years, a grant to purchase much needed outdoor containers to collect glass, newspaper, aluminum, and plastic. This has also provided jobs for students. Try our fact filled website.

HSSB Cluster

Numerous people are involved on a daily basis with recycling. The Custodians are collecting "Office Pack" from the interior of the buildings, and Groundskeepers are collecting the trash that is the fourth section of the recycling clusters. This trash then goes to the Marborg MRF to again be filtered for more collection. The A.S. Recycling staff is also providing educational outreach into the university departments to purchase recycled paper, to look for "post-consumer content" when making a purchase, and to support recycling by initiating a buy-recycled policy throughout the department. We also expanded into e-waste (see Central Stores).

The networking of many dedicated key players on campus has contributed to making a strong recycling program that strives for excellence in its recycling program.