There is good news for University of Houston faculty, staff and students who want to support the environment by recycling plastic water or soft drink products. Thanks to UH’s expanded recycling efforts, the campus community has new places to deposit empty plastic bottles.

New recycling receptacles that accept both aluminum cans and plastic bottles have been placed in the M.D. Anderson Library, Ezekiel Cullen Building, Charles F. McElhinney Hall and Melcher Hall. UH already recycles paper products and aluminum, and this recent move to include plastic is a pilot program. If UH’s solid waste department notices enough response from the campus community, it will expand its plastic recycling efforts.

“So far, there has been a positive response,” said Johnnie King, solid waste department supervisor. “I have to fill up at least two dumpsters of recyclable plastic before we can take it our contracted recycling company, Alcoa. So far, one is already full.”

The reason at least two dumpsters must be filled is that Alcoa pays for recyclable goods by the ton.

The new containers – some of which resemble silver bottles – were donated by UH-Downtown (UHD) and Coca-Cola.

“When we first started recycling paper, the response was very slow,” King said. “Now, we recycle more than 4,000 tons of paper a year. Once the word gets out, I suspect we will begin seeing an increase in plastic recycling on campus.”

Every week, a UH recycling truck visits 98 sites on campus and empties about 220 bins of recyclables filled with paper, aluminum cans, cardboard and scrap metal, which includes discarded office furniture. Old car batteries from university vehicles are picked up on request.

Soon, the UH solid waste department also will send a recycling truck to UHD once a week to pick up recyclable plastic.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu