Recycling and Beyond: A College Campus Primer
Soft Drink Contracts
National and State Award Opportunities for Colleges and Universities
Recycling Grant Sources for Colleges and Universities
Recycling and Beyond: A College Campus Primer provides an overview of strategies for implementation and program development of a college campus recycling programs. The guidebook by Christine von Kolnitz, Medical University of South Carolina, and Karyn Kaplan, University of Oregon, provides tools, resources and successes to inspire collegiate recyclers everywhere.
Available either online or by
download [pdf, 3.5 MB]
The products and packaging entering the campus from vendors' contracts have direct financial and environmental impacts on the campus. Soft drink packaging in particular may have significant effects on a campus recycling program. While revenues from the sale of aluminum may offset recycling costs, plastic bottles generate considerably less revenue by comparison. Moreover, plastic bottles are likely to place additional collection and processing costs on the campus recycling program.
The Toolkit is designed to help maximize the level of recycling associated with soft drink vending while promoting vendors' assistance in recycling and waste reduction. Findings and recommendations include:
- Campus vending machine contracts are lucrative to vendors because they are often multi-year and exclusive, they substitute more profitable plastic containers for aluminum cans, and they reach a highly desirable audience of young adults.
- Increasingly, vendors have recognized the need to assist campus recycling programs and have provided a wide range of support- ranging from funding assistance and collection of recyclables, to donated equipment and promotional materials.
- Schools receiving the highest levels of support for recycling have included support provisions into their vending contracts.
- Vendors are more likely to provide support when schools acknowledge their involvement and provide positive publicity for vendors' efforts.
- Support for recycling can be affected by lower-than-expected sales goals or contracted quotas. Projecting realistic sales volumes is recommended.
- Campus recycling representatives ought to be involved in the planning process for vending contracts as early as possible.
- A menu of requirements along with options that vendors can choose from helps assure the greatest levels of support for the campus recycling program while providing flexibility to vendors. This menu should be included in a typical Request for Bids document.
- A reporting requirement allows the vendor to document its contribution to a campus' efforts.
The Toolkit includes sample bid language, options to address recycling and waste reduction concerns, a cost analysis of converting vending machines from aluminum cans to plastic bottles, and case studies from nine schools around the country.
The seven page document was prepared by the National Recycling Coalition and its College and University Recycling Council. The Toolkit is available at no cost to NRC members.
Download the Soft Drink Contracts toolkit in the members only section [pdf, 76 KB]
(Member username and password required)*
Do you want your campus recycling program to be recognized for its achievements? If so, CURC has compiled a list of national and state award recognition programs. Please take advantage of this resource to find out more information on opportunities for your recycling program.
Download the Award Opportunities toolkit in the members only section [pdf, 15 KB]
(Member username and password required)*
Do you need funds for recycling bins, vehicles, baling equipment, etc.? If so, CURC has compiled a list of national and state award grant programs. Please take advantage of this resource to find out more information on opportunities for your recycling program.
Download the Grant Sources toolkit in the members only section [pdf, 20 KB]
(Member username and password required)*
* Resources on this website are exculsive benefits to members of the College & University Recycling Council through the National Recycling Coalition. Members can locate the username and password to access these resources in the latest edition of the Mobius newsletter. To become a member of CURC and the NRC, click
here.