A Greener Baylor

Baylor started a major new recycling initiative in early February. The initial phase will place 145 blue recycling containers in every campus residence hall; the bins will take nearly every recyclable item, such as paper, colored paper, plastics, aluminum and tin. 
Over the next few months, Baylor will expand its recycling initiative by placing recycling bins in Baylor offices and public places around campus like the libraries, the Bill Daniel Student Center and the McLane Student Life Center. Toby Tull, BBA '07, coordinator for housing information systems and chair of the sustainability projects subcommittee at Baylor, said estimates show that Baylor could triple the amount it currently recycles, from 160 tons per year to more than 500 tons, once all the recycling bins are in place.
The new recycling initiative also will impact Baylor's bottom line. If the projected recycling numbers are met after all the bins have been placed, Baylor will save approximately $1,200 per month on landfill fees. In addition, Sunbright Disposal Services will pay Baylor about $1,100 per month for its recycled goods, meaning total savings could be nearly $2,500 per month, or more than $27,000 per year.
"The cost savings are nice, but above that, it is also the need to be good stewards of the resources we have been given," said Pattie Orr, vice president for information technology and dean of university libraries at Baylor, who spearheaded the sustainability initiative. "It makes no sense to put material in a landfill that costs us when we can get money by sending the same material to the recycling facility."