Aggies Recycle On UC Davis’ 8th Green Move-In Recycling Drive

DAVIS, CA – As a part of the move-in tradition, the University of California, Davis, has continued its partnership with Dart Container Corporation for a foam packaging recycling drive that resulted in 826 pounds being collected – this was over 250 pounds more than last year and the largest ever collected. The event was the school’s eighth annual recycling drive and took place as new students moved in for the school year.

“Moving always generates a lot of packaging material. This is why we have an annual tradition of connecting moving with recycling,” said Jenni Porter, Sustainability Coordinator for Student Housing at UC Davis. “Partnering with Dart Container brings us another step closer to fulfilling the University’s zero waste goals. We always make sure to take any opportunity to educate our students in the importance of environmental responsibility, including recycling, and are once again glad to see the students participating.”

For its eighth year, the move-in recycling hit new highs, with 826 pounds of foam collected for transfer and recycling at Dart’s Lodi facility. Once there, the foam will be processed and circulated to manufacturers who will use the recycled material in creating premium picture frames and crown molding. The weekend also resulted in 16,040 pounds of cardboard being collected and sent to Recycling Industries in Sacramento for processing.

“We are proud to partner with UC Davis to increase efforts and awareness of recycling and reducing landfill waste,” said Michael Westerfield, Director of Recycling with Dart Container. “It is refreshing to see students actively getting involved in recycling and learning about the many products that can be diverted from our landfills.”

All recyclable foam can be discerned by a triangular chasing arrows stamp with a #6 in the center. Products with these stamps can range a wide spectrum, from foam cups and food service containers, meat trays, to the large molded blocks used to package fragile items.

Foam and other recyclable products were gathered on September 17-18 with a team of UC Davis recycling volunteers and students assisting in the collection.

UC Davis and its Student Housing office are committed to sustainability in construction, operations and resident education. UC Davis was number eight this year in Sierra Magazine's “Cool Schools” top 10 list.

For area residents interested recycling, local drop-off for recyclables including foam can be found by searching “foam” at http://search.earth911.com. For more information about Dart’s commitment with other schools, companies and municipalities, please go to http://www.dart.biz/recycleca. For more examples of UC Davis leadership in sustainability, see: http://sustainability.ucdavis.edu.

--Image and information courtesy of Dart Container Corporation