Earlier this year, the Sustainability Office coordinated a pilot program to improve recycling at the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD), (academic and research areas, including the Kornberg Medical Research Building and the Del-Monte Neuromedicine Institute/MRBX). Participation of SMD community members and compliance with recycling procedures is vital to achieving a successful pilot, which will pave the way to improved recycling across the Medical Center.

Progress

Since February, cardboard recycling has had zero contamination. Normally, contaminated loads must be landfilled. By keeping cardboard clean, an estimated 51-136 tons have been saved from the landfill compared to 2024. This is great news!

Unfortunately, the plastic, metal, and glass stream has been highly contaminated. This means that most of these materials went to the landfill instead of being recycled. The Sustainability Office shared positive updates via email about the recycling program from March through July without knowing about this contamination issue. The Office learned the truth from the University’s waste and recycling vendor only recently, and we apologize for the incomplete information. We’re committed to addressing this and are looking for the support of all at SMD as we work to improve.

What’s next?

We are trialing new improvements on the back end, with the goal of decreasing the plastic, metal, and glass contamination rate and obtaining better data. However, in order for the program to be successful we need your help to reduce contamination.

How can you help?

• Follow the guidance. Labels based on Monroe County guidelines are on recycle bins. You are welcome to print out the labels attached to this email. You can also for more information. For laboratory settings, please to learn about lab-specific recycling. If you have questions or have high-volume items that you are not sure about, you can always email us to ask.
• Keep these OUT of the recycling: Plastic bags, plastic film, and Styrofoam. These are the most common and problematic contaminants.
• If you notice that totes and/or guidance labels are missing in your area, let us know or talk to your Environmental Services coordinator.

If you have any questions, concerns, or are interested in more background information about the successes and challenges of the pilot, please reach out to us at sustainability@rochester.edu. Thank you for helping us keep recyclable materials out of the landfill.

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Many items used in everyday life and in the workplace are , including metal, glass, paper, cardboard, and several different shapes of plastic containers. However, various infrastructure factors, regulatory requirements, and changes from construction projects have made effective recycling challenging across the Medical Center. Contamination in recycling bins is also a problem, when well-intentioned end-users put non-recyclable items into the bins. With the SMD recycling refresh, the goal is to optimize the use of the present recycling infrastructure at SMD and the waste collection dock, as well as to improve consistency and accessibility for collecting all types of recyclables.

What should I know as an end-user?

There are strict rules to recycling, and many items that are typically thought to be recyclable are not. For example, Monroe County only recycles four shapes of plastic containers (i.e., bottles, jugs, jars, and tubs) and all other types of plastic are unacceptable. When non-recyclable items end up in a recycling container, that load of recycling becomes contaminated. The result is an ugly truth – the contents of that recycling stream, including items that were perfectly recyclable, become waste. To combat this, the SMD recycling refresh project aims not only to streamline waste management processes, but also to better educate all at SMD about what can and cannot be recycled.

This educational process kicked off with the placement of new and improved labels on individual recycling bins and the recycling compactor servicing SMD. The labels contain clear guidance on which items are accepted in the Cardboard & Paper bins and the Plastic, Metal & Glass bins.

The rollout of this new labeling system is the first step in an awareness campaign being undertaken by the Sustainability Office, spearheaded by Waste Minimization Specialist, Phil Piedmont. Piedmont is actively working to train all at SMD about their respective roles in making the recycling refresh project a success. This includes running departmental training sessions to teach users at SMD what can and cannot be recycled, how to properly prepare items for recycling, and the consequences of ‘wishcycling’ – or throwing waste items in the recycling bin in the hopes that they will be recycled.

Setting the stage for success

Training will also be provided to SMD Environmental Services staff as well as Waste Strategies staff, who manage the Medical Center’s waste dock. Behind the scenes, these groups will be doing their part to keep recycling up and running properly. They will be checking for contamination, working in compliance with revamped procedures, and providing observations during their usual audits to the Sustainability Office to ensure that challenges are addressed promptly and efficiently.

To make this project a success, Piedmont says that everyone’s participation is needed.

“Here’s the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,� says Piedmont. “It’s up to the departmental users, SMD Environmental Services, and our Waste Strategies contractors who manage the dock to make this a success. If they don’t follow guidelines with training and recommendations, recycling will keep going to the trash, and that’s unfortunate. Recycling starts with you!�

Piedmont is excited to teach recycling culture by doing, and he encourages everyone at SMD from departmental users to waste management staff to participate in his upcoming training sessions.

The Sustainability Office encourages those working at SMD to print, post, and share the recycling guidance with their departments and encourage all to follow recycling guidelines.

To schedule training in your department or for questions about the SMD recycling refresh, please contact Phil Piedmont at ppiedmon@facilities.rochester.edu or the Sustainability Office.

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