OXFORD – Yvette Klein reports after 10 years in planning, The Sustainability Department instated a single-stream recycling program in most residence halls beginning this semester
The program will be in action entirely by the end of the semester, Klein said.
Rumpke offered Miami University the “best price” for this new program, winning over another potential recipient; it includes essentially all plastics, which is the biggest difference, said Klein.
In an interview, Klein said the single-stream program, which replaces the “three colored bin” program formerly used for recycling, is now a single dark-blue in which all recyclables will go: glass, plastic, aluminum, paper, cardboard, and metal.
Rumpke will be taking the recycling and sorting it at its facility, which is a process of hand sorting, and an automated system used to visually identify different materials and sort them.
The current recycling facility has ceased operation in way for the new program,
“The MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) was perfect for the ten years we had it in place,” Klein said, “because they were receiving things that were already sorted.”
Klein also said the school expects much more recycling to be reported, because of the physical ease of single-stream recycling.
“Rumpke is actually picking it up, the employees will collect and dump the recycling in a separate bin, and it will be sent to a Rumpke facility.” Klein said.
The need for a larger-scale operation; more man power, larger facilities and economics feasibility were reason for the Department to make the decision to shut the MRF, Klein said.
“The old colored bins will not be going in the trash,” said Klein, in the past, the colored bins (blue, green, and yellow) were the sorting device for the Universities’ recycling,
“We’ll either re-purpose them, or sell them at an annual auction where the University sells its surplus materials.” Klein said.
